2022 Women in Commercial Real Estate: Kerry Wood, New England Retail Properties Inc.

What advice would you offer to women getting into the CRE industry?
The CRE industry is full of opportunity for women and should certainly be considered for anyone looking to grow or expand their career and network. CRE is all about the relationships you build, the hard work you put in, and the success at being a deal maker. Men have always gravitated towards this type of team sport and women have shown they can be just as successful. A key strategy for success is to identify a mentor – each deal is different and every day has a new challenge. Identify an industry leader that can help guide you.

Who is a woman leader you find to be inspiring and why?
Gina Raimondo, former governor of RI and current US Secretary of Commerce is inspiring to me. She refused to box herself in to appeal to different constituencies. Rather, she pounced on the opportunity to make the economy of RI her front and center issue – as a result, downtown Providence is full of cranes building for new biotech startups. Her success as governor catapulted her to her current role as Commerce Secretary and we will likely see more from her in the coming years.