Women in commercial real estate are rewriting the rules for leasing and ownership — both in-market and in place. As landlords, brands, and investors race to reinvent physical space for an omnichannel, experience-led era, a rising cohort of women in CRE is driving change across the industry.

We now represent roughly 38% of the CRE workforce, with a growing presence in brokerage and senior leadership. In retail real estate in particular, our impact is even more pronounced: 44% of respondents to CREW’s 2025 benchmark study reported working in the sector.

Across three standout conversations in 2025 — and our most recent Retail Recorded episode — a clear narrative is emerging: women aren’t just advancing in their careers; they are reshaping how retail space works, driving a future rooted in community, inclusivity, and adaptive resilience.

In honor of International Women’s History Month, and aligned with this year’s broader call to accelerate action for women’s economic power and leadership, we examine three trends shaping the future of retail assets — grounded in insights from the women doing the work: Allison Beddard, CEO, CREW; Evie Gross, Vice President of National Accounts, Brixmor; Whitney Livingston, Chief Operating Officer, ICSC; and Emalia Tamanikwa, Director of Development, EDENS.

Community, Experience, Connection

While location will always remain a core factor in commercial real estate, there is a definitive shift toward thoughtfully curating tenant mix and strategy to reinforce community and connection. As consumers increasingly crave tangible touchpoints, landlords, brokers, and retailers must deliberately design environments that encourage one-on-one engagement. As Whitney Livingston of ICSC shared, “Physical retail still dominates spend, capturing 86% of all retail sales. It’s where people gather — to discover products, brands, and each other.” She also noted that the success of these communities starts with the right tenants: “The ones that are winning are those who know how to show up in a neighborhood — not just open a store.” Prioritizing community is central to making people feel seen and special beyond the transaction — an approach integral to the revitalization of Washington, D.C.’s Union Market. Emalia Tamanikwa noted that EDENS’ strategy focused on how the buildings would be used by the surrounding neighborhoods, emphasizing that without “an economic ecosystem in place, it’s just a set of buildings.” In staying true to the heritage of the site, EDENS also proactively “convened community members, existing institutions, urbanists, and policymakers” to help shape and sustain its narrative.

Diversity of Thought as a Development Strategy

“Diversity of thought matters in development,” Tamanikwa continued, noting that when well executed, it helps teams pressure-test ideas “with a customer lens on how we design and how people engage in streets and spaces.” The same concept applies to leasing. Evie Gross of Brixmor arrives at a similar conclusion in practice, pointing to “out-of-the-box uses,” nontraditional tenants, and peer networks that keep the industry open to new formats and fresh ideas — rather than locked into ones that have always worked.

But this doesn’t happen without the right pipeline — talent diversity is the engine of long-term growth and career advancement. As Alison Beddard put it, CREW exists to “accelerate the advancement of women in commercial real estate.” And in an industry that still too often finds it acceptable to bypass women, Beddard cited a path of access, power, and influence to empower women “to lead and engage in the challenging conversations that drive change” — progress that can only happen when more of our voices are in the room.

Adaptive, Not Reactive, Resilience

With the onset of AI, the industry can no longer afford to wait out financial uncertainty or react to cycles in hindsight. Across Retail Recorded, guests shared a collective recognition: challenges must be reframed and tackled proactively and strategically — turning resilience into a competitive advantage.

One way to cut through the noise is a fundamental mindset shift: “Brick and mortar isn’t dying. It’s just evolving,” as Livingston shared, noting that “the retailers that are willing to adapt are the [ones] we will continue to see thrive.” That ability to thrive is increasingly tied to how well operators embrace technology and leverage data. Now a critical lever, data enables more precise, informed decisions, supporting even the most nuanced advancements in retail footprint expansion. As Gross shared, “It’s a lot of storytelling, but [when] I use Placer.ai to build my case and put together facts for the customer … they trust that I understand their brand and their point of view.”

So where does that leave us? For women in CRE retail, the call to action is twofold: reach back and mentor at least one woman coming up behind you, and be vocal about your wins, normalize them so they can become milestones on someone else’s roadmap. As Alison Beddard shared, CREW “helped me understand how to promote my value and develop my business. It opened doors, helped me see myself, and shaped how I think about leadership—how I want to lead.”

For companies, landlords, and industry groups, the mandate is to treat mentorship and visibility not as “nice to have” programming for Women’s History Month, but as a core infrastructure—investing in formal sponsorship programs, transparent promotion criteria, and consistent platforms that put women dealmakers and owners front and center, not just in March, but all year long.