2017 Women in Professional Services: Maureen Blair of EisnerAmper LLP

Name: Maureen Blair

Title: Partner

Company Name: EisnerAmper LLP

Years in real estate: 25

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

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? I don’t consider anything that I have encountered in my career to have been an obstacle. Each challenge, whether it was learning about a new industry, dealing with a demanding client, working with a tight deadline or handling adversity was just part of what had to be done in order to move on to the next challenge. Working at a firm where there has always been strong support from both management and staff has enabled me to advance in my career and continue to be motivated to take on new responsibilities. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? I have found that one of my strengths is my ability to stay optimistic and calm no matter how difficult a project may be. I believe that this attitude has enabled me to work with teams and persevere to get the job done with minimal stress for all involved. I have never had difficulty in getting staff to work for me, because the staff knows that I will treat them well, help them through difficulties and be supportive. I also believe my ability to stay current on the technical and industry-specific matters that impact my clients has helped me maintain strong client relationships.

What trends are you seeing so far this year? In the industries where the majority of my clients operate, I am seeing a lot of investments in real estate through various fund structures. Fund managers, who had traditionally invested in equities, are now investing in real estate related debt or directly in real estate. Property owners, who had previously owned real estate as individual owners, are now forming syndicates to invest through fund structures. These trends make sense as it is both harder to make money in the traditional equity markets, and harder to raise the cash required to make significant investments without raising capital from multiple investors.

What do you do for fun? For fun, I like to travel with my family, workout at the gym, walk my dog and watch hockey.