According to one of her colleagues, Sheila Botting embodies the “art of the possible.”

Botting serves Avison Young’s president of professional services for the Americas region. She is also a principal of the company.

During her three years with the Toronto-based full-service commercial real estate firm, she has quickly accelerated its professional services platform, increased operational and implemented efficiencies, and expanded services. She has grown the platform to 300 employees through several large acquisitions.

She has been instrumental in helping Avison Young expand and diversify its services and capabilities, enabling the company to better meet the evolving needs of its clients in today’s dynamic real estate marketplace, says the colleague, who nominated her for a Canadian Women in Real Estate Award.

“Her perspective is to always foster engagement and encourage everyone to deliver their best for the project goal and opportunity,” says the colleague.

These projects have included massive workplace transformations of large offices and portfolios, government restructuring/reorganization toward program delivery, M&A acquisition activities and, most recently, starting up a new business. She has earned trust, respect, and confidence from her colleagues, ultimately leading to a productive and focused team dedicated to providing value to clients, adds her CWIRE award nominator.

Botting ranks as one of the world’s most senior commercial real estate executives. Working within a traditional industry, she has continuously delivered executive leadership, serving as a role model for others, and provided strong diversity and inclusion representation, says the nominator.

Under her guidance, Avison Young’s professional services platform has achieved 80% growth in the number of employees, a 110% increase in revenue and profitability growth of 500%. She has onboarded many of the company’s new leaders in North America including another CWIRE award winner, project management specialist Arlene Dedier.

Botting is credited with building the firm’s markets across its America’s region, particularly New Jersey, New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

She was a founding director of CREW Toronto and earned a Global Most Distinguished Women Award from the network. As part of her many other contributions to the industry, Botting has served as a director of NAIOP Toronto and chaired its REX awards committee, and she is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s women’s leadership group.

Her many accolades include a WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award. She also holds a number of professional designations.

Prior to joining Avison Young, she was a senior partner and Canadian real estate practice leader with Deloitte, contributing to major office developments in Toronto and Montreal. Before moving to Deloitte, she served as an executive managing director and global partner with Cushman & Wakefield,