CREW Up: Female CRE Leaders’ Top Concerns

February 20, 2024

We’re going to hunker down, says Wendy Mann in our latest podcast. Tune in to hear what’s top of mind today for female professionals!

Wendy Mann, CEO, CREW Network — “People are just realistic knowing that this is going to be a tough year and we’re going to hunker down,” said Mann. *Image courtesy of CREW Network*

Nearly 60 percent of women cited interest rates as their primary concern when it comes to escalating costs for commercial real estate projects and deals, with economic inflation and supply availability coming in second and third on female CRE leaders’ list. This was one of the main findings of CREW Network’s latest survey that covered global economic sentiment and a range of industry topics, including barriers to career advancement. Almost 1,000 professionals provided their responses in the fourth CRE Women Speak survey series that was distributed in December.

Overall, the report reveals that the number of optimists out there is dropping, with most women showing a sense of caution and anticipation about the CRE industry’s performance this year and beyond. Three-quarters of the respondents expressed the idea of a prolonged recovery for office, some even expecting it to carry through the 2030s. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of the women participating in the survey experienced improvements in the performance of retail space in their market or portfolio, while 48 percent reported that retail stayed about the same.

In this podcast interview with Commercial Property Executive Senior Editor Laura Calugar, CREW Network CEO Wendy Mann also revealed that four out of five women in the industry admit they’ve encountered barriers to their career advancement. A boys’ club culture, the lack of retiring executives and the persisting pay gap were among the top challenges hindering female professional progression.

Press PLAY and listen to the entire conversation: