2022 Women in Commercial Real Estate: Kelly Mann, Cushman & Wakefield   

What advice would you offer to women getting into the CRE industry? Be yourself. There is a lot of pressure in the CRE industry to fit into a certain mold. But the real estate business, regardless of it being on the client side or in brokerage, is a relationship business. Great relationships are based on being authentic and bringing a diversity of opinion. People who are going to support your growth will appreciate you being your true self and will encourage you to be authentic. This has been an ongoing lesson for me, and I still need to remind myself that what I bring to the table is important, genuine and unique.

What has been your biggest challenge and how have you faced it? Coming from the client side for many years, it was a huge challenge for me to transition into the brokerage world and learn how to define being entrepreneurial. Being comfortable in risk taking and redefining risk as a positive has helped me find success. Building a personal network with people who are just as invested in my journey can make those days of questioning a lot more fun. Partners who understand that failing doesn’t equate to being a failure can help you reframe an obstacle and provide you with a different lens to be an entrepreneur in whatever set of skills you bring to the table.