Meet Parveen Sandhi

What is your role at Avison Young?

Global Director, Human Resources

How did you get into commercial real estate?

After working in a few industries in different roles and being exposed to a merger with a provincial real estate corporation, I was intrigued by the conversations taking place around me. I accepted a role with a firm focused on residential property management with a small organization to explore my interest. While in this role, I began learning more about the commercial real estate industry. I enjoyed the fast-paced energy and ever-changing challenges related to team structures, mergers, acquisitions, governing bodies, compliance, etc., and decided to transition from residential to commercial.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and why?

Many different people for different things but mainly family:

• Father – business sense, leveraging opportunity, selflessness
• Mother – strength, persistence, courage
• Brothers – taking chances and not over-calculating, being selfish from time to time :)
• Though she wasn’t a part of my day to day life – Mother Teresa’s purpose and impact on the world has left an imprint.

What is the best advice you've ever received?

Enjoy the process; the hardships you endure may not make sense today but will someday, and the journey will be so much richer because of them.

Principles only matter if you stick to them when it's inconvenient.

How has Avison Young supported you as a woman in business?

1. My role involves working alongside mostly men as that has been the traditional composition of organizations in CRE. The male leaders I work with demonstrate respect and understanding for my skills, experiences and perspectives and provide support to ensure others do the same.

2. I have had trust from the business to help lead and shape the Women's Network at Avison Young. This opportunity to help women in our business engage and learn from each other is empowering. Avison Young recognized my passion to be tied to purpose and provided the opportunity for me to help create a space to share successes, tools and challenges traditionally faced by women in CRE to create awareness and instigate change.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

Once upon a time I practiced Jujitsu and achieved a top rank.