Leadership Spotlight August 2022
Tuesday, Aug 9, 2022
Leadership Spotlight | Veronique Turner
Veronique Turner is the Development Manager at Headwater Projects, a Vancouver based real estate investment firm with experience in residential (both rental and market housing), prime retail, and office. Along with Veronique’s experience and knowledge in development management, she also plays an important part of CREW Vancouver as the Co-Director of Sponsorship.
Veronique, thank you for being our Member Spotlight! What originally drew you to join the CREW network, and further, the BOD? What are your key initiatives as Director of Sponsorship?
Thank you for having me! I had always known about CREW but before joining the Board, I wasn’t fully aware of the breadth of programming, scholarships and support it delivers to our industry. It was a CREW Board member who initially encouraged me to apply for the Board, and I am so happy I did. I am constantly impressed with my fellow directors, committee members and volunteers for all the impactful and important work that comes out of this dynamic organization – not just in Vancouver but globally as well. I get to see firsthand how CREW delivers on it’s mission of advancing women in CRE, which is both exciting and rewarding to be able to play a small part in. It’s also a lot of fun and inspiring to be around a group of such great, supportive and talented women!
Working alongside my Co-Director Margo Smith, our key initiative is to ensure that our sponsor companies are getting great value for their generous sponsorship throughout the year and to find new ways to connect with and promote them through CREW’s events and programs. We work closely with the Events, Membership and Education and Outreach Committee on sponsor-related initiatives, and we are excited about the inaugural CREW Vancouver Leadership Awards this October, which brings new opportunities to highlighting our sponsors at a signature event.
Headwater Projects is involved in many different asset classes (retail, housing, office), do you have a favourite sector? What originally drew you to your job & now what excites you the most about it?
I am currently focused on several of Headwaters’ rental housing projects which I am excited to be working on, as it presents an opportunity to deliver much-needed rental homes to the communities where we operate. We are looking at these buildings slightly differently than a typical condo product, challenging our teams to be more creative through the design process and in problem-solving; two aspects that I love about this field of work.
My education and early career background is in urban planning, but I was drawn to development because I wanted to be part of tangible community building. It’s very rewarding to be able to see a project come out of the ground that you spent years working on – it also requires a lot of patience! I really appreciate the collaborative nature of development and getting to work with such a wide variety of people. No two days are the same and I am constantly learning.
If asked to give one piece of advice to someone looking to get into a similar career, what would it be?
Although it can be intimidating at first, try to push yourself out of your comfort zone and be open to networking, attending industry events or volunteering with groups like CREW early on. There are so many people that are willing to be mentors or simply just to meet for a coffee and answer questions about their work or the industry in general. This is such a big part of CREW and I tell all young people who are starting out in CRE or who are thinking about entering the industry about the different ways to get involved and how helpful and supportive it can be.
What is a work or personal accomplishment that you are most proud of?
My two amazing kids! My most challenging and rewarding endeavor to date.
Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies/passions?
Right now it is being with my family and travelling, both near and far, as often as we can!