Board Member Profile: Caroline Abougoush, President

I am thrilled to serve as the CREW Calgary President in 2018.  Almost immediately after moving to Calgary from Toronto, I got involved with CREW Calgary thanks to my good friend Karen Price and have been a member since 2008. I am passionate in my belief that CREW can make a difference in all of our goals in advancing women in commercial real estate in Calgary.  Over the years, I have had the pleasure of volunteering and later chairing the Events Committee and serving as a Director of the Board in 2015, 2016 and 2017.   During my time on the CREW Calgary Board I assisted in the drafting and coordination of the organization’s policies and procedures. Putting to paper the code by which CREW Calgary governs itself for the benefit of its members has been extremely rewarding.  In collaboration with my fellow Board members, Committee Chairs and volunteer members and the broader CREW Network, we have consolidated and established many of the policy statements and procedures that are essential for strong governance and effective administration and leadership.

Over the past decade, I have been involved in commercial real estate in various roles. I have worked in private practice, as a commercial real estate lawyer with Macleod Dixon LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright LLP) and later in a business role at Canadian Pacific Railway where I led the business real estate team responsible for acquisitions and dispositions in Western Canada. Now, I am back practicing law and managing a team as Director, Legal, Real Estate Management at Oxford Properties Group with cross- Canada responsibilities.

I feel fortunate to put my skills and passion to work and look forward to serving our membership as President by focusing on the long term visions this Board has set by continuing to enhance our decision making skills and accountability, as well as drawing on the passion and commitment of our team of volunteers, so we can all benefit from promoting women in real estate. I am very proud to be a part of CREW Calgary. I look forward to hearing from our members on how we can continue to grow our membership, enhance the networking opportunities, and seek inputs on our programming.