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Matt Gunning’s Leasing Team Brings Toughness and Talent to CBRE in Toronto North
September 19, 2025 5 Minute Read
Matt Gunning and his five-person team have joined CBRE and are on a mission to strengthen the company’s position and help clients get ahead in Toronto’s super-competitive suburban 905 area.
“Transactions can be complex, they take time, and they can wear people down,” Gunning says. “This economy and office leasing market require the best of real estate service providers. At CBRE we’re better positioned than ever to deliver for our clients.”
Gunning, Mark Sullivan, Katie Wilson, Kyle Albert and Veronica Ho are considered a pre-eminent office listing team in the suburban northeast Greater Toronto Area (GTA). They boast a portfolio of 30 plus properties that represent the lion’s share of available office space in the region.
“We’ve been fortunate to have done more than 1,000 transactions over the years, and we’ve learned so much,” Gunning says. “That’s what is enabling us to help our clients make the right decisions and seize opportunities even when so much is changing from an economic, political and technology standpoint.”
Gunning’s new boss and former friendly-competitor agrees. “Matt and his team are highly respected for persistent performance and client outcomes,” says CBRE Toronto North Managing Director Daniel Reid. “Their joining the CBRE platform promises tremendous mutual benefit for CBRE, Matt and his team, and our clients across the GTA and beyond.
“As we move forward into this next cycle of market recovery and opportunity,” Reid adds, “it will be our people that drive us forward, and we are pleased to count Matt, Mark, Katie, Kyle and Veronica among them.”
Delivering Value
Gunning’s team delivers value by helping clients to focus on the right priorities when putting a deal together.
The team invests enormous energy into how they present and market projects. “We love the physical nature of real estate,” says Gunning. “You can tell a lot of the story with powerful visuals like photos and maps. We do a lot to make sure our marketing stands out and that we effectively convey what makes a property unique.”
The team’s position at the centre of the northeast Toronto office leasing market means that whenever opportunities arise “we will know and hear about them.”
“We have one of the widest nets in the market which means any transaction opportunities circulating in the market will come through us,” Gunning says. “Our goal is to ensure our clients see every potential opportunity.”
Real Estate Realization
Gunning demonstrated his real estate acumen early on. As a student in the real estate program at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) he worked on a class project creating an interactive map for real estate brokerage firm J.J Barnicke with data-driven profiles of 70-plus properties in the popular Gastown area.
“This was in 2002,” Gunning says, “so the collection and use of the data was impressive for the time. We presented it to their brokers and leadership team. They loved what we did and offered us jobs on the spot.”
Gunning was moving to Toronto but was able to land a role with J.J. Barnicke in its Toronto North office, where he came into the orbit of senior broker (and future CBRE Managing Director) Adrian Lee. The two eventually joined forces and then both moved to Avison Young to launch its north Toronto office.
“Adrian and I became partners and we grew that business substantially over the next five years,” Gunning recalls.
Lee left in 2014 to join CBRE and Gunning went on to become managing director of the Avison Young Toronto North office before returning exclusively to brokerage in 2021.
CBRE Looms Large
CBRE had always loomed large for Gunning, despite being the competition. “In Northeast Toronto, CBRE had always been the leader with the corporate accounts and large mandates that it would represent in the market,” he says.
“The company was filled with talented, smart brokers, many of whom I had the opportunity to work with over the years on deals. CBRE represented the most sophisticated end of the market in terms of clients.”
Gunning and Daniel Reid had been friends from the early days, having started in the business within a year of one another. “We collaborated on deals on opposite sides of the table over the years, and supported each other as much as competitors can.”
So when Gunning was looking for a change and new opportunities, he knew where he wanted to go.
“CBRE is positioned as the leader in this market and continues to make the right investments to win business and service their customers. With the opportunity to join CBRE, I decided the time was right to make the big move.”
Going Big
Gunning says his team plans to support their clients and strengthen those relationships by bringing the CBRE platform to bear.
And they’ve got their eyes on bigger prizes, too. “The goal is to work on large, important transactions, collaborating with the great people and teams at CBRE that are delivering on a local, national and even international projects” says Gunning.
“CBRE offers the platform that many large organizations are looking for. When Fortune 500 companies are evaluating real estate service providers, CBRE is always on the list because of its scale, track record and ability to deliver.
“There’s always risk in real estate decisions,” Gunning adds, “so having confidence and trust in the people you’re working with is paramount.”
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