Savills Canada says it appointed industry veteran David Salomon-Lima as a senior vice president in Montreal as the United Kingdom-based brokerage works to grow its presence in Canada's second-largest city.
Savills said Salomon-Lima will focus on providing brokerage services including office leasing agency and tenant advisory services and leveraging Savills global platform to advise clients.
“We are rounding out our advisory practice by adding David to provide brokerage services for the office sector,” Savills Canada President Ruth Fischer said in a statement. “He brings an extensive track record of the development, leasing, repositioning, and disposition of major assets across the region, and we are looking to tap into his professional network and industry expertise.”
The Montreal office market had appeared poised to begin to recover last year. "However, this trend ended abruptly, according to market observers, as occupiers are increasingly holding off on making space expansion decisions due to economic uncertainty tied to the ongoing U.S.-Canada trade dispute," according to a CoStar Market Analytics report. "A further headwind is the June 2025 announcement by the Quebec government to vacate a larger portion of its office space than previously anticipated. The government now plans to vacate 40% of its office space as opposed to 30% previously planned."
As a result, CoStar said, "It is a tenant's market, and tenant inducements and free rent remain generous."
Prior to joining Savills, Salomon-Lima was a well-known fixture at Rosefellow, one of the most prolific builders of industrial facilities in the Montreal area in recent years. Salomon-Lima also previously plied his trade at Broccolini, Ivanhoé Cambridge and Avison Young prior to that.
Salomon-Lima said he is ready to launch office brokerage services for Savills in Montreal.
“I am looking forward to continuing meaningful client relationships, delivering best-in-class office advisory, and collaborating with our talented teams across the region to grow our presence and impact in this market," he said in a statement.
Savills Canada provides a range of real estate-related services, including advising investors on real estate transactions, helping plan real estate projects, acquiring or leasing industrial property and optimizing office workplaces.
Savills was founded in London, England in 1855 and has been a force in the Canadian market since 2009 with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton.