Caroline Pooley

Meet Caroline Pooley

What is your role at Avison Young?

Principal - lead on engagement and business development for Real Estate Management.

How did you get into commercial real estate?

By accident! Having worked in the leisure and hospitality sector for many years, most recently as a management consultant, my understanding of buildings, venues, spaces and places were valuable initially from a marketing and communications and customer experience perspective. Having built up the placemaking and engagement function within REM, I now lead on business development for the wider business unit.

Who has been the most influential woman in your life?

There are two - one was my first boss whose attention to detail remains unrivalled to this day, and the second was a more recent manager, and MD of a previous company I worked for whose ability to engage at all levels, and pursuit of "the right thing to do" has stayed with me for over 10 years.

What advice would you give women starting out in real estate?

Be open to opportunities - the harder they feel, often the greater the growth and learning. Be resilient when the going gets tough. Find your tribe. Watch and identify those who will be your network, cheerleaders and allies when you need them.

This year's IWD theme is Choose to Challenge. What do you choose to challenge or celebrate to help create more inclusion in your community?

I choose to challenge my own assumptions - trying to ensure I am not inadvertently making any - and to challenge any behaviours I see that I may be "used to", but would not like my daughter to experience.