Avison Young has opened its first office in Romania, within Bucharest’s new central business district. This is the company’s 10th office in Europe and 80th location overall.

“We believe that Bucharest is an underserved market, offering great potential for increased local, national and international investment,” said Avision Young Chair and CEO Mark Rose. “Bucharest, which has a young, educated workforce, is a gateway to Eastern and Central Europe and aligns well with our other European operations. The new Bucharest office will also enhance our ability to facilitate multi-market transactions on both sides of the Atlantic.”

David Canta will become principal of Avison Young’s Bucharest operations and managing director of the new office. He will focus on overseeing the growth and development of Avison Young’s presence in Romania, servicing new and existing clients, and managing the day-to-day operations of the office. Canta was recently associate director and co-founder of commercial real estate brokerage firm Momentum Consulting in Bucharest. Before that, he was a broker with CBRE in Bucharest.

Also joining Avison Young from Momentum Consulting are: Gabriel Munteanu, director of valuation and advisory; Alina Mocanu, senior associate; and Emanuel Romanu, associate. Munteanu will be responsible for commercial real estate advisory and valuation work throughout Romania, while Mocanu and Romanu will focus on office leasing.

“Avison Young’s entrepreneurial and collaborative culture resonates well with the way we conduct business in Romania,” said Canta. “We believe that our clients will be better served by tapping into Avison Young’s global resources.”

Canta will also work closely with Hiren Thakar, a principal of Avison Young and the firm’s senior vice-president of corporate strategy.

“We are already working on client assignments together,” Thakar noted. “Furthermore, Romania is a stable, rapidly growing EU country that has become a destination for outsourcing and has a growing industrial base. David and his team are experienced in working with international clients and have been successful at completing assignments throughout Romania and Europe.”