As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 23, 2018March 18, 2019

Registration No. 333-225742333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Amendment No. 2

to

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD plc

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

125 Old Broad Street

London, United Kingdom, EC2N 1AR

Telephone: +44 20 3296 3000

(Address including zip code, telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

Brett Soloway

Cushman & Wakefield

225 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

Telephone: (312) 470-1800

(Name, address including zip code, telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies To:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:As soon as practicable after the effective date hereof.this Registration Statement is declared effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. WeThe selling shareholders may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion)

Issued July 23, 2018March 18, 2019

45,000,00016,500,000 Shares

Ordinary Shares

The selling shareholders are offering 16,500,000 ordinary shares of Cushman & Wakefield plc is offering 45,000,000plc. We will not receive any of itsthe proceeds from the ordinary shares. This is our initial public offering, and no public market currently exists for our ordinary shares. We anticipate thatshares sold by the initial public offering price will be between $16.00 and $18.00 per share.selling shareholders.

We have applied to list ourOur ordinary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “CWK.” On March 15, 2019, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE was $18.50 per share.

Investing in our ordinary shares involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 22.16.

WeCertain of the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 6,750,0002,475,000 ordinary shares at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters can exercise this right at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, within 30 days after the offering.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor state regulators have approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ordinary shares to purchasers on or about                 , 2018.2019.

            , 20182019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus and in any related free-writing prospectus we may prepare or authorize to be delivered to you. We have not authorized anyone to give you any other information, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. We are not, andNeither the selling shareholders nor the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our ordinary shares.

Our Internet website address is www.cushmanwakefield.com. Information on, or accessible through, our website is not part of this prospectus. We have included our website address only as an inactive textual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website.

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MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA AND FORECASTS

This prospectus includes industry data and forecasts that we obtained from industry publications and surveys, public filings and internal company sources. Industry publications, surveys and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there can be no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of the included information. We have not independently verified such third-party information nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon in those sources. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding our market, industry or similar data presented herein, such data involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed in “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. Risks associated with an investment in our ordinary shares include, but are not limited to, the risk factors described below. If any of the risks described below actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our ordinary shares could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. You should carefully consider all the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below as well as our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision.

Risks Related to Our Business

The success of our business is significantly related to general economic conditions and, accordingly, our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected by economic slowdowns, liquidity crises, fiscal or political uncertainty and possible subsequent downturns in commercial real estate asset values, property sales and leasing activities in one or more of the geographies or industry sectors that we or our clients serve.

Periods of economic weakness or recession, significantly rising interest rates, fiscal or political uncertainty, market volatility, declining employment levels, declining demand for commercial real estate, falling real estate values, disruption to the global capital or credit markets or the public perception that any of these events may occur may negatively affect the performance of some or all of our service lines.

Our results of operations are significantly impacted by economic trends, government policies and the global and regional real estate markets. These include the following: overall economic activity, changes in interest rates, the impact of tax and regulatory policies, the cost and availability of credit and the geopolitical environment.

Adverse economic conditions or political or regulatory uncertainty could also lead to a decline in property sales prices as well as a decline in funds invested in existing commercial real estate assets and properties planned for development, which in turn could reduce the commissions and fees that we earn. In addition, economic downturns may reduce demand for our valuationValuation and other service line and sales transactions and financing services in our capitalCapital markets service line.

The performance of our property management services depends upon the performance of the properties we manage. This is because our fees are generally based on a percentage of rent collections from these properties. Rent collections may be affected by many factors, including: (1) real estate and financial market conditions prevailing generally and locally; (2) our ability to attract and retain creditworthy tenants, particularly during economic downturns; and (3) the magnitude of defaults by tenants under their respective leases, which may increase during distressed economic conditions.

Our service lines could also suffer from political or economic disruptions that affect interest rates or liquidity or create financial, market or regulatory uncertainty. For example, the U.K. has submitted formal notification under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to the European Council of the U.K. to withdraw its membership in the European Union (commonly known as “Brexit”). The lack of clarity about applicable future laws, regulations or treaties as the United Kingdom negotiates the terms of withdrawal, as well as the operation of any such rules pursuant to any withdrawal terms, including financial laws and regulations, tax and free trade agreements, intellectual property rights, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, immigration laws, employment laws and other rules that may apply to us, could increase our costs, restrict our access to capital within the United Kingdom and the European Union, and depress economic activity. Speculation about the terms and consequences of Brexit for the U.K.United Kingdom and other European Union members has caused and may continue to cause market volatility and currency fluctuations and adversely impact our clients’ confidence, which has resulted and may continue to result in a deterioration in our EMEA segment as leasing and investing activity

slowed. Asset valuations, currency exchange rates and credit ratings may be especially subject to increased market volatility.

In continental Europe and Asia Pacific, the economies in certain countries where we operate can be uncertain, which may adversely affect our financial performance. Economic, political and regulatory uncertainty as well as significant changes and volatility in the financial markets and business environment, and in the global landscape, make it increasingly difficult for us to predict our financial performance into the future. As a result, any guidance or outlook that we provide on our performance is based on then-current conditions, and there is a risk that such guidance may turn out to be inaccurate.

unable to procure credit on favorable terms, there may be fewer completed leasingLeasing transactions, dispositions and acquisitions of property. In addition, if purchasers of commercial real estate are not able to obtain favorable financing, resulting in the lack of disposition and acquisition opportunities for our projects, our valuationValuation and other and capitalCapital markets service lines may be unable to generate incentive fees.

Our operations are subject to social, political and economic risks in different countries as well as foreign currency volatility.

We conduct a significant portion of our business and employ a substantial number of people outside of the United States and as a result, we are subject to risks associated with doing business globally. Our business

we are unable to attract and retain these qualified personnel, our growth may be limited and our business and operating results could suffer.

We rely on our Principal Shareholders.

We have in recent years depended on our relationship with our Principal Shareholders to help guide our business plan. Our Principal Shareholders have significant expertise in operational, financial, strategic and other matters. This expertise has been available to us through the representatives the Principal Shareholders have had on our board of directors and as a result of our previous management services agreement with the Principal Shareholders. In connection with the IPO, we ended our management services agreement with TPG and PAG, which provided for management and transaction advisory services.

systems. There is generally an adverse impact on net income for a period of time after the completion of an acquisition driven by transaction-related and integration expenses. Acquisitions also frequently involve significant costs related to integrating information technology and accounting and management services.

We complete acquisitions with the expectation that they will result in various benefits, including enhanced revenues, a strengthened market position, cross-selling opportunities, cost synergies and tax benefits. Achieving the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions is subject to a number of uncertainties, including the realization of accretive benefits in the timeframe anticipated, whether we will experience greater-than-expected attrition from professionals licensed or associated with acquired firms and whether we can successfully integrate the acquired business. Failure to achieve these anticipated benefits could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our overall business, financial condition and operating results.

Our brand and reputation are key assets of our company, and our business maywhich will be affected by how we are perceived in the marketplace.

Our brand and its attributes are key assets, and we believe our continued success depends on our ability to preserve, grow and leverage the value of our brand. Our ability to attract and retain clients is highly dependent upon the external perceptions of our level of service, trustworthiness, business practices, management, workplace culture, financial condition, our response to unexpected events and other subjective qualities. Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters, even if related to seemingly isolated incidents and whether or

Our credit agreements impose2018 First Lien Credit Agreement imposes operating and financial restrictions on us, and in an event of a default, all of our borrowings would become immediately due and payable.

OurThe credit agreements impose,agreement, dated as of August 21, 2018 (the “2018 First Lien Credit Agreement”), which governs our $2.7 billion term loan (the “2018 First Lien Term Loan”) and revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”) imposes, and the terms of any future debt may impose, operating and other restrictions on us and many of our subsidiaries. These restrictions affect, and in many respects limit or prohibit, our ability to:

The 2018 First Lien Loan is jointly and severally guaranteed by substantially all of our material subsidiaries organized in the United States and England and Wales Australia and Singapore, subject to certain exceptions. Each guarantee is secured by a pledge of substantially all of the assets of the subsidiary giving the pledge.

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and S&P Global Ratings rate our significant outstanding debt. These ratings, and any downgrades or any written notice of any intended downgrading or of any possible change, may affect our ability to borrow as well as the costs of our future borrowings.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which may adversely affect our available cash flow and our ability to operate our business, remain in compliance with debt covenants and make payments on our indebtedness.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness. As of MarchDecember 31, 2018, our total debt was approximately $3.1$2.7 billion, nearly all of which consisted of debt under our credit agreements. Ourthe 2018 First Lien Loan (as defined in “Description of Certain Indebtedness”) had a balance, net of deferred financing fees, at March 31, 2018 of $2.6 billion, and our Second Lien Loan had a balance, net of deferred financing fees, of $460.0 million.Loan. As of MarchDecember 31, 2018, we had no outstanding funds drawn under our Revolver (as defined in “Description of Certain Indebtedness”). For more information regarding our existing indebtedness, see “Description of Certain Indebtedness.”Revolver.

not have sufficient earnings to service our debt, we may be required to refinance all or part of our existing debt, including the 2018 First Lien Loan and Second Lien Loan, sell assets, borrow more money or sell additional equity. There is no guarantee that we would be able to meet these requirements.

Despite our current indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may still be able to incur substantially more debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial leverage.

We may incur additional debt from time to time to finance strategic acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or for other purposes, subject to the restrictions contained in the documents governing our indebtedness. Although the credit agreements containour 2018 First Lien Credit Agreement contains restrictions on the incurrence of additional debt, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and the debt incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If we incur additional debt, the risks associated with our leverage, including our ability to service our debt, would increase.

We are subject to various litigation risks and may face financial liabilities and/or damage to our reputation as a result of litigation.

We are exposed to various litigation risks and from time to time are party to various legal proceedings that involve claims for substantial amounts of money. We depend on our business relationships and our reputation for high-caliber professional services to attract and retain clients. As a result, allegations against us, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of that allegation, may harm our professional reputation and as such materially damage our business and its prospects, in addition to any financial impact.

As a licensed real estate broker and provider of commercial real estate services, we and our licensed sales professionals and independent contractors that work for us are subject to statutory due diligence, disclosure andstandard-of-care obligations. Failure to fulfill these obligations could subject us or our sales professionals or independent contractors to litigation from parties who purchased, sold or leased properties that we brokered or managed in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

We are subject to claims by participants in real estate sales and leasing transactions, as well as building owners and companies for whom we provide management services, claiming that we did not fulfill our obligations. We are also subject to claims made by clients for whom we provided appraisal and valuation services and/or third parties who perceive themselves as having been negatively affected by our appraisals and/or valuations. We also could be subject to audits and/or fines from various local real estate authorities if they determine that we are violating licensing laws by failing to follow certain laws, rules and regulations.

In our property,Property, facilities and project management service line, we hire and supervise third-party contractors to provide services for our managed properties. We may be subject to claims for defects, negligent performance of work or other similar actions or omissions by third parties we do not control. Moreover, our clients may seek

the extent we may be liable on our contracts, or if our liabilities exceed the amounts of the insurance coverage procured and maintained by us. Some of these litigation risks may be mitigated by the commercial insurance policies we maintain. However, in the event of a substantial loss or certain types of claims, our insurance coverage and/or self-insurance reserve levels might not be sufficient to pay the full damages. Additionally, in the event of grossly negligent or intentionally wrongful conduct, insurance policies that we may have may not cover us at all. Further, the value of otherwise valid claims we hold under insurance policies could become uncollectible in the event of the covering insurance company’s insolvency, although we seek to limit this risk by placing our commercial insurance only with highly rated companies. Any of these events could materially negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We are substantially dependent on long-term client relationships and on revenue received for services under various service agreements.

Many of the service agreements we have with our clients may be canceled by the client for any reason with as little as 30 to 60 days’ notice, as is typical in the industry. Some agreements related to our leasingLeasing service line may be rescinded without notice. In this competitive market, if we are unable to maintain long-term client relationships or are otherwise unable to retain existing clients and develop new clients, our business, results of operations and/or financial condition may be materially adversely affected. The global economic downturn and resulting weaknesses in the markets in which they themselves compete led to additional pricing pressure from clients as they came under financial pressure. These effects have continued to moderate, but they could increase again in the wake of the continuing political and economic uncertainties within the European Union, the United States and China, including as a result of volatility in oil and commodity prices, changes in trade policies and other political and commercial factors over which we have no control.

quarter basis. Historically, our fee revenue and operating profitincome tend to be lowest in the first quarter, and highest in the fourth quarter of each year. Also, we have historically relied on our internally generated cash flow to fund our working capital needs and ongoing capital expenditures on an annual basis. Our internally generated cash flow is seasonal and is typically lowest in the first quarter of the year, when fee revenue is lowest and largest in the fourth quarter of the year when fee revenue is highest. This variance among periods makes it difficult to compare our financial condition and results of operations on aquarter-by-quarter basis. In addition, the seasonal nature of our internally generated cash flow can result in a mismatch with funding needs for working capital and ongoing capital expenditures, which we manage using available cash on hand and, as necessary, our revolving credit facility. We are therefore dependent on the availability of cash on hand and our debt facilities, especially in the first and second quarters of the year. Further, as a result of the seasonal nature of our business, political, economic or other unforeseen disruptions occurring in the fourth quarter that impact our ability to close large transactions may have a disproportionate effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

A failure to appropriately address actual or perceived conflicts of interest could adversely affect our service lines.

Our Companycompany has a global business with different service lines and a broad client base and is therefore subject to numerous potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interests in the provision of services to our existing and potential clients. For example, conflicts may arise from our position as broker to both owners and tenants in commercial real estate lease transactions. We have adopted various policies, controls and procedures to address or limit actual or perceived conflicts, but these policies and procedures may not be adequate and may not be adhered to by our employees. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult and our reputation could be damaged and cause us to lose existing clients or fail to gain new clients if we fail, or appear

costs, which could cause material harm to our business and financial results. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and intellectual property, and that of our clients and personally identifiable information of our employees, contractors and vendors, in our data centers and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information are critical to our operations. Despite our security measures, and those of our third-party service providers, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by third parties or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. A significant actual or potential theft, loss, corruption, exposure, fraudulent use or misuse of client, employee or other personally identifiable or proprietary business data, whether by third parties or as a result of employee malfeasance or otherwise,non-compliance with our contractual or other legal obligations regarding such data or intellectual property or a violation of our privacy and security policies with respect to such data could result in significant remediation and other costs, fines, litigation or regulatory actions against us. Such an event could additionally disrupt our operations and the services we provide to clients, harm our relationships with contractors and vendors, damage our reputation, result in the loss of a competitive advantage, impact our ability to provide timely and accurate financial data and cause a loss of confidence in our services and financial reporting, which could adversely affect our business, revenues, competitive position and investor confidence. Additionally, we rely on third parties to support our information and technology networks, including cloud storage solution providers, and as a result have less direct control over our data and information technology systems. Such third parties are also vulnerable to security breaches and compromised security systems, for which we may not be indemnified and which could materially adversely affect us and our reputation. Furthermore, our, or our third-party vendors’, inability to detect unauthorized use (for example, by current or former employees) or take appropriate or timely steps to enforce our intellectual property rights may have an adverse effect on our business.

similar terms, or provide data to our professionals and/or our clients, contractors and vendors or an inadvertent exposure of proprietary data could damage our reputation and competitive position, and our operating results could be adversely affected.

A material breach in security relating to our information systems and regulation related to such breaches could adversely affect us.

Information security risks have generally increased in recent years, in part because of the proliferation of new technologies and the use of the Internet, and the increased sophistication and activity of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, cybercriminals and other external parties, some of which may be linked to terrorist organizations or hostile foreign governments. Cybersecurity attacks are becoming more sophisticated and include malicious software, phishing and spear phishing attacks, wire fraud and payment diversion, account and email takeover attacks, ransomware, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches. Cybersecurity attacks, including attacks that are not ultimately successful, could lead to disruptions in our critical systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information or corruption of our data, and could also substantially damage our reputation. We have experienced cybersecurity attacks in the past, including ransomware attacks by cybercriminals, and we expect additional attacks in the future. Cybersecurity attacks like the ones we have experienced in the past could have a substantial impact on our reputation with our customers, clients and stakeholders, and may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Any person who circumvents our security measures could steal proprietary or confidential customer information or cause interruptions in our operations that could cause us to be unable to provide our services or operate our business and damage our reputation. We incur significant costs to protect against security breaches and other cybersecurity attacks and may incur significant additional costs to address issues caused by any breaches or cybersecurity attacks. Our failure to prevent future security breaches or cybersecurity attacks, or well-publicized security breaches affecting the Internet in general, could significantly harm our reputation and business and financial results.

Certain laws, regulations and standards regarding data security affecting our customers impose requirements regarding the security of information maintained by these customers, as well as notification to persons whose personal information is accessed by an unauthorized third party. Certain laws may also require us to protect the security of our employees’ personal data. As a result of any continuing legislative initiatives and customer demands, we may have to modify our operations with the goal of further improving data security. The cost of compliance with these laws, regulations and standards is high and is likely to increase in the future. Any such modifications may result in increased expenses and operating complexity, and we may be unable to increase the rates we charge for our services sufficiently to offset these increases. Any failure on our part to comply with these laws, regulations and standards can result in negative publicity and diversion of management time and effort and may subject us to significant liabilities and other penalties.

If customer confidential information, including materialnon-public information or personal data we maintain, is inappropriately disclosed due to an information security breach, or if any person, including any of our employees, negligently disregards or intentionally breaches our confidentiality policies or other controls or procedures with which we are responsible for complying with respect to such data or otherwise mismanages or misappropriates that data, we may incur substantial liabilities to our clients and be subject to fines or penalties imposed by governmental authorities. Any incidents with respect to the handling of such information could subject us to litigation or indemnification claims with our clients and other parties and harm our reputation. In addition, any breach or alleged breach of our confidentiality agreements with our clients may result in termination of their engagements, resulting in associated loss of revenue and increased costs.

Infrastructure disruptions may disrupt our ability to manage real estate for clients or may adversely affect the value of real estate investments we make on behalf of clients.

The buildings we manage for clients, which include some of the world’s largest office properties and retail centers, are used by numerous people daily. As a result, fires, earthquakes, floods, other natural disasters, defects

and terrorist attacks can result in significant loss of life, and, to the extent we are held to have been negligent in connection with our management of the affected properties, we could incur significant financial liabilities and reputational harm.

Our goodwill and other intangible assets could become impaired, which may require us to take significantnon-cash charges against earnings.

Under current accounting guidelines, we must assess, at least annually and potentially more frequently, whether the value of our goodwill and other intangible assets has been impaired. Any impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets as a result of such analysis would result in anon-cash charge against earnings, and such charge could materially adversely affect our reported results of operations, shareholders’ equity and our ordinary share price. A significant and sustained decline in our future cash flows, a significant adverse change in the economic environment, slower growth rates or if our ordinary share price falls below our net book value per share for a sustained period, could result in the need to perform additional impairment analysis in future periods.

As the size and scope of our business has increased significantly during the past several years, both the difficulty of ensuring compliance with numerous licensing and other regulatory requirements and the possible loss resulting fromnon-compliance have increased. The global economic crisis has resulted in increased government and legislative activities, including the introduction of new legislation and changes to rules and regulations, which we expect will continue into the future. New or revised legislation or regulations applicable to our business, both within and outside of the United States, as well as changes in administrations or enforcement priorities may have an adverse effect on our business, including increasing the costs of regulatory compliance or preventing us from providing certain types of services in certain jurisdictions or in connection with certain transactions or clients. For example, on May 25, 2018, the European General Data Protection Regulation will becomebecame effective with a greater territorial reach than existing laws and so may applyapplies to many of our contracts and agreements throughout the world. To the extent it applies, we might be forcedupdated and continue to update certain of our agreements and data protection practices, which may take significant time and cost. We are unable to predict how any of these new laws, rules,

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Ordinary Shares

We expect to beare a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards and, as a result, will qualify for and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. YouIf we rely on these exemptions in the future, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

Upon completion of this offering, theThe Principal Shareholders will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding ordinary shares. As a result, we will beare a “controlled company” as that term is set forth inwithin the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements:requirements that:

These requirements willWe are currently not apply to us as long asutilizing these exemptions. If, however, we remain a “controlled company.” Following this offering, we may utilize some or allcertain of these exemptions. As a result, our nominating and corporate governance committee and compensation committee will not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly,exemptions in the future, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance standards. The Principal Shareholders’ significant ownership interest could adversely affect investors’ perceptions of our corporate governance.

The Principal Shareholders will continue to have significant influence over us, after this offering, including control over decisions that require the approval of shareholders, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control, and which may result in conflicts with us or you in the future.

We are currently controlled, and after this offering is completed will continue to be controlled by the Principal Shareholders. Upon consummationAs of this offering,December 31, 2018, the Principal Shareholders will ownowned approximately 70%64% of our total ordinary shares outstanding (or 67% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ordinary shares is exercised in full).outstanding. Pursuant to athe shareholders’ agreement to be entered into in connection with the completion of this offering,our Principal Shareholders, the Principal Shareholders will have the right to designate five of the seats on our board of directors, and as a result Jonathan Coslet, Timothy Dattels, Qi Chen, Lincoln Pan and Rajeev Ruparelia will behave been appointed to our board of directors. In addition, the Principal Shareholders jointly have the right to designate for nomination one additional director, defined herein as the Joint Designee, who must qualify as independent under the NYSE rules and must meet the independence requirements of Rule10A-3 of the Exchange Act, so long as they collectively own at least 50% of our total ordinary shares outstandingoutstanding. The Principal Shareholders nominated Jodie McLean, who qualifies as an independent director under Rule10A-3 of the closingExchange Act, to the board of directors pursuant to this offering. As a result, theright. The Principal Shareholders will beare thus able to exercise control over our affairs and policies, including the approval of certain actions such as amending our articles of association, commencing bankruptcy proceedings and taking certain actions (including, without limitation, incurring debt, issuing shares, selling assets, repurchasing shares, paying dividends and engaging in mergers and acquisitions), appointing members of our management, issuing equity under our management incentive plans and any transaction that requires shareholder approval regardless of whether others believe that such change or transaction is in our best interests. So long as the Principal Shareholders continue to hold a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares, the Principal Shareholders will have the ability to control the vote in any election of directors, amend our articles of association or take other actions requiring the vote of our shareholders. Even if the amount owned by the Principal Shareholders falls below 50%, the Principal Shareholders will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions. This control may also have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying

Additionally, the Principal Shareholders’ interests may not align with the interests of our other shareholders. The Principal Shareholders are in the business of making investments in companies and may acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. The Principal Shareholders may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

Certain of our directors have relationships with the Principal Shareholders, which may cause conflicts of interest with respect to our business.

Following this offering, fiveFive of our sevennine directors will beare affiliated with the Principal Shareholders. These directors have fiduciary duties to us and, in addition, have duties to the applicable Principal Shareholder. As a result, these directors may face real or apparent conflicts of interest with respect to matters affecting both us and the affiliated Principal Shareholder, whose interests may be adverse to ours in some circumstances.

Certain of our shareholders have the right to engage or invest in the same or similar businesses as us.

The Principal Shareholders have other investments and business activities in addition to their ownership of us. The Principal Shareholders have the right, and have no duty to abstain from exercising such right, to engage or invest in the same or similar businesses as us, do business with any of our clients, customers or vendors or employ or otherwise engage any of our officers, directors or employees. If the Principal Shareholders or any of their officers, directors or employees acquire knowledge of a potential transaction that could be a corporate opportunity, they have no duty, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to offer such corporate opportunity to us, our shareholders or our affiliates.

In the event that any of our directors and officers who is also a director, officer or employee of the Principal Shareholders acquires knowledge of a corporate opportunity or is offered a corporate opportunity, provided that this knowledge was not acquired solely in such person’s capacity as our director or officer and such person acts in good faith, then to the fullest extent permitted by law such person is deemed to have fully satisfied such person’s fiduciary duties owed to us and is not liable to us, if the Principal Shareholders pursue or acquire the corporate opportunity or if the Principal Shareholders do not present the corporate opportunity to us.

Additionally, the Principal Shareholders are in the business of making investments in companies and may currently hold, and may from time to time in the future acquire, controlling interests in businesses engaged in industries that complement or compete, directly or indirectly, with certain portions of our business. So long as the Principal Shareholders continue to indirectly own a significant amount of our equity, the Principal Shareholders will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions.

The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation organized in Delaware.

We are incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. The rights of holders of our ordinary shares are governed by the laws of England and Wales, including the provisions of the U.K. Companies Act 2006, and by our articles of association. These rights, including rights relating to removing directors, calling general meetings or initiating litigation on behalf of the Company, differ in certain respects from the rights of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations organized in Delaware. The principalDelaware, and may in some instances be less favorable to our shareholders. For a discussion of these differences, are set forth insee “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

U.S. investors may have difficulty enforcing civil liabilities against our company, our directors or members of senior management and the experts named in this prospectus.

We are incorporated under the laws of England and Wales. The United States and the United Kingdom do not currently have a treaty providing for the recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration

awards, in civil and commercial matters. The enforceability of any judgment of a U.S. federal or state court in the United Kingdom will depend on the laws and any treaties in effect at the time, including conflicts of laws principles (such as those bearing on the question of whether a U.K. court would recognize the basis on which a U.S. court had purported to exercise jurisdiction over a defendant). In this context, there is doubt as to the enforceability in the United Kingdom of civil liabilities based solely on the federal securities laws of the United States. In addition, awards for punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in the United Kingdom. An award for monetary damages under U.S. securities laws would likely be considered punitive if it did not seek to compensate the claimant for loss or damage suffered and was intended to punish the defendant.

English law and provisions in our articles of association may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders, and may prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.

Certain provisions of the U.K. Companies Act 2006 and our articles of association may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of us or changes in our management. For example, our articles of association include provisions that:

In addition, public limited companies are prohibited under the U.K. Companies Act 2006 from taking shareholder action by written resolution.

These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management. See also “—Provisions in the U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders” and “Description of Share Capital—Articles of Association and English Law Considerations.”

Man) and whose securities are not admitted to trading on a regulated market in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) if the company is considered by the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (“Takeover Panel”) to have its place of central management and control in the United Kingdom (or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man). This is known as the “residency test.” The test for central management and control under the Takeover Code is different from that used by the U.K. tax authorities. Under the Takeover Code, the Takeover Panel will determine whether we have our place of central management and control in the United Kingdom by looking at various factors, including the structure of our board of directors, the functions of the directors and where they are resident.

If at the time of a takeover offer the Takeover Panel determines that we have our place of central management and control in the United Kingdom, we would be subject to a number of rules and restrictions, including but not limited to the following: (1) our ability to enter into deal protection arrangements with a bidder would be extremely limited; (2) we might not, without the approval of our shareholders, be able to perform certain actions that could have the effect of frustrating an offer, such as issuing shares or carrying out acquisitions or disposals; and (3) we would be obliged to provide equality of information to all bona fide competing bidders.

As a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales, certain capital structure decisions will require shareholder approval, which may limit our flexibility to manage our capital structure.

The U.K. Companies Act 2006 provides that a board of directors of a public limited company may only allot shares (or grant rights to subscribe for or convertible into shares) with the prior authorization of shareholders, such authorization stating the maximum amount of shares that may be allotted under such authorization and specify the date on which such authorization will expire, being not more than five years, each as specified in the articles of association or relevant shareholder resolution. We have obtained authority from our shareholders to allot additional shares for a period of five years from July 18, 2018 (being the date on which the shareholder resolution was passed), which authorization will need to be renewed at least upon expiration (i.e., five years from July 18, 2018) but may be sought more frequently for additional five-year terms (or any shorter period).

Subject to certain limited exceptions, the U.K. Companies Act 2006 generally provides that existing shareholders of a company have statutorypre-emption rights when new shares in such company are allotted and issued for cash. However, it is possible for such statutorypre-emption right to be disapplied by either the articles of association of the company, or by shareholders passing a special resolution at a general meeting, being a resolution passed by at least 75% of the votes cast. Such a disapplication of statutorypre-emption rights may not be for more than five years from the date of adoption of the articles of association, if the disapplication is contained in the articles of association, or from the date of the special resolution, if the disapplication is by special resolution. We have obtained authority from our shareholders to disapply statutorypre-emption rights for a period of five years from July 18, 2018, which disapplication will need to be renewed upon expiration (i.e., at least every five years) to remain effective, but may be sought more frequently for additional five-year terms (or any shorter period).

Subject to certain limited exceptions, the U.K. Companies Act 2006 generally prohibits a public limited company from repurchasing its own shares without the prior approval of its shareholders by ordinary resolution, being a resolution passed by a simple majority of votes cast, and subject to compliance with other statutory formalities. Such authorization may not be for more than five years from the date on which such ordinary resolution is passed. See the section titled “Description of Share Capital.”

the basis of current law and HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”)HMRC practice, no charges to U.K. stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (“SDRT”) are expected to arise on the issuetransfer of the ordinary shares into DTC’s facilities or on transfers of book-entry interests in ordinary shares within DTC’s facilities and you are strongly encouraged to hold your ordinary shares in book-entry form through the facilities of DTC.

A transfer of title in the ordinary shares from within the DTC clearance system to a purchaser out of the DTC clearance system and any subsequent transfers that occur entirely outside the DTC clearance system, will attract a charge to stamp duty at a rate of 0.5% of any consideration, which is normally payable by the transferee of the ordinary shares. Any such duty must be paid (and the relevant transfer document, if any, stamped by HMRC) before the transfer can be registered in the company books of Cushman & Wakefield plc. However, if those ordinary shares are redeposited into the DTC clearance system, the redeposit will attract stamp duty or SDRT at the rate of 1.5% to be paid by the transferor.

In connection with the completion of this offering, we expect to putWe have in place arrangements to require that Cushman & Wakefield plc’s ordinary shares held in certificated form or otherwise outside the DTC clearance system cannot be transferred into the DTC clearance system until the transferor of the ordinary shares has first delivered the ordinary shares to a depositary specified by us so that stamp duty (or SDRT) may be collected in connection with the initial delivery to the depositary. Any such ordinary shares will be evidenced by a receipt issued by the depositary. Before the transfer can be registered in our books, the transferor will also be required to put the depositary in funds to settle the resultant liability to stamp duty (or SDRT), which will be charged at a rate of 1.5% of the value of the shares.

For further information about the U.K. stamp duty and SDRT implications of holding ordinary shares, please see the section entitled “Taxation—Certain U.K. Tax Considerations” of this prospectus.

Our articles of association to be effective in connection with the closing of this offering will provide that the courts of England and Wales will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of all shareholder complaints other than complaints asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, and that the U.S. federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any shareholder complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.

Our articles of association to be effective in connection with the closing of this offering will provide that the courts of England and Wales will be the exclusive forum for resolving all shareholder complaints other than shareholder complaints asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, and that the U.S. federal district courts will be the exclusive forum for resolving any shareholder complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, including applicable claims arising out of this offering. This choice of forum provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. If a court were to find either choice of forum provision contained in our articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

There has been no prior public market for our ordinary shares and an active, liquid trading market for our ordinary shares may not develop.

Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our ordinary shares. We cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop after this offering or how active and liquid that market may become.

closed concurrently with our IPO (the “Concurrent Private Placement”) are restricted securities as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”) and may be sold by the holders into the public market from time to time in accordance with and subject to Rule 144, including, where applicable, limitation on sales by affiliates under Rule 144. Refer to Note 1: Organization and Business Overview of our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Concurrent Private Placement.

We, our directors, certain of our executive officers and the Principal Shareholders have agreed not to sell or transfer any ordinary shares or securities convertible into, exchangeable for, exercisable for, or repayable with ordinary shares, for 18075 days after the date of this prospectus without first obtaining the written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Additionally,See “Underwriters (Conflicts of Interest).” Following the remaining holderscompletion of all of ourthis offering, approximately 123,278,800 ordinary shares or securities convertible into, exchangeable for, exercisable for, or repayable with(or 120,803,800 ordinary shares have agreedif the underwriters exercise their option to substantially similar restrictions containedpurchase additional shares in their existing management stockholders’ agreementsfull) will be subject to such transfer restrictions.

In connection with us.

We expect to enterour IPO, we entered into a new registration rights agreement with the Principal Shareholders and certain members of our management and our board of directors,Vanke Service, which will provideprovides the signatories thereto the right, under certain circumstances, to require us to register their ordinary shares under the Securities Act for sale into the public markets. See the information under the heading “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Registration Rights Agreement” for a more detailed description of the registration rights that will be provided to the signatories thereto.

Upon the completion of this offering,Currently, we will have 3,343,9673.3 million shares and 1,537,6621.5 million shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options that vest on time-based and performance-based criteria, respectively, 8,357,7258.4 million shares and 2,470,0000.7 million shares issuable upon vesting of RSUs that vest on time-based and performance-based criteria, respectively, and 109.9 million shares reserved for future grant under our equity incentive plans. Shares acquired upon the exercise of vested options or RSUs under our equity incentive plans may be sold by holders into the public market from time to

Because we do not currently intend to pay cash dividends on our ordinary shares for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your ordinary shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, for future operation, expansion and debt repayment and do not intend to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Under English law, any payment of dividends would be subject to relevant legislation and our articles of association, which provide that all dividends must be approved by our board of directors and, in some cases, our shareholders, and may only be paid from our distributable profits available for the purpose, determined on an unconsolidated basis. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law or the SEC and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, including our credit agreements.2018 First Lien Credit Agreement. Accordingly, investors must be prepared to rely on sales of their ordinary shares after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our ordinary shares. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our ordinary shares unless you sell our ordinary shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We are a holding company with nominal net worth and will depend on dividends and distributions from our subsidiaries to pay any dividends.

We are a holding company with nominal net worth. We do not have any assets or conduct any business operations other than our investments in our subsidiaries. Our business operations are conducted primarily out of our indirect operating subsidiary, DTZ Worldwide Limited. As a result, our ability to pay dividends, if any, will be

compressed period of time, which were remediated during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. We continue to identify and implement actions to improve the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, but there can be no assurance that such remediation efforts will be successful. Failure to remediate the material weaknesses could have a negative impact on our business and the market for our ordinary shares.

In addition, if we fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.404. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and any remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue an adverse opinion due to ineffective internal controls over financial reporting and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC. As a