Real Estate Women is a global network connecting real estate professionals to create a more equitable, inclusive and resilient built environment.
Maria Wiedner – CEO
Maria founded the REWomen network in December 2012 as she saw the need to gather the real estate community and discuss gender equality in the industry. Maria is a CFA Charterholder and graduate from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Real Estate Finance in 2011.
Maria speaks English, German, Finnish, Spanish and Portuguese, no kidding. Following a successful career in property funds analysis and consulting, Maria set up the Cambridge Finance – School of Applied Real Estate Finance – in January 2016.
Anouk Khan – COO
Anouk began her career at Merrill Lynch International Private Bank in London in 1997 to advise High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth clients in the Middle East. In March 2009, Anouk moved to Dubai to join DeaconCapital Ltd, an asset management firm with responsibility for its operational, strategic and marketing functions.
In 2012, Anouk set up Oakwood Advisors, a turnkey consultancy for commercial real estate fit-out and residential interior design solutions and completed projects across Dubai. Anouk returned to London in late 2016 to direct her energy and passion into the London real estate market. She has joined RE:Women to unite in their cause to empower women, to share knowledge amongst the industry and to help create a unified and diversified environment across the real estate sector. Anouk is a graduate of London School of Economics.
Anastasia Klein – Partner, Maples Teesdale
Anastasia is a partner at the commercial real estate specialist law firm, Maples Teesdale. She is Co-Head of Diversity and Inclusion at her firm, and as an individual is passionate about the need for diversity within both the property industry and the legal profession.
Anastasia is a keen advocate for women and other under-represented groups in our industry raising their visibility. In that vein, her first experience of public speaking was moderating a panel discussion for Bisnow’s inaugural Women in Real Estate event, in front of an audience of over 450 people. Having survived that, Anastasia has since moderated further panels for Bisnow, Maples Teesdale and REWomen, she has also produced podcasts. Another career highlight was interviewing Ric Lewis of Tristan Capital about diversity in the property industry.
Anastasia is a founding member of the Allbright womens’ networking club, an active member of Real Estate Balance and is registered as a speaker with Women Talk Real Estate.
Anastasia was delighted to accept an invitation to join REWomen’s committee, and is passionate about helping us achieve our goals and expanding our reach and services. Anastasia moved to London from the north of England in her early 20’s, with few friends in the capital and knowing nobody in the property industry, so she knows first-hand the importance of accessible and supportive groups of peers within your industry. Anastasia now considers herself to be part of a strong and powerful group of cheerleaders and friends within the property industry who look out for each other; sharing knowledge and experiences, as well as the occasional G&T!
Having struggled to find role models that reflect how she wanted to work, Anastasia is also keen to be a visible example of a woman in a leadership role who has a young family with whom she is closely involved (taking on her share of chauffeuring duties and spending hours every week watching her children play football). She also says that whilst she might not always look immaculate, she is always passionate about her work and her industry and is more committed than ever to driving change within the property and legal sectors.
Caroline Debauney – Senior Business Development Manager, Maples Teesdale
Caroline is the senior business development manager at the commercial real estate specialist law firm, Maples Teesdale as well as a member of their Diversity and Inclusion committee. She specialises in business development and marketing in the real estate sector, which is quite rare within professional services. Caroline is well versed in organising large events as well as smaller, more targeted campaigns and enjoys bringing innovative solutions to new challenges.
Caroline has two young children and started at Maples Teesdale working flexibly just 2 hours a day whilst juggling a baby and a toddler and, with the understanding of the partners at Maples, this has steadily increased and she now works 4 days a week, with both children at school. She is aware that this unique opportunity has enabled her to re-enter the work place after an extended maternity leave, and this isn’t an opportunity available to many new mothers.
Caroline’s specialism in property came from the relationships she was able to make in her previous role (and the many hours spent at MIPIM!) and knowing how important those connections are in a people orientated industry. She is keen to share her ideas, insight and to demonstrate how diverse the property sector is in terms of varied careers within the built environment.
Caroline is thrilled to bring all of these skills to RE:Women’s committee, and is excited to be part of the team working to achieve our goals and expanding our reach and services.
Dominique Staindl – Communications Specialist
For Dominique, cities are the most exciting places to live. She loves that the pace and proximity to others causes challenges and demands solutions. And that the best designs can raise standards and improve livelihoods at scale.
In 2013 she moved to London from her native Melbourne, joining Max Fordham where her team significantly elevated the engineering brand. Over four years she developed a keen understanding for how beautiful services design can impact sustainability.
Her next step saw her join the fast-paced agency world with built environment specialists ING Media. As Senior Account Manager she managed clients from government bodies such as the Scottish Cities Alliance to international property conference MIPIM. For over three years Dominique represented ING across the UK, Europe, US and Australia, leading the coordination of the inaugural ING Academy in February 2020.
Driven by connection, Dominique co-manages BuildUp since landing in the northern hemisphere, sits on the RE:Women committee and soon joins the ranks of the Quality of Life Foundation contributors.
She has lived in five cities across the world, including Kuala Lumpur where she completed her studies at Monash University before coordinating scientific scuba dive studies, and French-speaking Montreal and Lyon where she developed her language skills.
Jaqueline Bleicher – Founder, Global Urban Design
Jacqueline Bleicher is the Founding Director of Global Urban Design (GUD), a Social Enterprise. She is an Urban Designer, Masterplanner, Placemaker, Workshop Facilitator, Speaker, Mentor, Registered, Chartered Architect and Co- Author of “Our City? Countering exclusion by designing cities for all,” a book by STIPO, PPS and the European Placemaking Network.
Jacqueline actively promotes urban design principles, universal design and sustainable development practices in inclusive place design. She values the community as experts in co-designing places they want to live work and play. She works on urban design, masterplanning, place making and community capacity building to help Clients realise mixed-use developments, residential, public realm, parks, green space, regeneration, community development, creative social enterprise and inclusive place design. Jacqueline is a Placemaking Europe Leader, a Steering Committee member of Women in Architecture UK, a RIBA Ambassador, a Fluid Diversity Programme Mentor, an Oxford Brookes E-Mentor. In her free time, Jacqueline can be found inspiring young minds by speaking about her career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM).
Jacqueline joined Real Estate Women, because their leadership team is ethnocultually diverse and inclusive. She felt really welcome at events, which are a wonderful opportunity to network with industry leaders. Jacqueline also enjoys sharing her expertise as a speaker with such a supportive and enthusiastic audience. In her words ‘It is important to feel represented‘.
Ambassadors
Louisa Dickins, Co-founder LMRE
Louisa co-founded LMRE which has rapidly become the market leading global PropTech recruitment platform with operations across US, Canada, Europe and APAC.
Louisa is on the Board of Directors for the UK PropTech Association, whose goal is to drive the digital transformation agenda within the property industry.
She mentors for REACH, which is scale up program created by Second Century Ventures, an early stage technology fund, backed by the National Association of Realtors , which leverages the association’s 1.4 million members, global affiliations and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries internationally. She also mentors for BRICKS Innovation, who are the leading Israeli innovation hub focused on Real Estate technologies.
To promote the industry she is so passionate about Louisa set up the Global podcast ‘ The Propcast’ where she hosts and invites guests to join her in conversation about PropTech trends. Louisa also presents Fresh Bread News which brings its viewers weekly industry news bulletins; accessible updates for the viewers busy schedule.
Cléo Folkes – CEO, Property Overview
Cléo is CEO of Property Overview, a training and consultancy business for institutional property investors and service providers to the real estate industry. Previously Cléo worked for 9 years at St Martins – owned by a Kuwaiti SWF – and before that Cléo did consultancy in Pan-European investment advisory, for Terra Firma Capital Partners / Deutsche Annington (now Vonovia) and for chartered surveyors. Her career also involved a 6-year stint at IPD (now part of MSCI) where she set up and held run various indices in Continental Europe. As a Dutch national Cléo speaks 4 languages.
Cléo joined the committee in February 2018, using her skill, network and dedication to good use within RE Women to help the cause of diversity & inclusion within the property industry. Her aim is to make the property world a better place, and not just for women, as she strongly believes diversity will enrich the property industry.
Pav Boparai – Commercial Property Lawyer, Fladgate LLP
Pav joined the RE:WOMEN in March 2016 in order to share her ideas and contribute to the running of the organisation. Being a full-time working mum, she has been keen to share her own personal experiences, whilst helping to organise and promote events with RE:Women.
Pav speaks English and Punjabi. She works for Fladgate LLP in London within the Real Estate sector as a Commercial Property Lawyer.
Virginia Perez Nieto, REWomen Ambassador – International Relations
Virginia begun her career as a Court Interpreter, working on behalf of institutions such as the Spanish Supreme Court, the Bank of Spain or the Interpol offices and successfully transitioned to a career in Real Estate, focusing on the co-living, senior living and student accommodation sector, which is currently experiencing high growth in continental Europe.
Multidisciplinary in nature, she moves easily between origination and operational issues, and have significant experience opening new markets, managing relationships with public and private institutions and executing international strategies to break into new markets.
She has an extensive experience in the co-living, student housing and hospitality industry.
Besides being an Ambassador of Real Estate Women, Virginia is a Partner of WIRES (Women in Real Estate Spain),, Spain Ambassador at Co-liv and partner at Amigos del Monkole.
Virginia has a broad professional and education experience across Europe/UK and America. Originally from Spain, she has lived and worked in a number of countries and speak Spanish, English and French fluently.