2018 Women In Real Estate, Professional Services: Leena Daniel, Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP

Name: Leena Daniel 

Title: Manager

Company Name: Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP

Real estate association / organization affiliation(s): Commercial Real Estate Women NY (CREW NY), Young Real Estate Professionals of New York (YREPNY), Gotham Young Professionals

What blogs, resources, podcasts or influencers have helped you?

Carla Harris is an influencer that has had a huge impact on me professionally. Her trademark is offering ‘pearls’ of wisdom from her experience on Wall St. as vice chairman, managing director and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley. She speaks at women’s conferences including The Wall Street Journal’s Women in Finance Dinner and TransformHER 2018, and was appointed by President Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. She offers many insights on how to ascend the corporate ladder and deals with topics of female empowerment and multicultural leadership in her speaking engagements from her book, Expect to Win.

How many messages are in your inbox right now and how do you manage email?

I treat my inbox as a to-do list. I sort through the list and prioritize it and then consider how much time I am able to devote to certain projects throughout the day. 

In one word, describe yourself: 

Tenacious.

How important is it for women to create a personal brand?

Curating a personal brand is absolutely important in helping to distinguish a woman as a professional and most importantly, as a person. The ability to accurately convey your unique personality and experiences both in person and in an online community helps to engage compatible business professionals and grow your network. Reaching new people in this way can be a great asset to leverage in your career.

What do you do like to do for fun?

I love travelling and it has always been a big passion of mine. I have been to over 10 different countries and counting so far!

What are some of your biggest accomplishments in the last 12 months?

I have worked with the organization Big Brothers, Big Sisters for many years. I also donate my time to Anchin, Block & Anchin’s internal philanthropy organization Anchin Cares. I am a member of Anchin Women’s Initiative Network (AWIN), a female collective focused on professional development, and participate in networking, mentoring and training with other women in the field. I have also gained more leadership experience over the last eight years with client relationships on the technical side, and with staff development skills by working with our internal development program, Anchin University.