Bay Area Power Women: 5 Questions With North Star Hotel Development's Shannon Shackerley-Bennett
This limited series profiles Bay Area Power Women who have helped shape Bay Area cities, neighborhoods, businesses and lifestyles. These women will be honored at Bisnow's Bay Area Power Women event in San Francisco on May 30.
Shannon Shackerley-Bennett is CEO of North Star Hotel Development, a new firm focused on capital raising, acquisition and entitlement of select-service, luxury and lifestyle hotels across North America. She also does coaching and consulting work in the industry.
Shackerley-Bennett was previously chief operating officer for Knowhere Holdings, a Bay Area development firm that focuses on large-scale, mixed-use urban village communities and hotel projects. She relocated to the Bay Area about five years ago from Vancouver, Canada.
Bisnow: How do you describe your job to people who are not in the industry?
Shackerley-Bennett: I find end-of-life properties and give them a fresh start by bringing something new to the community that residents and businesses are excited to see transform from an idea to reality.
Bisnow: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career and how did you achieve it?
Shackerley-Bennett: Being a part of the team that launched “Bringing Women Together” in Vancouver, BC — a network of corporate women’s networks.
Bisnow: How have you seen companies change the way they address wage and gender inequality in recent years?
Shackerley-Bennett: Greater recognition that wage and gender inequality exists and more appetite to talk openly about how to [create solutions].
Bisnow: What piece of advice do you give others entering the industry?
Shackerley-Bennett: Limit the amount of paid professional development and focus on experiential learning — just do it!
Bisnow: What do you do to unwind when you’re not working?
Shackerley-Bennett: I get outdoors to enjoy trail running or skiing with my husband and four kids in the winter. Otherwise I connect with my community — either by being involved with Little League, Scouts, historical preservation initiatives and events that bring people together.
Meet North Star Hotel Development CEO Shannon Shackerley-Bennett at Bisnow's Bay Area Power Women event May 30 at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
