Dates: 2004 – 2006
The Story
In 2004, The Mills Corporation, the largest US publicly traded REIT at the time, made a strategic decision to expand and launch international operations. The International CEO based in Europe hand-picked me from the US to help lead international growth, finance and operations for Europe. I was his ‘strategic go-doer’ for all-things growth. From leading due diligence on significant property acquisitions throughout Europe to helping assess greenfield investments and setting up new businesses in various countries, I formed part of the core senior management team. Within two years, we established operations in Spain, Germany, Italy, Scotland, England and the Netherlands.
It was an extremely intense, dynamic environment on all levels. We incorporated new international corporate structures and regulations, varying tax, legal, invoicing, language and employment requirements for each country while simultaneously managing overall business growth, planning and strategy. It felt like a start-up for one of the most successful US real estate companies in the world. I was working at an executive level and also expected to be on the ground running. Everyday I woke up, pulled up my sleeves and did everything necessary to ensure we kept up the growth momentum while ensuring the business and teams were aligned in the journey. It was a pivotal experience in my career and a highlight to date.
The Impact
I managed all aspects of acquisition and new business due diligence efforts across Europe, including $3.8 billion in M&A transactions. In addition to forming part of the International Senior Management Team responsible for overall finance and operations for Europe, I was also responsible for the day-to-day operations and performance of operations in Spain. This included direct management of the Finance and Operations team as well as overall country oversight and reporting back to the HQ team.
Apart from my deep finance and consulting capabilities, what really helped me to thrive was my genuine interest in the local employees, my fluency in Spanish, cultural assimilation and interest and ability to ensure their needs (professional and as a local team) were properly represented back to the European and US HQ. The Spanish asset, Madrid Xanadu, represented the largest international asset at the time and was the first “American” shopping mall concept in Spain which also contained a variety of leisure components, including a large “snow dome” for indoor skiing, go kart racing, movie theaters and a variety of restaurants.
I thrived with the challenge of bringing something new to the international market and with the responsibility to ‘go figure it out’ at such an impactful level. For example, the CEO asked me to go to Italy to ‘figure out’ how to open business, hire employees and start operations in a new country for the most successful US REIT at the time. I thrive and embrace environments of change and risk.