SAN FRANCISCO—“Women have made strong progress in advancing to leadership positions in commercial real estate, but our industry still lags many others in attracting women and supporting their career growth.” That is according to COO of Bentall Kennedy US, Amy Price. Price was recently named one of sister publication Real Estate Forum's Women of Influence.

“The commercial real estate industry is only now arriving at the point of creating career paths and defining senior leadership roles that provide the flexibility and opportunities to appeal more broadly to women,” she says. “The gender gap is particularly evident in the real estate investment management sector, where conferences of top executives tend to be 90% composed of men.”

This is not merely a gender issue but a generational one, she adds, as “many REIM leaders approach retirement age, they acknowledge having done too little to bring up 'next generation' talent to succeed them. Since women now comprise nearly 60% of university graduates and receive 60% of master's degrees, there is not just an opportunity but an urgent need for our industry to attract and promote women.”