Scott Gottlieb, a vice chairman at CBRE, tore through 2025 with a streak of Manhattan office deals that most brokers only daydream about. Across the year, he closed 58 lease transactions totaling roughly 2.3 million square feet, from corporate headquarters moves to big public-sector consolidations in the Financial District and Midtown, filling up some of the city's most closely watched towers.
According to Connect CRE, Gottlieb's 58 deals combined for about 2.3 million square feet and earned him a New York & Tri-State Top Broker Award for 2026. The profile highlights several marquee assignments that powered those totals and underscores how brokers still sit at the center of wrangling big-block occupancies in a choppy office market.
Big-name Move at PENN 2
One of the headliners was Universal Music Group, which signed a long-term lease at Vornado's redeveloped PENN 2. Commercial Observer reported the deal at roughly 336,000 square feet. UMG's own announcement said the company will occupy the fourth through seventh floors and build production studios plus a ground-floor retail experience. That kind of chunky commitment helped turn PENN 2 into a magnet for large corporate tenants during the building's post-redevelopment leasing push.
UN Consolidation and a Brookfield Extension
Gottlieb's 2025 scorecard also featured a major public-sector consolidation. His CBRE profile notes he represented the United Nations Development Corporation in securing leases totaling about 788,000 square feet across One and Two United Nations Plaza. In the private sector, the same CBRE listing credits him with representing Invesco in a roughly 204,000-square-foot lease extension at 225 Liberty Street in Brookfield Place, underscoring that his work spanned everything from government tenants to global investment managers.
What It Signals for Manhattan Leasing
Large blocks like these help explain why landlords that poured money into capital improvements saw stronger leasing momentum in 2025 than the broader office market. CoStar's coverage of landlord leasing totals, along with Vornado's Penn District leasing announcements, underline that long-term commitments from marquee tenants are playing a central role in stabilizing Manhattan office fundamentals.
Why Brokers Still Matter
Gottlieb's 2025 ledger, a mix of tenant-side and landlord-side assignments, shows how relationships, negotiation chops, and deep market intel still decide who lands the biggest and most complicated New York office leases. His full CBRE bio and deal list highlight the firm's ability to move large blocks and advise both public institutions and global corporate tenants at a moment when appetite for Manhattan office space is cautiously returning.
