Mary Ann Tighe

In an industry dominated by men, Tighe didn’t just claim a seat at the table. She planted herself at the head.

She has spent more than four decades reshaping New York’s skyline and breaking the glass ceilings of commercial real estate. As CEO of CBRE’s New York Tri-State Region, Tighe leads a team of more than 4,000, outpacing every competitor in market share, revenue and deals.

Tighe has been behind some of the biggest transformations in Manhattan, from the revival of Times Square to the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan after 9/11, the westward push of Midtown, and the rezoning of Midtown East. She’s closed more than 125 million square feet of deals and secured over 14 million square feet of anchor leases for ground-up development, believed to be a record in the industry.

She has won the Real Estate Board of New York’s Deal of the Year Award nine times and made history as REBNY’s first female chair. She also mentors rising women in the industry, including her close colleague and CBRE up-and-comer Lauren Crowley Corrinet.