Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated announced key leadership changes as part of a planned transition within its Americas Leasing Advisory business. Michael Colacino has been appointed CEO Americas Leasing Advisory and John Gates will transition to Executive Chairman, Americas Leasing Advisory. The transition is effective January 15, 2026.
As Executive Chairman, Gates will focus on building relationships with occupier clients, targeted broker recruitment, oversight of Mexico operations and providing strategic advisory across the platform. During his tenure as CEO, Gates strengthened JLL's presence across the Americas, expanded leasing capabilities in key markets and established the firm's industrial and logistics business. He also launched JLL University, one of the firm's most regarded training programs and advanced the Champions of Excellence tradition celebrating employees' outstanding career contributions to the firm and communities.
Colacino joined JLL in 2023 as President of Tri-State Brokerage, bringing over 30 years of commercial real estate experience starting at Studley, where he led a management buyout and served as President from 2002 until the firm's acquisition by Savills in 2014. At Savills he ran the US operations and served on the Savills Global Executive Board. He later founded proptech investment firm Haiku Partners in 2019, before serving as President and then CEO at SquareFoot.
His deep understanding of evolving client expectations and competitive market dynamics, alongside his data management, AI and technology expertise, strongly position him to lead the next phase of strategic growth across Americas leasing business. Gates began his career at The Staubach Company in 1990 and joined JLL through its 2008 acquisition, subsequently holding leadership roles including CEO of Markets for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Gates and Colacino will work together to ensure a seamless transition while continuing to deliver exceptional outcomes for JLL's leasing clients across the Americas.
