Relationships will always drive the retail real estate industry, and fostering strong connections to mentors and sponsors is the key to getting a C-suite job, said top industry executives today at New York Deal Making.
Robin McBride Zeigler, Katie Mahon, Mary Rottler and Hutensky Capital Partners’ Brad Hutensky at ICSC New York Deal Making
For young professionals seeking to build a career in this business, connecting with more-seasoned experts as a way to develop skills and expand knowledge is as important as any formal education, said speakers at a discussion panel titled “What We Learned Along the Way to the C-Suite.”
Robin McBride Zeigler is a strong proponent of that view. “Have a mentor for each problem you might face,” said Zeigler, who is executive vice president and COO of Cedar Realty Trust, a Port Washington, N.Y.–based REIT. Mentors can be developed formally through company initiatives or informally through relationships developed organically.
There are degrees of this sort of involvement, as well as some distinctions in function, according to Zeigler. Mentors give advice and make time to discuss issues one-on-one, while sponsors actually help the aspirant get from point A to point B — recommending them for job openings and vouching for them through a professional network, Zeigler said.
Young executives can turn mentors into sponsors by showing a willingness to learn, she suggests. Having specific questions and concerns and not wasting a mentor’s time helps, she noted. “Have your ‘ask’ ready before you are having that coffee,” she counseled. “Be respectful of their time.”
“Our profession is not so one-dimensional; it allows you to own many skills.”
The retail real estate industry continues to attract young people who have a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, observed Mary Rottler, executive vice president of leasing and operations at Seritage Growth Properties, in New York City. “Our profession is not so one-dimensional; it allows you to own many skills. You can do many different things and change your role.” Rottler worked for 12 years on the tenant side of the business at Walmart before transitioning to the landlord side at her current employer, which operates about 40 million square feet of shopping centers.
ICSC events and programs are designed to encourage potential mentors and mentees to interact, said Katie Mahon, a senior managing director and the retail strategy and operations lead for the Americas at Cushman & Wakefield. Said Mahon: “I’ve met good friends and hired a lot of people at ICSC events.”
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today