Christine Battist appointed CFO of Avison Young

Christine Battist has joined Avison Young as a principal and Chief Financial Officer. Based in the firm’s Chicago office, she will lead the company’s finance and accounting organization, serve on the corporate leadership team and participate in the development and execution of the company’s long-term growth strategy and profit goals.

During her 25-plus-year career, Battist has managed the financial aspects of leading corporations within and outside the real estate sector, coordinating such matters as company formation, investor relations, recapitalization, internal financial controls, due diligence, risk management and financial audits. She was most recently CFO of Silver Bay Realty Trust and prior to that, Two Harbors Investment Corp.

“Our leadership team could not be more thrilled to welcome Christine to the CFO role,” said Mark E. Rose, chair and CEO of Avison Young. “Her appointment reflects Avison Young’s continuing effort to build the most talented and diverse management team in the industry. Christine is a finance thought leader with a proven track record and keen understanding of the levers that propel shareholder value. She has confidently navigated companies through exponential growth.”

Prior to joining Two Harbors, Battist was director of financial compliance at the Mosaic Company and then their director of investor relations, director of internal audit at Tuesday Morning Corporation and she has a decade of experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, overseeing engagements on M&A, due diligence, risk management and financial audits.

“I’m excited to be part of Avison Young’s collaborative global culture, which prides itself on providing premier client service,” said Battist. “I’m looking forward to joining a dynamic, highly strategic leadership team that is committed to growth and commercial real estate industry leadership. I’ll strive to transform Avison Young’s enterprise capabilities to support the agile and efficient execution of key initiatives for the purpose of sustainable—and profitable—growth. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues across the company as we contribute to Avison Young’s ongoing global expansion.”

Battist holds a bachelor of business administration in accounting from St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. Committed to community involvement, she volunteers her service and financial expertise to organizations that promote education and financial independence for women and children, including the United Way and Girl Scouts.

Battist succeeds Gary Hubbard, who will retire later this year after a 37-year career as a financial executive with global corporations. “During his nearly five years at Avison Young, Gary played a key role in our company’s unprecedented growth and the development of our ongoing aggressive global expansion program,” Rose said. “He has played a critical role in ensuring Avison Young’s long-term financial success. We greatly appreciate his contributions and wish him the best in retirement.”