CoreNet Elects First Non-US Chairman

ATLANTA-Mark Tamburro has been elected chairman of CoreNet Global’s board of directors, becoming the first non-American to helm the group. Tamburro is VP of workplace resources with Nokia Corp. in Farnborough, UK, near London.

Tamburro will serve a one-year term as chairman, effective May 12 during the CoreNet Global San Diego Summit. He will succeed David M. Harris, senior VP of Sun Microsystems.

“I’m highly honored to be the first non-American to serve as chair,” Tamburro tells GlobeSt.com. “I think it’s starting to reflect that CoreNet has become more of a global entity. The makeup of the board has been pretty diverse, with individuals from all sorts of industries around the world. It’s sort of natural to extend that to the chairmanship.”

The new chairman’s plans include continuing to develop CoreNet’s summits in North America, Europe and Asia, in the interest of furthering the education of the association’s 7,000 members worldwide, Tamburro says. Membership in the group also allows for sharing of knowledge and using other members as resources, he adds.

Tamburro has been involved with real estate for at least 20 years, mostly with technology companies. He has been with Nokia for the last eight years and previously worked for Dell Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Current CoreNet board members are from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong and Australia. Barry Varcoe of the Royal Bank of Scotland is the group’s chair-elect and will succeed Tamburro next year.Stephen A. Stoner, managing director-central region with First Industrial Realty Trust Inc., was appointed treasurer of the CoreNet board. Directors elected to three-year terms are: Richard Paver, VP-group real estate, BP International; Mark Schleyer, VP-corporate real estate, AT&T; Lee Utke, director, global corporate real estate, Whirlpool Corp.; Richard (Rick) Bertasi, VP and general manager, EMEA Global Workplace Solutions, Johnson Controls; and Bruce Ficke, EVP-client solutions, Cushman & Wakefield.

Additionally, five associate directors were appointed to one-year terms: Stephen (Steve) Hargis, SVP, HOK; Tim McGrath, assistant deputy minister, Public Works & Government Services, Canada; Mary Jane Olhasso, director of economic development, Ontario, CA; Bruce Richards, national portfolio manager, Corporate Real Estate Group, Australia Post; and Randall (Randy) White, senior director, Asia Pacific, DTZ. Continuing in leadership positions are: Karen Ellzey, executive managing director, CB Richard Ellis; Mark Gorman, director of global real estate, Nortel; Suzanne Heidelberger, director of real estate, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP; Renee Leach, director, Global Workplace Program, Hewlett Packard; Trex Morris, Americas director, real estate services, Ernst & Young; Ed Noha, managing director, Jones Lang LaSalle; and Wayne Peacock, EVP, USAA.