About two months ago, HousingWire announced its 2020 Women of Influence list. We took the initiative to get to know two of the women featured. Meet MBS Highway’s VP of Marketing, Megan Anderson, and Roostify’s Senior Director of Regulatory Compliance, Doreen Ghusar. Both of these women were willing to answer a few questions regarding their experience as leaders in the housing industry and share their opinions on what might be next.
What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
Professional advice can come in many different forms. While some guidance is inspirational, some may be tactical. The important part is applying the advice that works best for you! Megan shared a pointer that keeps her productive and proactive, “Always create your to-do list the night before, or you’ll always be playing defense.”
Doreen shared a laundry list of great tidbits and mantras that could apply to your professional or personal life:
- Competence is elemental and essential to know one’s area of expertise.
- Always have the ability to communicate clearly and adjust communication for the audience and decision-making process.
- Take the initiative.
- Great leaders are innovative.
- Insatiable curiosity, quick learning, listening, and observing will contrarily teach one to look at things differently.
- Always be energetic, see the whole picture, have great foresight, and understand people and business.
- Demonstrate good ethics, integrity, and honesty.
Feel free to take what you need from the list, but don’t forget to give Doreen her credit!
What does being a woman in the housing industry mean to you?
We recognize that being a woman in almost any industry requires courage, perseverance, and dedication. However, we were completely blown away by the awesome and uplifting statements that these women shared.
Being a woman in the housing industry means having a larger community. “Because there’s not a lot of us, I love being able to have a voice and be around women who support one another,” said Megan.
However, it also can mean owning strength and committing to leaving a stake in the ground. “Women in the housing industry can be challenged with ascending mobility, and as a woman of influence, I strive to help correct the gender leadership gap and opportunities for women in the housing industry,” stated Doreen.
What do you think is the best thing that’s happened in the housing industry in the last five to ten years?
Technology in the housing industry has recently become a hot topic as remote work became a necessity for many industries. However, as a veteran who has worn many hats in her career, Doreen shared exactly how she has seen technology bridge gaps in the housing industry.
“The best thing that has happened in the housing industry in the last 5-10 years is the revamp and modernization of financial technology, aka FinTech,” said Doreen. When asked why, she shared that, “it’s continuously being advanced to meet the digital demands to shift towards consumer-oriented products and services, and FinTech companies seek to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services.”
Doreen then went on to explain that, “the advancement of FinTech can help organizations, business owners, and consumers better manage their financial demands, streamlined processes, and lives by applying specialized software and algorithms that are used on computers, smartphones, and tablets.”
For a list of FinTech providers, check out our article, Ten Examples of Cutting Edge Technology for a Modern Mortgage Experience.
How do you see the housing industry evolving in the next ten years?
As the old saying goes, if you want to predict the future, look at the past! Both Megan and Doreen predict that more technology will have a hand in the evolution of the housing industry.
According to Doreen, “The housing industry is on the verge of a complete technology revolution that will blur the lines between the physical and digital domains of buying, selling, or refinancing a property.”
When we asked how, she shared, “The expeditious advances in technology are recalibrating the way we communicate and work together. Progressively as smart technologies enter our industry, workplaces, and lives, the connected automation will interact on a heightened level, envision the production chain, and make decisions autonomously.”
When thinking towards the future, Doreen stressed the importance of, “understanding what this ostensible reinvention is,” which she explained as “the matrimony of physical and digital technologies, such as analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive computing, and the Internet of things.”
Finally, Doreen shared that, “the influence of technology on the housing industry allows us to position ourselves to acclimate and flourish in this new and ever-changing digital panorama.
For more on all things AI in the mortgage industry, check out this guide.
As a woman of influence, who has been an influence for you, and why?
Influence and can come from many places, so it’s always great to hear where influential people gain insight and inspiration.
Megan listed Cindy Ertman because “she works hard, isn’t afraid to be vulnerable, and has achieved success and respect,” and Barry Habib because “he taught me how to tell a story, speak publicly, read candlestick charts, and never save things for tomorrow.” She also mentioned that her professional advice that she shared above came from him as well.
Doreen listed The Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg because “she was both a hero to the women before I was born and an icon to the little girls when I was growing up and now for my daughter. RBG was an incredible role model.” Doreen also listed her mother because “she taught me how to be independent and be a “go-getter.” To Doreen, this means putting dreams into actions, and remembering that envisioning positive outcomes leads to achieving positive outcomes.
We loved hearing inspiration and opinions from these women. We look forward to seeing them being recognized in future industry events and interviews. Their influence on the housing industry is just beginning.