C — October 25 - November 7, 2013 — Executive Women in Business — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
Executive Women in Business
Kimberly Brennan, Nancy Erickson, Jan Randall and Eileen Carey The women of Cushman & Wakefield answer career questions
Kimberly Brennan Senior Managing Director
Eileen Carey Managing Director, Corporate Occupier and Investor Services Cushman & Wakefield Years with Firm: 16 Education:
Jan Randall Financial Analysis Manager,
Nancy Erickson Director, NJ Retail Lead| National Retail Services Cushman & Wakefield Years with Firm: 10 Education: MBA Monmouth University, BS Kean University
ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? I answered an ad in the paper, after college, for a research coordinator for Cushman & Wakefield. I stayed there for a year, then got a job with a competitor in New York, Edward S. Gordon, and ran their research group for two years. I was getting somewhat bored and wanted to manage brokers. My boss at the time, Joseph Harbert, explained that I had to get my license, do some deals — “you’ll never be able to manage without doing some transac- tions”— so that’s what I did. He gave me five junior brokers to manage. I started with those five and worked my way up. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career/profession to change them? As mentioned, I wanted to manage brokers. Once I had my goals set in mind, I didn’t change them. I just kept going through that path and worked my way up. What unique qualities and/or personality traits do you feel makes you successful in your pro- fession? I have a strong presence, good listen- ing skills, the ability to assess a situ- ation and come up with a plan, and I consider myself very fair. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to over- come to become as successful as you are today? One of the big challenges, more for a woman than a man, is work/life balance. I think it is a lot harder for a mother to find that balance than a father, because I feel that society still expects the mother to do more with the children than the father does. It becomes a time management issue. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I do feel being a woman is an advan- tage in the business world because I think women have the ability to read a situation a little differently than men. Women are more in tune with feelings and perception, and that by thinking through things differently, women come T Cushman &Wakefield Years with Firm: 8.5 Education: Bachelor of Arts, Seton Hall University Real estate organizations : CREW, NAIOP, March of Dimes Real Estate Committee
NJ Consulting Group Cushman & Wakefield Years with Firm: 6 Education: B. S. in Finance and Economics, Clarkson University
Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marist College
ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? College placed me at an engineer- ing firm, and after many years in the architecture/engineering/construction fields, while on the Board of CoreNet NYC, I was approached by GVA Wil- liams. I felt this aspect of the industry could be a great opportunity, so I got my real estate license and joined their global Corporate Services Team. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career/ profession to change them? While at Tishman Realty and Con- struction, I was able to see the “real es- tate” side of the business working with Dan Tishman. He made this aspect of the industry seem so exciting. It took a few more years until I finally made the career move to real estate. What challenges and/or ob- stacles do you feel you needed to overcome to become as successful as you are today? There were a few Cushman &Wake- field women who really believed in me, including Kim Brennan (NJ) and Suzy Reingold (NYC). It is interesting that, although the majority of industry networking is male dominated, my personal mentors have primarily been women. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? New Jersey has not always been a place where landlords look to work with brokers, so I feel they appreciate the softer – yet extremely experienced – approach my team and I bring. As far as my success with national clients, it really takes a lot of hard work, and being accessible and having their back at all times. Do you feel there are any dif- ferences in the way that men and women develop business relation- ships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in? I came up through engineering, construction and architecture before becoming a broker, so my business development approach has always been in line with male-dominated in- dustries. This has been an advantage T
ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? I started my career as a financial ana- lyst in the commercial banking industry and continued that analyst experience – along with project management, work- ing within different industries, includ- ing manufacturing, financial services, and insurance. About eight years ago, while I was at AXAEquitable, I worked on some special projects that dealt with real estate. That, coupled with my cor- porate finance background, lent itself well to joining Cushman & Wakefield’s NJ Consulting Group. What unique qualities and/or per- sonality traits do you feel make you most successful in your profession? I have strong analytical skills and project management skills, but my suc- cess stems from the fact that I always strive to add value for my clients and make sure they are achieving their goals. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to overcome to become as successful as you are today? I tend to be a perfectionist, and when I entered the real estate business I quickly discovered that I needed to take things less personally and be less critical of myself. This is a “tough” industry, but I have learned to see the generality of most criticism. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? I always have expected to be judged on who I am and what I bring to the table – not by my gender. That said, I do think that, in some ways, commercial real estate women have to work a little bit harder to get the attention they de- serve. However, even in my time here, the industry has come a long way in fostering and promoting women. Do you feel there are any dif- ferences in the way that men and women develop business relation- ships and if so, what activities or venues do you participate in? Men tend to talk about their com- monalities – sports, politics and alma maters. Women are more apt to discuss their families and responsibilities – and how we cope with the related T
ell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? I actually started my real estate ca- reer with Cushman & Wakefield back in 1981. I left in 1984 and went to work for RREEF for 13 years. I came back in 1997 as a portfolio manager. What were some of your early goals and did anything happen in your career /profession to change them? I loved real estate right from the start, and I took on every challenge as an opportunity. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the industry. I started in accounting and transitioned into management. I believe knowing how the building finances are done gives you a good base to creating value for your client. Although I am still learning as our business evolves, I am now enjoying mentoring and teaching others. What unique qualities and/or personality traits do you feel makes youmost successful in your profession? I enjoy working with different people and appreciate the value of teamwork and collaboration. I am also very com- petitive. I want to be the best manager, working in the best branch, for the best firm. What challenges and/or obstacles do you feel you needed to over- come to become as successful as you are today? Staying informed always has been – and remains – a challenge in real estate, from the legal perspective, to insurance, from the latest mechanical and technical aspects of constructing and running properties to world eco- nomics, things are always changing. Today we are dealing with the impact of the economic downturn, the impact Super Storm Sandy had on insurance language and the technology to reduce energy consumption and become LEED compliant. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? Things certainly are different in 2013 than they were in 1981. While this still is a male-dominated industry, more women have joined the workforce T
continued on page 14C
continued on page 14C
continued on page 16C
continued on page 14C
Made with FlippingBook HTML5