Abigail McFadyen Among Six CBRE Advisors Who Join JLL's Chicago Office and Life Sciences Practice

CHICAGO, October 12, 2026 — JLL (NYSE: JLL) announced today that Abigail McFadyen, Senior Vice President, and five colleagues have joined the firm's Chicago office from CBRE, effective immediately. The group focuses on office and life sciences/R&D advisory work and has completed more than 75 million square feet of transactions valued at over $50 billion for occupiers, developers and institutional investors, according to JLL.

Joining McFadyen are Kyle Kamin, Vice Chairman; Dan Lyne, Vice Chairman; Jon Milonas, Executive Managing Director; Brandon Green, Senior Vice President; and Joe Davis, Director of Transactions.

Who Is Joining JLL in Chicago

The team advises technology, legal, life sciences, financial and professional services clients, as well as major universities, governments and nonprofits. Its portfolio includes the development and leasing of Fulton Labs, Hyde Park Labs and Evanston Labs, JLL said.

Kamin, who has been at CBRE since 1999, represented Google in its 2015 relocation to Fulton Market and in its 2022 purchase of the Thompson Center, described in the announcement as the largest occupier acquisition of an office building in Chicago history. Milonas recently advised Morningstar on its lease at the Thompson Center, the largest downtown office lease signed in 2026.

Lyne co-founded 1871, Chicago's digital startup hub, helped launch the healthcare innovation incubator MATTER, and was on the founding team at World Business Chicago. He has been the lead advisor on Trammell Crow's lab developments throughout the region.

JLL Executives and Team Members Comment

"This team represents best-in-class client service and the right fit to amplify JLL's culture and commitment to the Chicago market," said Todd Mintz, vice chairman and market lead of Chicago's office tenant representation practice. "These professionals helped define this city's commercial landscape over the last several decades and brought an entirely new asset class to Chicagoland. Their ability to advise both occupiers and developers gives them a perspective few in the market can match."

Karen Brennan, CEO, Leasing Advisory, JLL, said: "Chicago sets the standard for what a truly integrated office and life sciences market can be, and JLL has long been at its center. Adding Kyle, Dan, Jon and their colleagues deepens our commitment to this market and reflects what our Leasing Advisory business is built to deliver: sophisticated, locally rooted perspective and advice backed by a global platform."

The team cited JLL's investment in AI, its growing life sciences and critical facilities platform, and the breadth of its Integrated Project Services as key reasons for the move. Kamin said JLL is globally headquartered in Chicago and that most of its executive leadership sits in the city, which allows the team to "partner with clients commercially and civically." He added that JLL's data and analytics platform is "unmatched across the industry."

Chicago Office Market Context

The hires come as Chicago's office market remains uneven. Downtown direct vacancy was reported at 25.0% in the third quarter, with approximately 269,000 square feet of negative absorption. Another market estimate put direct vacancy at 26.6%, with Trophy buildings at 11.4%.

Leasing activity is concentrating in higher-quality, amenitized assets. Class A availability fell to 22.2% in one third-party survey, while Class A asking rents reached $57.86 per square foot and overall asking rents rose to a record $48.88 per square foot.

Morningstar's commitment of roughly 275,000 to 278,000 square feet at the Thompson Center was the largest downtown lease since 2024 and accounted for a significant share of quarterly activity. No new office space was under construction or delivered in the central business district during the third quarter, and more than half of downtown office sales were designated for redevelopment or conversion. Suburban Chicago office vacancy held at 33.1%, compared with roughly 24% before the pandemic.

Competitive and Financial Backdrop

JLL reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $6.9 billion, up 11% year over year, with Advisory revenue up 21% in local-currency terms and Leasing Advisory revenue up 24%. Company executives said global office leasing revenue increased 20%, compared with 2% growth in market volume.

CBRE also reported growth, with second-quarter revenue of $11.23 billion, up 15.5% year over year. Its Advisory Services revenue rose 17.7% to $2.31 billion, and global leasing revenue increased 24%, with U.S. leasing revenue also up 24%. The move is a transfer between two growing platforms.

Outlook

With the group's experience across office leasing, development and life sciences/R&D, JLL's Chicago practice now includes a team that advises both occupiers and developers as owners in the market pursue leasing, redevelopment, conversion and lab-oriented uses. JLL, which reports annual revenue of $26.1 billion and operations in over 80 countries, said the team's arrival extends its Chicago advisory capabilities beyond traditional tenant representation.

Sources

JLL news release, "JLL adds top office and life sciences/R&D advisory teams in Chicago," October 12, 2026: https://www.jll.com/en-us/newsroom/jll-adds-top-office-and-life-sciences-advisory-teams-in-chicago