LA Power Women: 5 Questions With PGIM Real Estate Finance's Marcia Diaz
This limited series profiles SoCal Power Women who have helped shape cities, neighborhoods, businesses and lifestyles in Southern California. These women will be honored at Bisnow's Los Angeles Power Women event Dec. 12.
For Marcia Diaz, there is no greater feeling than giving back.
Diaz is the managing director at PGIM Real Estate Finance, where she heads the origination team and oversees the origination platform of commercial mortgage loans worldwide, according to her company bio.
Diaz has been with PGIM since 1990 and has worked her way up the company ladder, holding titles including investment associate, asset manager and vice president in the real estate investment banking group. She has held the managing director position since 2010.
Diaz said because of her success it is important to give back to younger associates.
"The most rewarding part of my job is grooming talent and seeing the success of individuals that I have mentored," Diaz said.
Bisnow: Who are you and what do you do?
Diaz: I am a managing director with PGIM Real Estate Finance and I oversee commercial mortgage loan production for the Americas. Our platform originates approximately $18B annually of commercial mortgages for multiple investors across all major property types.
Bisnow: What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?
Diaz: The most challenging part of my job is managing and maintaining a highly productive originations platform. My team is highly experienced and productive and it is challenging to identify and develop talent to build a strong succession plan. It’s also challenging to make sure everyone has the resources and support they need to meet the demands of investors and borrowers in a hyper-competitive environment. The most rewarding part of my job is grooming talent and seeing the success of individuals that I have mentored. I also like seeing my team execute year over year very consistently at a highly productive level.
Bisnow: How have you seen companies change the way they address wage and gender inequality in recent years?
Diaz: I think more companies are trying to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are instituting goals and allocating resources to it. I think there is an effort to retain and promote women so they can achieve wage parity but I think we still have work to do.
Bisnow: What do you enjoy most about living and doing business in Los Angeles?
Diaz: I love the great weather and living by the beach. As a real estate executive, I love working in one of the largest and most vibrant urban areas in the country. There’s always activity in the Greater Los Angeles region.
Bisnow: What are you most excited about, professionally, as we head into 2020?
Diaz: I think 2020 will be another competitive year in the debt space and look forward to maintaining our production levels. If there is a disruption in the capital markets, I look forward to opportunities that we might take advantage of.
