Avison Young Names First Black Woman To C-Suite

Brokerage Avison Young named Nicole White its new chief legal officer this week, the first Black woman to fill a C-suite role at the brokerage.

White has been at the firm since 2015 and said she was its first female African American principal when she was promoted three years ago. She is succeeding Bob Slaughter, who is moving to the role of senior advisor and legal counsel.

White, who is based in the firm's Houston office, will assume her new title on Jan. 1, according to an Avison Young spokesperson. She will also serve as corporate secretary and will handle the overall management of all of the company’s legal affairs.

White said in an interview that a major focus will be helping the Toronto-based firm advance its technology and innovation platforms, as well as shepherding the organization through complex business matters.

Over the past few years, Slaughter — who will remain on Avison Young’s board of directors — has been incrementally providing White training opportunities, she said, which allowed for her transition to the role. In a statement, company CEO Mark Rose described White as a “brilliant legal strategist” and praised her “unwavering push for diversity, equity and inclusion and her belief in the positive impact real estate can have on people’s lives.”

White, who was previously an employment lawyer and worked at insurance giant Allstate, will continue to hold a seat on the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee and her leadership position as a founder of the Avison Young’s Black Professionals’ Resource Group.

“I'm very proud of the fact that I've achieved this,” White said. “Some people would say, ‘Yeah, that's great, but don't lean into that … You’re here because you're talented, you put in the work and you've proven yourself.'

"All those things are true," she added. "[But] I do believe that there are different barriers to opportunity and success that women and people of color experience.”

Women and minorities are still underrepresented in top leadership roles in commercial real estate, though there is mounting pressure for the industry to make meaningful change. Prior to White’s appointment, Avison Young had three people of color and seven women on its executive committee out of a total of 23, and two people of color on its 12-person board. Women hold three seats on the board of directors.

Developing a diverse pipeline of talent is increasingly becoming an important area for the industry, and many point to the value of having diverse leadership to foster and encourage inclusive environments.

White said that before she joined Avison Young, she looked at the makeup of the executive committee and board to see if it was a company she could expect to thrive and grow. Her advice to young women and people of color looking to advance in the industry is to think strategically about where they will get support and career development.

“People are so focused on compensation, reward, flexibility — and I think all those things are very important. But I also think you really can't put a price on being at a place where people will actually invest in you, invest in helping you grow, invest in helping you develop, invest in creating opportunity,” she said. “You have to focus more on, ‘Where am I going to find opportunity? How am I going to continue to grow and progress in my career and where are people going to care about whether I succeed or not?'”

CORRECTION, NOV. 11 5 P.M. ET: Nicole White is the first female African American principal at Avison Young. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated she was the first African American principal. This story has been updated.