In advance of the organization's annual meeting—to be held in Miami in late September, Real Estate Forum sat down with three Women of Influence and CREW and NYCREW officials in New York to discuss what it's like to be a woman in commercial real estate and how CREW continues to play a major role in the industry. They related their own journeys in the business, where they believe it's going and why organizations such as CREW remain crucial tools for success in the business.

Christine Chipurnoi is president-elect of NYCREW, the New York chapter of CREW Network. SVP of risk management and insurance at Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA Inc., In the industry for over 25 years, Chipurnoi has won several awards, holds several designations and, in 2012, was elected as the first female president of the Insurance Brokers Association of New York in over 100 years.

Chipurnoi will take over for current NYCREW president Laura A. Walker, who is SVP of the specialized Financial Intermediaries Group within Citi Commercial Bank, where she's been for the past 13 years of her 20-year career at Citi. A seven-time recipient of Citi's “Circle of Excellence Award,” presented to Citibank's Best of the Best in each job category nationally, Walker has also won several awards outside of her organization.

They were joined by Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail group for Douglas Elliman and recently elected CREW board member for 2014-2015. Consolo also serves as board liaison for CREW Network's Communication and Editorial Committee and has serves in official positions as part of NYCREW as well.

SULE AYGOREN: Forum spoke with Faith last year about her start in the business. Christine and Laura, talk a bit about how you got started in commercial real estate.

CHRISTINE CHIPURNOI: I started my career at 17 as an administrative assistant and worked my way up in the insurance industry, which is extremely male dominated. Moving over to real estate was really nothing new. Working through my career, I found the best thing to do was have a couple of sponsors, people who liked your work, and to align with other successful women that would help pull you up through the ranks. So here I was, in insurance, banking and commercial real estate, trying to be a woman in a man's world. I found that getting a good education and having the credentials behind you, by networking and building really strong relationships with colleagues and customers is helpful. And women have excellent skills in building relationships.

LAURA WALKER: When I was young, I wanted to make money because I didn't come from any money. And I knew that real estate was where the money is. I became a landlord very young and was on the track to buy a piece of real estate every year; yhat was in the '80s. After a I while I found being a landlord wasn't as exciting as I thought. In terms of getting into commercial real estate, eventually all the pieces came together and got into the business.

I've done many things at Citi in my 30 years there. I was recruited out of the mortgage business because I was a repeatedly a top performer in the mortgage business.

AYGOREN: How did you all become involved in CREW and NYCREW, and what's it like being part of the organization?

CHIPURNOI: I became a member of NYCREW about eight years ago and joined a committee a year later. I've been on the board for about five years now, and I'm the current incoming president. I work on the membership committee and we've increased membership by 40% last year, and over 50% this year.

FAITH HOPE CONSOLO: This is the largest climb in membership in NYCREW's history. It's been really a banner year. Christine worked very hard, and it's very challenging because there's a lot of women's groups out there now.

AYGOREN: To what do you attribute that growth?

WALKER: It's engagement. It's getting individuals to say, “Hey, I want to come back. Can you help make me be a better professional, help me to grow?” That's part of what NYCREW is, besides connecting the dots and growing the business. It's making all the members more valuable and better at what they do, not only in their day job, but also in many other skill sets they learn.

AYGOREN: What did you see during your term as president of NYCREW?

WALKER: It's a cohesive team. It's getting our members engaged and building on the whole concept of mentorship. The network also helps its members do business together, and we create bonds. I had a call a few nights ago from a NYCREW board member. She had been approached with another opportunity and wanted to get my thoughts on it. That was one of the best calls I ever had. I told her I think she should pursue it, and I told her of my own story in the business. And she said, “Thanks so much for sharing that.”

One of the interesting things about NYCREW and CREW is how much it means to its members on an individual level. I used to be a high school basketball coach and on the first day, I used to ask the kids, “What would it feel like to be the best there is?” We went to the championship and we went all the way. When we won, I grabbed each kid off the court and said, “What does it feel like to be the best? Remember this moment the rest of your life.”

AYGOREN: Christine, as incoming president, what would you like to see happen during your term?

CHIPURNOI: I'd like to see the chapter continue to grow and have some different type of programming down the line, some more marquee events. Events, not just cocktail parties, but especially events with presentations or panels are important because you get access to people that you otherwise wouldn't meet, and you come away learning a lot.

WALKER: The sky is the limit for Christine.

CHIPURNOI: And Laura's going to be my left hand. The past president and the incoming president work very closely together.

WALKER: The point of view difference is great, because everyone has a different point of view that can be helpful.

CONSOLO: The role of the past presidents, is to provide guidance. When I was president, I went to those women all the time. “Can you help me? What do you think would be right? What should I do? I was really on a learning curve.

AYGOREN: One major shift we're noticing as we see younger people entering the sector is that young women and men seem to be on a more even playing field. In fact, many women will say they don't notice as much discrimination as their predecessors may have. What do these trends mean for organizations like CREW?

CHIPURNOI: The Millennials don't have as much of a problem as we did historically in the industry. Students that are coming out of college have a different outlook on positions of men and women in the workforce and family. As we begin to age out, I think we're going to see a lot of those differences vaporize, which will be great.

Having said that, there's always a place for networks in the business atmosphere. You have associations across a spectrum of fields. But the recognition you get from being a part of these organizations, or getting an award like Women of Influence, is greatly beneficial to your career. In a very large organization like mine, where we have 660,000 employees, it brings you to the forefront of your firm's management, so you get noticed.

CONSOLO: Recognition is important and sets a tone. You become a mentor, a role model. You become all those buzz words you hear.

AYGOREN: What are some of the initiatives CREW is working on?

CONSOLO: CREW National works very closely with the local chapters. Of course, the focus is on educating women and giving them the tools they need to succeed—learning to work with others, serving in a leadership position, doing studies and collecting data, honoring accomplishments on local and national levels or providing scholarships and internships. If you're a leader, we want to nurture a leader. It's like one big support group. And it helps to broaden your skill set.

AYGOREN: Fast-forward several years from now. Where do you see women's position in the commercial real estate industry?

CHIPURNOI: I think women are going to continue to evolve and grow in the industry, but I don't think we'll be on a completely level playing field until the Millennials are in charge of everything. Right now, the decision-makers are still Baby Boomers, who think a little differently than Millennials. I think it will take another 20 years, another full generation, before we see major change.

CONSOLO: My opinion's a little different. I think it will be less than that. The wage gap is something everybody is talking about. But it's getting a lot more acknowledgment in almost every industry. I know that a lot of these women at the top not only could get more, but they will get more because Wall Street is giving in. And when the big boys give in and acknowledge this, that's when the barriers will come down.

WALKER: That's part of what our role is every day. I have two daughters. Getting that next generation to take more risk at an earlier age—that's what NYCREW and the CREW Network do. All the advancements we've achieved, the next generation is going to take even further. I hope and encourage them to have the gap to be narrower than it is today. But they have to take the initiative. That's part of any learning. Whether it's male or female, it's taking the risk, saying, “I'm going to try this. I might fall on my face, I might have a scar, but I'm a better, smarter person for it.”