The Commercial Real Estate Women Network has added chapters in Rochester, New York, and the United Kingdom as the organization continues to grow.
CREW Network delegates voted unanimously to add CREW Rochester and CREW UK at its CREW Network Fall Leadership Summit in Vancouver. With the addition of the Rochester and the United Kingdom, CREW said it now has 85 chapters and more than 14,000 members across the globe.
The group of Andrea Tompkins Wright, Courtney Janto, Jennie O’Brien, Lindsay Rabitz, Karianne Blood, Gabrielle Krawiec, Lisa Moses and Sarah Pellerin led the formation of the Rochester chapter. It is the first CREW chapter in the state of New York State based outside of New York City and "is geographically positioned to increase the mission and presence of CREW Network in western and central New York," CREW said.
“Establishing a CREW chapter in Rochester will help women already working in the field to connect, do business with new contacts in new spaces, learn, and grow,” CREW Rochester’s board said in a collective statement. “A CREW chapter here will also provide the next generation of women in Rochester increased visibility of women successfully navigating careers in commercial real estate."
The CREW UK chapter, based in London, started as an affiliate group and established CREW Network's expansion outside of North America in 2017. CREW UK President Kirsty Shearer and President-elect Sarah Thorley spearheaded the transition from global affiliate to chapter with support from Treasurer Ginny Gibson and directors Chris Early, Allison English, Sayantani Ghosh and Naomi Sakamoto.
“CREW UK has served as a pivotal platform for empowering women and allies in the UK real estate market,” the CREW UK board said in a collective statement. “We are committed to advancing DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] in real estate, leveraging the support of CREW Network to propel our collective success in elevating CRE women and creating lasting impact.”
CREW said its new chapters "will promote commercial real estate business opportunities for members" and provide networking, education and leadership opportunities in their markets.