2016 Women in Real Estate: Nicola Heryet

Nicola Heryet, Cushman &
Wakefield

Name: Nicola Heryet

Title: Senior Managing Director

Email: [email protected]                     

Years in real estate: I began my career in 1984, so approximately 32 years

Company Name: Cushman & Wakefield                

Year Founded: 1917   

URL: http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/

Telephone: (212) 841-7500

Twitter: @cushwakeretail

How did you get your start in real estate?

I began my real estate career shortly after moving from England in 1976. I worked in residential management, for an owner of a luxury residential development in Central Park South and also did some retail leases. I discovered that I liked commercial real estate more because it was geared more by business decisions while residential real estate was driven more by emotion.

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

REBNY, WX and the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York

What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why?

This isn’t so recent, but I am a former chairman of the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association of New York, and was named Young Person of the Year (1998) and Senior Person of the Year (2002). To be honored by this very prestigious organization, twice, is an incredible honor.

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

When I started out in the business I had mentors who really helped me create my career and advised me in the direction I wanted to go in. I enjoy mentoring younger people coming into the business and sharing my experience so that they could understand what it takes to be successful. I try to emphasize the need to focus on one or two specific areas/markets/industries so that younger brokers could develop into experts rather than generalists.

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

The best advice I received was from Mark Boisi and when I joined Colliers ABR and had only been a tenant rep broker before that. His advice was that you have to also work on leasing agencies to know how a landlord looks at transactions, because you have to understand a transaction from both a landlord and tenant’s point of view.