Connect CRE has given out its inaugural Canadian Women in Real Estate Awards to many outstanding industry leaders from across Canada.

After careful consideration, we chose National winners and honoured each of the five areas covered in our daily Canadian newsletter: The Pacific region, Alberta and the rest of the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. 

The recipients were chosen based on their efforts to make a difference in the industry and their communities while helping other women advance their commercial real estate careers.

National recipients include Nathalie Palladitcheff, the president and CEO of Montreal-based Ivanhoé Cambridge. Among her many contributions to the industry, Palladitcheff strives to make IC’s portfolio more sustainable and encourage her peers to do likewise with theirs.

The Alberta & Prairies honorees include Fatima Dhanani, president and CEO of Calgary-based Bri-mor Developments, who has overcome considerable adversity.

In 1972, Fatima, her husband Haider and their two-year-old daughter Saifa moved to Calgary after fleeing East Africa amid the general nationalization program in Tanzania and expulsion of South Asians from Uganda.

Two years after founding Bri-mor in the 1980s, Haider died of a heart attack at age 51. Fatima took the helm of the young company and, despite losing clients who doubted her abilities, turned it into a powerhouse that partners with institutional investors.

Ontario honorees include Natalie Leibowitz, senior manager of finance and investments at Toronto-based Altree Developments. Before and after delivering a baby, she oversaw what is believed to be Canada’s first IPO tied to a single-project development project. Leibowitz oversaw all aspects deal as the Westside Square Development fund’s IPO raised US$50 million. She also serves as CFO of the fund, which is a joint-venture between Altree, Lanterra Developments and Westdale Construction.

Quebec recipients include Sanaa Benzakour, co-founder of Montreal-based PMML. In addition to launching her own Quebec-focused firm, she holds leadership positions with CREW Montreal, the province’s property owners’ corporation and the Levic network.

Pacific region recipients include Cynthia Jagger of the Vancouver-based Goodman Group, which specializes in apartment sales transactions. She has completed more than $2 billion in sales volume in recent years and sits on the board of the Urban Development Institute’s Vancouver chapter..

Maritimes honorees include Breanne Hay, an investment sales specialist based in CBRE’s Halifax office. Outside of her regular job, she serves a president of CREW Nova Scotia and co-chairs the group’s Halifax chapter.

Connect will start spotlighting individual Canadian Women in Real Estate Award recipients on December 18.