Colliers launches EMEA location strategy service

Elias van Herwaarden

Colliers International has launched a location strategy service for global occupiers targeting the EMEA region and has appointed Elias van Herwaarden, previously with Deloitte, to head the new service.

Van Herwaarden, who also teaches international business strategy at KU Leuven, has spent more than three decades advising global organisations on their location strategy, consulting on corporate expansion and footprint optimisation as well business process outsourcing and global business services operating models. His experience spans a wide range of industries and more than 250 cities and 47 countries worldwide. 

The new EMEA Location Strategy unit will be part of Colliers’ Occupier Services business. Van Hewaarden will lead Colliers’ strategic location consulting capability for key corporate clients.

Colliers executive managing director occupier services EMEA Andrew Hallissey said van Hewaarden’s “deep expertise advising global corporations on strategic location decisions will bring an added dimension to our service proposition.”

Optimising global business operations

He added that the firm’s location strategy service aims to optimise global business operations through a range of nearshoring and offshoring portfolio and labour strategies, considering factors such as labour market opportunities, infrastructure maturity, real estate availability, government incentives, and tax optimisation.

Van Hewaarden said that many businesses are now evaluating opportunities to de-risk their operating models after the challenges of 2020, “and are seeking increased security and resilience going forward as part of their global location strategy.”

“We are expecting to see significant changes in location strategy from major corporates over the years ahead.”

Author: