iO Partners expands into Serbia and the SEE Region

iO Partners, JLL’s preferred partner, has opened a new office in Belgrade, Serbia. The new business, which will cover Serbia and neighbouring countries including Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, is iO Partners first new office opening since their new CEE structure was put into place in the summer of 2023.

The business will be overseen by Jelena Radulovic, who is joining as the firm’s new Managing Director. Jelena has over 20 years of real estate experience in Serbia and was previously Director of CBS International before setting up her own real estate advisory firm.

“I am extremely excited to be part of iO’s continued expansion in the region. We already have 10 colleagues on board, with a clear expansion plan in place, as we look to provide a full-service offering to our clients. The firm has a strong tradition in these markets, and we are already working closely with our new colleagues in Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava and Prague”, said Jelena Radulovic on that occasion.

Andrew Peirson, Managing Director of iO’s Prague office, commented: “As a firm we have a long history in Serbia and its neighbouring region, where JLL was the market leader for many years. It is great to finally have a business again on the ground that can service our many clients in that region. Serbia is a market that I myself thoroughly enjoyed working in, and I am really excited to work closely with Jelena and her team”.

As a location, Belgrade has been selected as a new expansion location due to both Belgrade’s strategic location within the Southeastern European region and also the huge opportunities on the ground in Serbia. The country is increasingly being seen as a gateway to doing business in the region, and with a metropolitan population of 1.7 million inhabitants, Belgrade is a city that is ripe for further international investment.