An accomplished commercial real estate executive with 20 years of industry and volunteer leadership experience, Alison Beddard was named CEO of CREW Network and CREW Network Foundation earlier this year. For much of her two decades with Cushman & Wakefield, she has also been a CREW Network member and has served in many board, leadership, and committee positions both locally and globally. Here, Beddard tells Connect CRE what drew her to taking on her new role and where she intends to take the organization next.
Q: What factors made this the right time for you to lead CREW Network, from the standpoint of both your interests and the organization’s?
A: Throughout my career, I have frequently referenced a book I read in college titled Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow. I’ve been fondly reminded of that book title every time I’ve made a career move, because each time, I have led with that mindset. I had recently completed a 360-feedback working with my business coach, thinking about ways for me to continue to build my executive skills at my previous company. I’d been fortunate to build and lead a variety of teams and business lines throughout my career. And while I was very happy in what I was doing, when I learned of CREW Network CEO role, I was called to it. Simply put, I would not be the professional I am today if I had not found CREW early in my career.
My 15 years of experiences within CREW leadership directly impacted my growth as a leader and my ability to manage increased risk as I’ve ascended in my career. I developed my talents as a leader through CREW and was able to put them into practice at my company. When the CEO role was announced, I knew I had to pursue it. CREW Network is at a powerful point in time. The organization has grown substantially, and its impacts are wide-reaching, whether it be our industry-leading research, scholarship program, or leadership education and experience platform. Our members are industry leaders representing all 36+ disciplines in CRE. We are building the most inclusive CRE business network ever built with a technology platform behind it. We have committed partners and sponsors propelling our members success. It’s a very exciting time.
Q: You have been an active participant in CREW for several years, to include serving as President in 2017. At both the chapter level and within the global organization, how does CREW membership benefit women in commercial real estate in general, and how has it benefited you?
A: CREW offers members the opportunities to build their business networks in very organic and meaningful ways. Early on, I developed business relationships throughout my market that differentiated me from my peers. I had more meaningful connections that helped me refer business, get business, ask for confidential guidance and help when I wasn’t sure who to ask, and leadership opportunities. At the chapter level, there are opportunities to serve as a board member, a committee leader and member, and individually contribute. These opportunities are key because they directly connect you with other industry professionals and they get to see how you perform in business and how you work. It’s invaluable for building trust and building a rock-solid network. As a leader at the CREW Network level, I gained enterprise-level thinking and ability to expand my network across geographies and people. Every opportunity for public speaking made me better. Every opportunity to speak with a sponsor or industry leader, made me better. CREW is for everyone who aligns with our mission of accelerating success for women in CRE. This isn’t about defining gender, it’s about propelling a more inclusive industry for our clients, and for each other.
Q: In terms of expanding its reach, what advances has CREW Network made in the past year or two? Where do you hope to take the organization next?
A: CREW Network has grown substantially over the last few years, with membership totaling more than 14,000 globally. We’ve made strides in Europe and Mexico, with additional expansion throughout the U.S. and Canada. Our industry-recognized Leadership Certificate program will be modernized in the coming years to offer both in person and live virtual programming to more participants. We believe strongly in technology and have embarked on a digital transformation of our platform, developing a state-of-the-art modern infrastructure for CREW Network operations and our 85 chapters to capture and utilize data and analytics across the organization. These capabilities will transform the speed and ability to connect our members to business connections, educational content and programming, all within one ecosystem.
Q:. What are some initiatives you intend to implement as CEO?
A: We will be embarking on strategic planning in the coming year, identifying the priorities and goals for the organization over the next 3-5 years. We are ripe to evaluate the impact we are making today, and where we see opportunity in years to come. Closing the compensation gap, creating executive leadership pipelines, and creating wealth for our members through our business network remain fully in focus. Our members are more valuable than ever, and I continue to be enthusiastic about how we can leverage our members’ talents and highlight them in the industry.
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