From culture to mentorship, Briana DeHaan shares how Northmarq supports women in commercial real estate

At GlobeSt.'s 2025 Women of Influence event, Briana DeHaan joined the “Hiring, Retaining, and Cultivating Female Talent” panel.

While on the panel she shared her insights on inclusive hiring, mentorship and advancing women in commercial real estate (CRE).

DeHaan is the managing director of Northmarq’s San Francisco office and was also named GlobeSt. Woman of the Year, Debt & Equity during the event festivities.

We asked her about her experience on the panel and to elaborate on her career experiences related to the subject matter at hand.  

Q: On the panel, you spoke about needing to evaluate candidates beyond their resumes. What does that look like in action, and how does that benefit Northmarq and the CRE industry? 

DeHaan: Hiring managers need to look beyond the traditional experience and focus on transferable skills. For example, if the candidate is interviewing for a production role, general sales skills are highly relevant.  

It often also comes down to personal outreach and being intentional. I’m very involved in my local community, and I’m adamant about interviewing a broad range of candidates. 

At Northmarq, having an inclusive office environment is essential to our success — empowering team members to bring different perspectives and approaches to problem-solving and business development. It makes Northmarq more entrepreneurial, broadens our reach, and strengthens our skill set.  

Q: You also spoke about the important role of mentorship and sponsorship in your career. What lessons have you learned from mentors and sponsors? 

DeHaan: I’ve been blessed with sponsors invested in my skill development since I was an analyst. They brought me to client meetings, property tours, and put me in the driver’s seat on key deal milestones early in my career — allowing me to flex my production muscle. 

They set clear goals and milestones I needed to achieve to secure promotions and gave me consistent feedback to help me grow. This also required strong performance on my part — accepting and incorporating the feedback, displaying leadership, and genuinely caring about our business. Their investment in me was a mutually beneficial relationship — the more effective I became, the more productive our office became. 

In this male-dominated sector, many women will find their sponsors are men. This has been my experience, and it has served me well. Women shouldn’t feel constrained to seek mentorship and sponsorship only from other women.

Q: How do you pay it forward today?

DeHaan: I do my best to sponsor young talent in my office and beyond — both men and women — that are rising in their careers, driven, and passionate about our work.

I’m mindful to give thoughtful feedback and explanation about why I do things a certain way. I encourage them to get involved in the local industry, raise their hands for meetings and tours, attend lender dinners, and exercise leadership on deals.

Q: How do you see the CRE industry cultivating female talent today, and how can it continue to improve? How is Northmarq supporting you as a woman and your efforts to bring more female talent into the company?

DeHaan: Culture is a big factor. Many women value collaboration, equal compensation and investment in their careers, and work-life balance. To cultivate and retain female talent, companies need to foster cultures that support all these aspects. 

The leaders in my office have always displayed strong work-life balance. They openly prioritize family and take time away when needed, while also knowing when to lean into work. This sets a culture where it is OK to have flexibility to take care of family priorities while still getting the job done. 

Northmarq’s Associate Producer Program is a great example of how the company supports bringing in more female talent — watch this video or visit the Northmarq.com Careers page to learn more about it. The program helped me hone my skills and gave me the support I needed to succeed. It’s also helped me recruit and inspire other women considering a career in mortgage banking. 

Q: You said the panel members were asked what advice they had for women who struggle with self-advocacy. What was your response? 

DeHaan: The entire panel’s overwhelming response was: “You have to do it — no one else will do it for you or do it as well as you.” 

My two pieces of advice to do this are:

1. Practice and rehearse before you make a big ask. 
   Write out and practice what you are going to say. Don’t just wing it — when you’re nervous, the right words may not come.
2. Reach within yourself and find your alter ego, that space inside of you that is fearless. 
   There’s a great example from episode 10 of the third season of the show “Ted Lasso” (“International Break”), in which Rebecca, the team owner, takes time before an important meeting to make herself “big” — channeling energy by standing tall, asserting herself and embracing her full presence. 

Q: Another question to the panel that stood out was about how organizations can help women develop more confident communication styles. How did you respond to that? 

DeHaan: This one hit home for me, as my office is big on this topic. The way we communicate is infinitely important to career advancement. Unfortunately, women are often conditioned to use more passive speech patterns — such as a softer voice, unintentionally raising voice octave when nervous, apologizing, or ending sentences with a question mark inflection. These habits can impact how others perceive authority and confidence. 

Our office recognizes how important speech is and has invested in group and personal training with a professional coach. We also offer support for other speech training such as Toastmasters or improv.

Q: How do you see Northmarq embodying some of the key messages from the panel? 

DeHaan: I hope other offices provide the same level of investment in their rising stars. Talent has to be cultivated and harnessed — and we all have an incentive to keep talent in-house.