Ivanka Trump – Executive VP of Development & Acquisitions, The Trump Organization

The Female Player in Trump’s Family Empire

By Cynthia Good

When you talk to top exec, socialite, fashion model and 27-year-old style icon Ivanka Trump, you immediately understand that she is very busy and all business – and doesn’t have much time for idle chatting. She’s closing multimillion-dollar deals along with her father and brothers – even in an economy that she announced earlier this year was in a depression. Despite the challenges of helping to run the family’s global real estate empire and her own Ivanka Trump Jewelry line, Trump manages to consistently look as sharp as she thinks (often in a simple but killer Dolce & Gabana suit) – even while traveling to remote parts of the world. (Think Istanbul, Puerto Rico, Panama.) “I travel with a set of clothes that have seen more countries than most people,” she told us.

PINK: What’s your favorite power suit?
I.T.: I don’t think power is in the outfit.

PINK: What do you wear when you’re traveling globally for business?
I.T.: I have a lot of staple suits. I wear a lot of light colors as opposed to black. Also a great pair of pumps. I like Stewart Weitzman Fever pumps. The sassy stilettos have 4-inch heels.

PINK: Does being beautiful interfere with your work?
I.T.: I know many of our business partners enjoy having a woman’s opinion in the boardroom, and I think being attractive is an advantage.

PINK: You work closely with your older and younger brothers. Do you think they receive deferential treatment because they’re men?
I.T.: No. At the end of the day, if my father thought one of us was far superior to the others intellectually, then that would happen.

PINK: Has your family considered succession planning?
I.T.: That’s not our focus. My brothers and I love working together. As a collective, we far surpass anything we could do individually. Our focus is learning and growing as much as we can. We all work on different deals and all work together.

PINK: You’re an avid reader. What’s your favorite book?
I.T.: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I’m a huge fan of Kundera’s work. I also love Atlas Shrugged [by Ayn Rand].

PINK: When did you know you wanted to do this for a profession?
I.T.: There was never “one moment.” I grew up surrounded by real estate; my grandfather, my father, my mother – everyone around me was always involved in some way in this business. I can’t remember not wanting to do this.

PINK: How has the real estate market slump affected your business?
I.T.: It would be difficult for me to say that we have the same deal flow now that we had in 2007 or early 2008. The Trump Organization, however, is in a different position than any other real estate company in the world because our brand is globally recognized and attractive to buyers throughout the world. While other brands may have to cut their standards, we simply won’t, and our clientele know that – be it a hotel guest, golf club member or resident. Because of that recognition, we are fortunate to still see a steady stream of people purchasing in our active projects, and new potential partners interested in developing.

PINK: What’s your advice to others in the real estate profession?
I.T.: Be diligent about where and how you are doing business. This is not an environment to do just any deal. You must qualify whatever you invest your time and money in so that you have an increased chance of success.

PINK: Are there any words you live by?
I.T.: I appreciate the sentiment by Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”