Acclaimed dealmaker David Carlos has joined JLL as vice chairman and head of the Nonprofit, Education and Government Practice, according to a recent announcement from JLL. Carlos will be based in the Manhattan headquarters office. He will be joined by colleagues Andrew Dzenis, who will serve as managing director, and Rekha Pednekar, who will be an associate.
The trio join JLL from Savills, where their top-producing Nonprofit Practice Group has been responsible for some of the most complicated and high-profile real estate transactions in New York City. They will leverage their extensive experience working with mission-based organizations to further strengthen JLL’s platform across the tri-state.
“David is a highly skilled broker whose experience executing complex, multidimensional transactions will be a tremendous asset as JLL continues to expand its capabilities in New York and beyond,” Peter Riguardi, president of the New York region for JLL, said. “We are thrilled to welcome David, Andrew and Rekha to JLL.”
A three-time REBNY Ingenious Dealmaker winner, Carlos is among the city’s leading leasing and sales brokers. Prior to JLL, he was vice chairman of the Nonprofit Practice Group at Savills, where he worked with a diverse roster of prominent clients, including Weill Cornell Medicine, Jewish Theological Seminary, CUNY, New York Public Library and KIPP Charter Schools, providing real estate planning and analysis, acquisition, disposition and development services. His skill was also sought by major corporate players, such as StepStone Group and Kroll Bond Rating Agency, for which he most recently negotiated a 95,000-square-foot relocation while subleasing the company’s vacated space to facilitate the agency’s rapid growth.
Dzenis has worked with Carlos since he joined Savills in 2018 as an associate. His ability to devise strategic real estate plans and solve complicated transactional hurdles enabled him to ascend the ranks to managing director within five years. This summer, Dzenis was recognized with REBNY’s Most Promising Commercial Salesperson of the Year Award for a career already marked by triumphs across the commercial real estate landscape.
Pednekar is a Fordham Gabelli School of Business graduate who joined Carlos’ team at Savills in 2021. A U.K. native who began her real estate career in the residential sector, Pednekar has emerged as a dedicated real estate adviser under the tutelage of Carlos, navigating multidisciplinary transactions with the aim of delivering thoughtful real estate strategies.
“We are excited to bring our deep market knowledge and local expertise to the JLL platform during a period of dislocation across the commercial real estate landscape,” Carlos said. “The nonprofit sector is a major contributor to the city’s economy and overall financial health, employing over 18% of all workers in New York City. I look forward to building on my team’s success and making JLL the leader in this space at a critical time for tenants, owners and investors.”
