Joanne Podell

Profile

Joanne Podell has 25 years of commercial real estate experience, specializing in both tenant and landlord representation, and serves as the first and sole Executive Vice Chairman for Retail Services at Cushman & Wakefield. A three-time recipient of the prestigious REBNY "Deal of the Year" award, Ms. Podell continues to solidify her reputation as one of the most respected retail brokers in New York City. She was declared Cushman & Wakefield's 2016 global top broker, the first time a retail broker has been the sole recipient of the recognition, and was named Cushman & Wakefield's overall top retail broker in the United States for both 2014 and 2015.

Professional Experience

Throughout her tenure at Cushman & Wakefield, Ms. Podell has been involved in many of the retail industry's most prestigious assignments, including the Manhattan roll-out of TD Bank (50 locations to date) and developing flagship stores for Nike in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Ms. Podell has been responsible for the strategic deployment of retail strategies for top-tier clients including: TD Bank, Nike, Ascena Retail, Destination XL, Dean & DeLuca, and Converse. She has also represented many of the city's most prominent landlords, including Empire State Realty Trust, Trump, Madison Capital, and TH Real Estate.

In 2016, Ms. Podell worked with Nike to sign their lease for a 70,000+ sf Midtown Manhattan flagship. The Nike deal at 650 Fifth Avenue was one of the largest in commercial real estate history. Ms. Podell also individually represented both Kay Jewelers and Converse in the openings of their first Manhattan stores. Additional recent noteworthy deals brokered by Ms. Podell and her team include bringing a Nike flagship to 529 Broadway in SoHo and leasing 43,000 sf to Target at ESRT's 112 West 34th Street.

Additionally, Ms. Podell launched Cushman & Wakefield's Women's Integrated Network (WIN), a mentoring network for female professionals, and oversaw its growth from 12 to 1200 participants. She is a former board member of the New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX) and was named "Woman of the Year" by the organization in 2012. Ms. Podell is a current member of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), where she served as Chair of the Retail Stores Committee, and is presently on the REBNY Board of Directors Commercial Division. In 2018, she was honored by REBNY with the Louis Smadbeck Memorial Broker Recognition Award for her exceptional integrity and leadership and her service to REBNY committees. She regularly volunteers and fundraises for charitable organizations, including Same Sky and the Young Women's Leadership Network, which honored her in 2017 for her contributions.

Awards & Associations

Professional Affiliations

Board Member of Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)

Board of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX)

Member of Real Estate Executive Council – Anti-Defamation League (ADL)

Member of Women's Leadership Council at Lincoln Center

International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

Professional Recognition

Commercial Observer – Power 100, 2018

Crain's New York Business – Notable Women in Real Estate Honoree, 2018

Real Estate Forum – Women of Influence Honoree, 2018

Bisnow – New York's Power Woman Honoree, 2018

CREW NY – 40th Anniversary Gala Honoree, 2018

REBNY - Louis Smadbeck Memorial Broker Recognition Award, 2018

REBNY – Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year, 2016

Cushman & Wakefield – Worldwide Top Producer, 2016

AFRMC (American Friends of Rabin Medical Center) Real Estate and Finance Deal of the Year Award, 2016

Cushman & Wakefield – U.S. Top Retail Broker, 2014 & 2015

REBNY – Most Significant Retail Deal of the Year Award. 2000

REBNY – Most Creative Retail Deal of the Year Award, 1998

Community Leadership

Young Women's Leadership Network Honoree, 2017

Same Sky Honoree, 2017

Mann Charitable Foundation Honoree, 2017

Avenue for Justice Honoree, 2017

Board of New York Women Executives in Real Estate (WX), "Woman of the Year", 2012

Education

Ithaca College

Assignments

Notable Transactions

Pele – 1560 Broadway, New York, NY (2018)

Nike – 650 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY (2017)

Ann Inc. - 7 Times Square (2017)

TJ Maxx Renewal - 250 West 57th Street (2017)

Target - 112 West 34th Street (2016)

Nike - 650 Fifth Avenue (2016)

Lou & Grey - 138 Fifth Avenue (2016)

Sephora - 112 West 34th Street (2015)

Footlocker - 112 West 34th Street (2015)

Clients

Tenant Representation

Nike

TD Bank

Ascena Retail Group

Luxottica Group

H&R Block

Destination XL

Dean & DeLuca

Converse

Lamy

The Eight Senses

Jimmy Choo

Ferragamo

Landlord Representation

Empire State Realty Trust

Hartz Mountain

60 Guilders

Rockwood Capital

GFI Hospitality

HSR Corp.

TH Real Estate

Midtown Equities

Jack Resnick & Sons