Bayleys Appoints New South Island Commercial & Industrial GM

William Wallace, formerly Savills’ New Zealand’s general manager, has joined Bayleys’ commercial and industrial team as South Island general manager.

Bayleys’ national commercial and industrial director Ryan Johnson says the appointment is part of a move to strengthen the agency’s presence in the South Island and follows Bayleys Canterbury’s recent acquisition of Christchurch-based commercial and industrial agency, M B Cook Limited.

“The South Island commercial and industrial market is a fairly segmented one and we believe there’s an opportunity for us to increase our market share there and these two strategic initiatives are aimed at doing that,” Johnson says.

William Wallace joined the Savills Christchurch team in 2016, with 14 years of experience in the South African property industry and was appointed South Island general manager in 2018 and then New Zealand general manager, based in Auckland, in early 2020.

Prior to relocating to New Zealand, he was national sales director for Amdec Property Development Co, one of South Africa’s largest privately-owned development firms.

“William brings wide-ranging experience in not only sales and leasing but also in the development sector and property and facilities management services through his work with Amdec and will be able to connect our South Island offices and their clients with the full suite of services that Bayleys can offer across all segments of the commercial market,” says Johnson.

Wallace will be based in Christchurch working with Bayleys recently expanded agency and property services teams there and will also be focused on lifting Bayleys’ profile and presence in other parts of the South Island, particularly in Dunedin and Queenstown, Johnson says.

“It is a unique role aimed at providing a high level of client connectivity not just across the whole of the South Island but also with key clients in the North Island who are looking for opportunities and assistance in the South Island. The relationships and contacts that William has established having been based in both Auckland and Christchurch will be invaluable in this regard.”

Wallace says he is looking forward to relocating back to Christchurch where his wife’s family is based. “The opportunity that Bayleys offered to not only return to Christchurch but to further progress my career within a larger, market-leading agency business was a compelling one.”

William Wallace’s appointment follows the announcement that Bayleys is also expanding its commercial and industrial footprint in Christchurch by acquiring MB Cook, a specialist commercial property agency which has been operating in the city since the 1970s.

Bayleys Canterbury chief executive officer Pete Whalan says the combined team of 30 sales and leasing personnel will operate out of Bayleys’ Canterbury head office in Deans Avenue, Christchurch which is currently being reconfigured and refurbished.

"We are excited about MB Cook's experienced team joining the Bayleys brand and bringing with them decades of experience and networked connections in the greater Canterbury region," says Whalan. “The merger will create the biggest commercial and industrial sales and leasing team in Canterbury and the South Island supported by Bayleys' extensive, industry-leading back-office support services.”

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