REAL ESTATE NEWS

Leadership in commercial real estate is built less on a prescribed résumé and more on an ability to recognize opportunity, pivot when the market or company demands it, and keep learning along the way. That was the central takeaway from the opening panel, "Women in C-Suite: Behind the Curtain from Women Who Lead," at GlobeSt.com's Women of Influence Conference in Denver, where industry executives traced the decisions and inflection points that pushed them into senior roles.

Moderated by Margette Hepfner, president of housing at Bilt, the discussion featured Kelly Cantley, senior vice president at Bozzuto; Cassie Hrtanek, chief operating officer at The Inland Real Estate Companies LLC; Sharon Géno, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council; Saadia Sheikh, CEO of Powersense and CEO of SIOR; and Carmen Decker, executive vice president of real estate operations and strategy at Bridge33 Capital.

Speaking to a room full of women across the commercial real estate industry, they underscored that while titles matter, influence and impact are what ultimately define leadership in today's market.

No Single Path To The C-Suite

For Decker, the power of the panel lay in its ability to reach attendees who might not yet see themselves on a leadership trajectory. "I assumed someone in this room is like I was 15 years ago and didn't even know this room existed," she said. "That was me. I didn't know what was ahead or how to get there."

Her advice was direct: stop looking for a single prescribed route to the top and start focusing on consistent growth. "There are several different paths, and the consistency to keep growing is what's most important," she said.

Hrtanek echoed that sentiment, reminding attendees that a linear career is more myth than reality in commercial real estate. "Being part of this group and on this stage is achievable if that's what you want," she said. "Your path might not be linear."

Her counsel to future leaders was to trust their instincts, which she called one of the most powerful tools available to executives. "Being true to that and to yourselves will help you achieve your goals," she said.

Cantley pointed to the value of breaking out of narrow job definitions as careers progress. "People might tell you to stay in your lane," she said. "But I want to encourage you to look around and see how you can make things better."

For investors and operators alike, that mindset—looking beyond one's immediate responsibilities to improve systems, teams and properties—often translates into stronger organizations and better financial outcomes. Cantley urged attendees to remain curious and learn from how other leaders sharpened both themselves and their platforms.

Housing's Pivotal Moment

While the panel focused on personal leadership, Géno emphasized that the industry itself, particularly housing, is entering an inflection point that will demand decisive leadership from women at every level. "I'm happy to take a bigger role outside of my day job," she said, explaining why she welcomed the chance to speak on the panel.

She sees the next five years as a critical window for the housing industry to shape communities and expand opportunities, with direct implications for economic growth and security.

Expanding housing options, she noted, is not simply a social goal; it is fundamental to the long-term health of markets and the stability of local economies. Women leaders, she argued, will play a central role in those efforts as they guide strategy, capital deployment and development decisions across the sector.

For investors, her comments underscored the importance of paying attention to who is making those calls and how their leadership philosophies translate into on-the-ground housing outcomes.

Cantley, who works at Bozzuto, highlighted the benefit of gatherings like the Women of Influence Conference for surfacing how different organizations approach growth and leadership.

Hearing candid stories from peers, she said, helps executives refine their own playbooks for building teams and portfolios that can withstand cycles. Across the panel, the executives framed housing not as a stand-alone asset class but as a vehicle for broader community impact—and as an arena where strong leadership will be crucial in the coming years.

Redefining What Leadership Means

Sheikh used her own career pivots to push the audience to rethink how they define success. "My journey has pivoted," she said. "It's less about the C-suite and more about your individual leadership."

Too often, she argued, the industry equates leadership with titles, when in reality it shows up in actions, decisions and the ability to influence outcomes. "I want everyone to walk away feeling empowered," Sheikh said. "This stage is never really about us. It's about the audience and the power of what you all go and do."

That idea—leading from wherever you sit in the organization—ran through the entire conversation. Panelists stressed that authentic leadership is built through continual learning, resilience and a willingness to create opportunities not only for themselves but for those coming up behind them.

In their view, women across commercial real estate already have the ability to lead from their current roles, whether they oversee a single asset, manage a portfolio or run an entire platform. The panelists emphasized that, even though each career in commercial real estate follows its own path, women in the industry are already in positions where they can exercise leadership from whatever role they hold today.

For investors, the message was clear: the executives who will navigate the next market cycle most effectively are those who have learned to embrace pivots, trust their judgment and empower their teams.

The panelists noted that these qualities tend to produce stronger cultures and more agile decision-making—advantages in any market, but especially in periods of uncertainty.

As the Women of Influence Conference continues, attendees were encouraged to keep pushing for leadership roles and to view their own paths, however non-linear, as assets in an evolving industry.

Come back to read more coverage from our conference.

Source: GlobeSt/ALM