Get To Know Our Newest Board Member
Soniya Gokhale
Global Real Estate Strategy & Management
Nestle
Where is your office located?
I work remotely but we have offices in Solon, Marysville and building a new Purina Plant in Batavia, Ohio
How long have you been a member of the IKO Chapter? Ten years. I was on the board previously as a Past President of the Chapter.
What is/was your primary reason for joining CoreNet Global?
Industry thought leadership, Networking, Peer Collaboration
What is one thing other would find interesting about you (personally or professionally)?
I host a top ranked podcast entitled www.ADesiWoman.com which combines my background with a broadcast journalism degree with my passion for improving DEI. I interview global thought leaders from the South Asian Diaspora about their experiences in overcoming obstacles and succeeding across a variety of areas including politics, academia and business to name a few.
If you could do any job in the world, other than what you do now, what would that be (ie. your dream job)?Full-time podcast host and author---I have been shocked to see my podcast is charting in countries such as India, Italy, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, and the US. Bringing diverse stories and narratives to a global community would be very inspiring and it would be a dream to do that full time!
What are your hobbies? Podcasting, Reading, Cross Training, Hiking, Biking, Meditation
What words of advice would you give to young professionals entering into the corporate real estate world today? Come into any job with the attitude that ‘no job’ is too small because every experience will enable you to grow and learn! I was the only minority woman broker during my time at JLL and CBRE in Columbus, and at many steps along my career path I felt discouraged and deterred from forging a career in this industry with no role models to speak of and nobody with my background to serve as a mentor. But I never gave up. You have to believe in yourself and stay focused on your goal—don’t listen to others but focus on you and your vision for success. Fast forward to a decade later and I work for one of the most diverse companies in the world as a corporate real estate leader in the organization. If I had listened to naysayers and lost confidence in my abilities I would never be here. I also really like the Indra Nooyi quote ‘If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you.’