Shaping the Face of Real Estate
GlobeSt. ELITE Women of Influence conference panelists talk career path, obstacles, being advocates for yourself and more.
In the morning keynote discussion at GlobeSt. ELITE Women of Influence conference, a leading CRE developer in the region and a real estate economist teamed up to discuss their experiences in shaping the face of real estate. They discussed the trials and tribulations of rising to the top in a male-dominated industry, and hopes for the future of women in the real estate industry.
When asked what speaker Heidi Learner, chief economist at Savills, learned from her days on Wall Street and how it helped her in the CRE industry, she simply said that there is no easy way to get where you want to be. “You pay your dues and work your way up over time.”
She said what when starting as an analyst, working until 10 or 11 at night was sometimes the norm, but the good thing about Wall Street was that there was a clear progression in terms of career path and development, she said. “In CRE, it isn’t as clear where your career path can grow.”
According to Learner, who studied engineering in college, the CRE industry really still has a long way to go. “Both Wall Street and engineering have more women than CRE does,” she said.
Learner also pointed out that she still deals with difficulty in the work place, noting that last month, a senior broker came to her and said he would really like her to be involved in a pitch, saying that he was asking her because she was a woman and the team they were pitching to was being led by a woman.
“It was disheartening. Even though I was so glad he was so frank, we, as women, have to be better advocates for ourselves,” she said. “We really need to ask to join the meeting and not wait to be asked.”
What is most important to remember, she explained, is to remember that you deserve a place at the table and making sure you aren’t being passive about being invited. “It would be great to be invited next time because I am a great asset, not because is more convenient if I can come along.”
Moderator Molly Miller, chief content office of ALM, also asked Celeste Tanner, co-founder and chief development officer at Confluent Development, about her career path. “I was fortunate,” she said. A lot of people struggle moving from entry level to the next step in their career, Tanner explained. “I had balance, knew when I needed to draw the line and was able to work in a culture of respect.”
It takes multiple efforts to be a team player but learn to not take it all on yourself, added Tanner. The development world is a team sport and you work with other companies who have many women in the back office, who do pay roll, processing etc., she explained. “If real estate isn’t your core business, having a woman across the table provides a trust level…it is a better representation and my clients need to have that sense of trust.”
She adds that “Her company is driven to be sure employees are retained. Women who are in more secluded roles, are now at the table. There is opportunity with it, but it shouldn’t be so conscious.”
Keep checking back with GlobeSt.com in the next week for all of our coverage from the inaugural GlobeSt.com ELITE Woman of Influence event and check out the stories below that you might have missed.