Vanessa Williams
Arizona’s Market Leader and Senior Managing Director
Professional Experience
Associated Office
Vanessa Williams serves as Arizona’s Market Leader and Senior Managing Director for CBRE, leading the Advisory and Transaction Services. In this role, Vanessa drives strategic initiatives to expand market presence, increase revenue, and enhance profitability. She builds and nurtures strong client relationships, identifying new business opportunities and fostering client satisfaction and retention.
As a collaborative leader, Vanessa manages a high-performance team, providing mentorship and development opportunities to professionals across the organization. She offers comprehensive advisory and transaction solutions tailored to client needs, ensuring CBRE’s platform stands out by recruiting, retaining, and boosting the productivity of top brokerage professionals.
Vanessa works closely with CBRE’s Global Group Presidents and Executive Leadership to implement enterprise strategies. She ensures efficient business operations and develops innovative approaches to maintain CBRE’s competitive edge amidst changing market dynamics. Vanessa is known for her expertise in navigating complex business challenges and applying advanced critical thinking to deliver strategic solutions.
Prior to joining CBRE, Vanessa held the role of Senior Director of Business Development & Marketing for Colliers’ West Region, where she led a diverse team of 70+ professionals. Her leadership spanned marketing, research, and public relations while driving organic growth, market share expansion, and talent recruitment. With over 18 years of experience in commercial real estate, marketing, and business development, Vanessa brings deep expertise in operations, business development, branding, asset positioning, and public relations.
Vanessa began her career in commercial real estate at Grubb & Ellis in 2007 and later joined Cushman & Wakefield as Arizona’s Marketing Manager. A strategic thinker passionate about ethical leadership, Vanessa remains committed to helping organizations thrive through innovative solutions, operational excellence, and a focus on long-term growth.