Designing Her PathJoin the community

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Stories & Interviews

Career journeys and insights from women across property and the built environment, one weekly profile at a time.

Portrait of Fiona Lyons

Week 13Stories

Meet Fiona Lyons

Director of Asset Management at Fine Grain Property

Dublin, Ireland

“I’ve never known ‘calm’ markets for any prolonged period.”

Fiona originally set out to become a teacher and graduated during the 2009 recession. Her real-estate career has included an unsettled Irish market, Brexit, Covid and the 2022 rate hikes.

During almost eight years at Mapletree, the portfolio she oversaw grew to €2.5 billion in assets under management. One project involved a 215,000 sq ft Dublin office building where Covid delayed completion. A tenant eventually agreed to a 20-year lease, two years after acquisition.

Her advice to graduates: be present in person, pick up the phone instead of only sending emails, and be inquisitive and analytical. She also emphasises adaptability and allowing room in the risk margin.

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Portrait of Dalia Finj

Week 12Stories

Meet Dalia Finj

Head of Leasing at The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi; CEO of Black Dalia Consultancy and Cocoraille

Dubai, UAE

Dalia shares the career she built and the life she built around it. Her career spans retail real estate, luxury retail, destination strategy, commercial transformation and asset value creation.

Dalia founded Black Dalia Consultancy in 2023, holding senior mandates across MENA luxury retail and mixed-use development. Cocoraille is her luxury resort and swimwear line.

She delivered end-to-end retail strategy for Place Vendôme Qatar, from tenant curation to brand mix and commercial framework, and led retail strategy and leasing advisory for The Galleria before joining in-house as Head of Leasing.

According to the LinkedIn post for this profile, her leasing work at The Galleria secured names including Hermès, Cartier, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, brought in Zuma, LPM and Coya as food-and-beverage anchors, and kept occupancy close to 100%.

Portrait of Emilia Lobb

Week 10Stories

Meet Emilia Lobb

Development Director at HBA / Hirsch Bedner Associates

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

She’s not following the path. She’s designing her own path.

Emilia’s first industry role was on the construction of Poland’s National Stadium in Warsaw, which hosted the opening match of Euro 2012. Since then, she has lived in seven countries and moved between architecture practice, data centres and hospitality.

Her advice to anyone changing direction: “If you have skills, experience or a different perspective that can create value, there is a place for that.”

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