Source: ROI-NJ —
It’s no secret that real estate is a male-dominated industry. As chief financial officer of a vertically integrated, three-generation, family-owned industrial real estate firm, I am part of the 9% of women in commercial real estate who hold C-suite positions, as well as the approximately 36% of women in commercial real estate overall. To make it into this small faction, I had no choice but to thrive in this large, interconnected “boys’ club” — as a woman, an immigrant, a wife and a mother.
Having been born and raised in Belarus, I moved to the U.S. when I was 19 to continue my education. I began school at Belarusian State University, but came to the U.S. to attend Yeshiva University, where I majored in accounting and began interning at Ernst & Young before beginning my career there.
Oddly enough, my work in public accounting for EY did not feel as disproportionately male as the real estate industry at large — the real estate audit teams in which I worked were roughly 50/50 or 60/40, men to women. It was only when I went to a privately held company that I truly understood what it was like to be one of maybe two women in a room (or conference venue) of men.
I owe a lot of my success to perseverance and resilience, which afforded me amazing opportunities, such as taking Empire State Realty Trust public and working with industry leaders such as Tishman Speyer, Woodmont Properties and, of course, Greek Development. Those qualities alone, however, are only a small piece of what it takes to succeed as a woman in real estate. For those interested in or already pursuing a career in this notoriously male-driven industry, I offer the following words of wisdom.
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