Emily Watkins
Chief Client Officer
The Instant Group

Throughout my career, I’ve helped organizations create value using real estate as a competitive edge to engage multiple generations and create unique experiences proven to drive attraction and retention. As an innovator and transformational change agent, I’ve built a reputation as an effective catalyst to help companies stay ahead of the competition and industry disruption. Currently, I’m putting my 25+ years of experience to work helping organizations create and implement experience-driven real estate solutions.

Growing up in retail real estate & development taught me the value of brand and culture to drive both customer and employee experience. I spent nearly 14 years with Gap Inc. in various roles as their families of brands experienced both tremendous growth and contraction. My comprehensive experience within all aspects of the entire real estate lifecycle, as well as my MBAs from both UC Berkeley and Columbia University (joint program) led to my interest in innovation and product development to deliver competitive advantage. I had the opportunity to start an Innovation & Product Development program at JLL focusing on creating new services for clients.

After establishing that program, I followed my favorite Gap Inc. mentors to Charlotte Russe, where I led all functions for real estate & development – from strategy, transactions & lease management to design, procurement, construction, and facility management during a time of digital transformation and growth. I was asked to rejoin JLL to further develop products and services that had been incepted during my previous tenure, so I jumped at the opportunity to focus on and build a team to deliver flexible space solutions.

My love of disruptive solutions led me to join former JLL colleagues at Unispace, an integrated workplace strategy, design & build organization, where I led a global sales & account management organization. Currently, back in the world of flexible real estate solutions as Chief Client Officer of The Instant Group.