Matt Waters Joins Cresa to Lead Lease Administration & Lease Accounting

Cresa, the world’s leading occupier-centric commercial real estate firm, today announced that Matt Waters, CPA, MCR, CGLA, has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Lease Administration & Lease Accounting. Waters will oversee end-to-end management of the lease administration and lease accounting operations for Cresa’s multinational clients’ portfolios and serve as practice lead, responsible for sustained growth with a special emphasis on expanding the lease accounting service arm.

He joins Cresa from CoStar Real Estate Manager, where, as Managing Director of Lease Administration & Lease Accounting, he served as the lead subject matter expert during a decade of explosive growth driven by ASC 842 and IFRS 16 lease accounting changes. He was the founding leader of the lease accounting and lease administration center of excellence at CoStar, providing expertise to over 2,500 corporations including over 250 of the Fortune 1000. Waters held similar positions at American Tower and The Home Depot.

A prominent expert in the industry, Waters is also the founder of the Lease Accounting Institute, which offers the Certified Global Lease Accountant (CGLA) designation, the first-of-its-kind training program. Waters is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“This is a natural expansion and progression of our existing platform and a service that clients continue to demand. Growth in this area means clients can stay focused on their core business while we provide strategic support,” said Tricia Trester, President, Global Portfolio Solutions. “We are thrilled Matt has joined our team and look forward to leveraging his expertise to deliver best-in-class service to our portfolio clients.”

Added Waters, “I am excited to join Cresa, a forward-thinking organization that continues to add and enhance its resources. This role is where lease administration, lease accounting, and real estate strategy intersect and I am looking forward to helping our clients by delivering practical solutions in an ever-changing environment.”