Sun-Sun de Swaan

Sun-Sun de Swaan joined Sheffield Haworth in July 2026 as Managing Director of the Real Estate Practice in the United States, where she works closely with the firm's international real estate teams to build and strengthen its global search and advisory practice. She brings more than 25 years of real estate experience and works with clients across the sector, including firms involved in investment, development, financing, and property management.

Sun-Sun received her Bachelor of Science in business administration from University of California, Berkeley and her MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona. Her expertise spans a range of functions in the industry, shaping her ability to deliver exceptional talent to her clients. According to Sheffield Haworth's CEO Alex Cormack, her deep sector knowledge, track record in real estate search, and strength of relationships across the market will be invaluable as the firm grows its capabilities.

Career history

• Partner, Real Estate Practice at McDermott + Bull, New York – Led the firm's real estate practice with more than a decade of experience leading real estate practices in executive search
• Managing Director, Real Estate at GLOCAP
• Director of Acquisitions for Highgate, a real estate investment and management company
• Principal-side investment and asset management experience at Hersha Hospitality Trust and Denihan Hospitality Group
• Senior Consultant providing transaction advisory services to lenders and investors at Ernst & Young Real Estate Group and PKF Consulting

What Sun-Sun de Swaan could bring to Sheffield Haworth: Her proven track record building and leading real estate search practices, combined with deep knowledge across investment, development, and financing functions, positions her to accelerate Sheffield Haworth's expansion into one of the firm's priority sectors. Her extensive relationships with C-suite leaders and investors throughout the real estate market, plus her executive search expertise, should enable her to rapidly scale the global practice while addressing the sector's evolving leadership demands around sustainability and capital redeployment.