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Women make up just 38% of the commercial real estate workforce and hold just 9% of the industry's C-suite positions, according to the 2025 Commercial Real Estate Women Network's workforce benchmark study.
Those figures have remained remarkably stable throughout the last 20 years.
Because of that glass ceiling, it is important for CRE professionals to come together to honor the work done by women in the industry and share advice for future generations of leaders.
In early December, local commercial real estate leaders gathered at The Westin Copley Place for Bisnow’s Boston Power Women Awards.
There were 23 awards handed out across four categories: Leaders of the Year; Investment and Transaction Leaders; Public Sector, Housing, Policy and Infrastructure; and Development, Construction and Design Leaders.
Three award winners were asked what advice they would give to women and others who are early in their CRE careers.
Here is some of what they had to say:
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Chrystal Kornegay, CEO, MassHousing
Public Sector, Housing, Policy and Infrastructure award winner
It's important about housing to remember that it's a long game. And you’ve got to find your wins where you can. I used to get these young people who would come and say, “I want to change the built environment.” I say, “You know that only happens once in every three to five years, so what are you going to do now to sustain yourself for those three to five years where you're going to community meetings, when you have a setback?”
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Aisha Miller, vice president of permitting, community and corporate engagement, Related Beal
Public Sector, Housing, Policy and Infrastructure award winner
Jobs aren't always readily available in the private sector, so it would be good for women to work in public sectors to understand a lot of the government nuances and build relationships so you can then translate that into the private sector. I think about working for [former Boston Mayor] Marty Walsh and being able to transition that into this role. All the things that he taught me, that the role taught me, about dealing with people and communities.
Community is your best lesson, and they give you a lot to take with you, but you have to be able to want it, and you have to be able to build relationships. The public sector really teaches that to you, if you're willing to learn.
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Zoya Puri, senior vice president, Beacon Capital Partners
Development, Construction and Design Leaders award winner
It’s vital to respect and lean on the community. I feel like Boston's a village masquerading as a city, and the world of real estate is even smaller. I’ve just been so grateful to the community. I'm not from Boston, and I feel like it's the mentoring and the friendships that I've had that have made the difference. More than with other professional networks, just because we are so close-knit, you cannot discount the value of mentoring.
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