Women have made great strides in commercial real estate over the past decades. Recently, Institutional Real Estate Americas editor Loretta Clodfelter asked a number of high-profile women in the industry to discuss the role of women in real estate, and their responses are collected below. The roundtable discussion consists of Ellen T. Kendall, managing director, Prudential Real Estate Investors; Nancy Lashine, managing partner, Park Madison Partners; Kathleen McCarthy, senior managing director and global COO, Blackstone Real Estate; Paula Schaefer, president, WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate, and senior vice president, Clarion Partners; and Lanhee C. Yung, managing director, Starwood Capital Group.

How did you get started in real estate? What attracted you to the industry?

Ellen Kendall: I began my career as an attorney, eve