2016 Women in Real Estate: Karen Ramos

Karen Ramos, Capital One, N.A.

Name: Karen Ramos

Title: Director – Loan Syndications

Company Name: Capital One, N.A.                

Email: [email protected]                     

Years in real estate: 20+ years

Telephone: (646) 927-5096

How did you get your start in real estate?

Hospitality and leisure consulting at PKF Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopoers in Hong Kong and Singapore.

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of?

Real Estate Lenders Association (New York City chapter) - President and WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate - Member

What recent project or transaction are you most proud of?

RELA New York City – As the president of RELA (New York Chapter), I am most proud of what my officers and I have accomplished this year: (1) membership is up by 30% to nearly 300 members, (2) attendance at most networking events increased by 25-50%, and (3) revamped monthly breakfast meetings by expanding the breadth and depth of speakers (beyond what was historically all owners/developers).

I’m proud to contribute and be a part of RELA, which has been around for 25 years and grew to 5 chapters (New York City, Boston, DC, Chicago, and New Jersey) - it is recognized as one of the premier CRE networking associations with nearly 500 members.

What have been some of the benefits of being a mentor or having a mentor?

Being a mentor or “paying it forward” has been a very rewarding/gratifying experience for me–to see our analysts/associates gain the confidence and experience to step-up and “lean-in.” It’s like having younger siblings or children whom you nurture and develop – but the other side of the equation needs to work as well: there should be a willingness and openness to change, otherwise the mentor/mentee relationship doesn’t work.

Having a mentor is like having a career coach – someone to give you his/her honest perspective/insights and advice as you navigate the ups and downs of the corporate world. The key to finding a mentor is – it doesn’t need to be anything formal or planned. I’ve had several mentors along the way in my career – former bosses and colleagues, and a few trusted friends in the industry.

What is the best advice you have received and who was it from?

“Perception is reality” – Clarence Plummer, MD/Head of Syndications at ING Capital LLC.Whether you like it or not, agree with it or not – how others perceive you or a situation is what’s the “truth” in their minds. That is why it’s very important to make a good first impression, have strong communication/presentation skills, and “frame” the discussion to influence results – or someone else will create that “truth” for you.