Vladislav Portnov spent three and a half years teaching Russian in the U.S. and received his BA in English at The University of Virginia in 1995. His interest in architecture, marketing and sales lead him to the property business. The Leader found out what it takes to become a commercial property director.

The Leader: Why did you choose to work in real estate?

Mr. Portnov: I was exposed to the architecture business in 1997 while working as a project assistant with one of the leading European architectural firms specializing in urban planning. I had never studied architecture, so I just helped them gather information. I have also studied marketing and sales in the past and so it was natural that these two interests should merge.

The Leader: How did your career develop?

Mr. Portnov: After my work as a project assistant, I went on to learn the basics of the real-estate business at two firms: Noble Gibbons and The Western Group (TWG). Page Aiken of TWG was something of a mentor to me.

In 1999, I made a private business trip to the U.S. to explore opportunities for foreign investments into the Russian real-estate sector. While there I also studied at the Institute of Real Estate in Florida. On my return to Russia, I met with MIAN’s top management and suggested developing their focus on commercial property, as Russian companies tend not to recognize the importance of commercial property and instead favor dealing in residential property. I am now in charge of the commercial property department. My first goals were to introduce Western-style operations management and brokerage to Russia. I am a broker and I am therefore the intermediary who negotiates contracts of sale between buyers and sellers.

The Leader: Could you please describe a typical day at work for you?

Mr. Portnov: I review the work of my account managers and then I usually attend meetings with the development company decision-makers, property owners and tenants. I don’t actually dash around properties myself, I have runners who show clients around properties for me.

The Leader: What’s the most interesting aspect of your work? What part of your job do you like least?

Mr. Portnov: Closing deals and the opportunity to resolve challenging issues are the best parts of my job. As in any other business, dealing with unprofessional people is the worst.

The Leader: How do people usually enter the real estate business?

Mr. Portnov: As in my case, you can switch to real estate from some other business. But, if you want to build a career in real estate from the start, you can begin as a research assistant, which does not require any specific knowledge. You just explore the streets of the town to discover new land plots and ongoing construction of residential and commercial buildings.

The Leader: What training is needed for a career in real estate?

Mr. Portnov: There’s no formal undergraduate training for getting into this business. However, I encourage those interested to consider enrolling in a short program. As far as I’m aware, there’s only one non-governmental university that offers courses in commercial property, The International University on Leningradsky Prospect.

The Leader: What kind of skills are necessary for a career in real estate?

Mr. Portnov: The ability to read technical data and floor plans. Floor plans show the internal layout of the property, property boundaries and engineering information. Above all, every good real estate practitioner should be professional and honest and respect the client-broker relationship, which should be one of confidentiality. You should protect the interest of your client at all times — the client is whoever you’ve signed a contract with saying you represent them. A respect for quality of service is also important.

The Leader: What personal qualities are needed?

Mr. Portnov: Analytical and entrepreneurial skills are paramount. The gift of gab is handy; however verbal skills are of no use unless they are backed up by firm knowledge of the subject. Try to be helpful without unnecessarily volunteering your time; be persuasive, yet not aggressive. Willingness to learn from experience, and from the people you interact with, is also important.