Shopping Centers Today

NOV 2014

Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

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i n m y o p i n i o n It was a man's world once By Faith Hope Consolo R e t a i l R e a l e s t a t e i s an industry that has from its be- ginning catered to women – who make the vast majority of the shopping decisions for themselves and their families. it would stand t o r e a s o n , t h e n , t h a t w o m e n would be in positions of power in the industry from the very begin- ning, right? Um, no. When i joined the busi- ness more than 25 years ago, i often was the only woman in the room, surrounded by men who didn't even like to shop! Women dominated the marketing sector of our indus- try, though rarely at the c-suite level. it was an old — and young — boy's network that held the real power. But thanks to the efforts of trailblazing women and the vision- ary men who encouraged them, we've taken our rightful places in the industry. My own path con- sisted of joining every organiza- tion i could, from iCsC to Uli to the Young Men's Real estate association (the women's organi- zation didn't exist), and volunteer- ing for every committee at every event. Ours is a relationship busi- ness, and i met many of the great leaders in real estate, learning from and eventually doing busi- ness with them. as time passed, i encouraged other women to do the same, and they too began to build the networks that have led them to success. today, i'm certainly not the only woman in those negotiating rooms! Women are at the helm of major companies, opening their own businesses and bringing the next generation along. that's why i remain active in a num- ber of women's business organizations — i joined the board of Commercial Real estate Women's Network this year — and i continue to chair the Women's special industry Group pro- gram for iCsC. Knowledge and relationships are power in business, and those can only be built by showing up and doing your part, which is true for women (and men) who want to succeed. SCT Faith Hope Consolo is chairman of Douglas Elliman's Retail Group, New York City. 60 S C T / N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 Ours is a relationship business, and I met many of the great leaders in retail real estate, learning from and eventually doing business with them.

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