Leff joins Newmark Knight Frank as a senior managing director

Michael Leff has joined Newmark Knight Frank Global Corporate Services as a senior managing director. He specializes in tenant representation, focusing on matching his clients' occupancy challenges with solutions integrating their business objectives. Equipped with more than a decade of commercial brokerage experience and seven years prior as a business owner, he has developed a unique capacity for approaching corporate real estate from the perspective of the broker as well as the end user. Leff has consummated more than three million s/f in transactions, representing clients across various industries, including legal, financial services, and fashion and apparel. He is experienced in all areas of the commercial real estate transaction, ranging from site selection to move-in. "Over the course of his career, Michael has garnered a strong reputation for the superior level of client service he provides," said Michael Ippolito, chairman of Newmark Knight Frank Global Corporate Services. "We are excited to have him on our team." Leff entered the commercial real estate industry in 2001 as part of Studley's highest producing team. As a corporate managing director, he worked with some of the firm's most renowned clients including Polo Ralph Lauren, Accenture and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, concentrating on new business development and securing optimal occupancy solutions on behalf of his clients. Recently, Leff's 194,000 s/f lease at 650 Madison on behalf of Polo Ralph Lauren was named one of the "Top Commercial Leases of 2009" by The Commercial Observer. In 2006, he was named to Real Estate Weekly's list of Top Up-and-Comers. Leff also won SL Green's Green Deal Award for the most significant deal in 2005 for securing a 186,000-square-foot lease at 625 Madison Avenue on behalf of Polo Ralph Lauren. Leff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Syracuse University and a master's degree in accounting from C.W. Post. Newmark Knight Frank is one of the largest independent real estate service firms in the world. Headquartered in New York, Newmark Knight Frank and London-based partner Knight Frank operate from over 220 offices in established and emerging property markets on six continents. With a combined staff of 7,300 and revenues last year exceeding $861 million, this major force in real estate is meeting the local and global needs of owners, tenants, investors and developers worldwide. For further information, visit www.newmarkkf.com. # # #