2022 Women in Professional Services: Jennifer Zelko, JLL

In the last 12 months, what was your TOP career highlight? I relocated to NYC during the pandemic to accept a position as vice president, Capital Markets, with JLL. In the past 12 months, I have helped close $2.6 billion in investment sales transactions during what has been one of the industry’s most challenging markets.

In the last 12 months how have you helped your industry grow through professional creativity, innovation and leadership? A big part of my role at JLL is to mentor and train new hires and to create a positive environment where they can learn and grow. It hasn’t always been easy to foster that type of team building during the pandemic, but creating that kind of collaborative culture continues to be a huge focus of mine as we work towards a new normal.

What advice would you give the next generation of women in your industry? Never stop asking questions. Once you understand an issue, you’re halfway towards resolving it. I’ve been very lucky to have been surrounded by great mentors who have been willing to connect, listen and help. Asking questions opened up many opportunities and avenues that I was able to explore and, ultimately, discover a specialty that really excites and motivates me every day.