In the world of commercial real estate, where market dynamics shift rapidly and long-term value creation depends on foresight, few leaders have built a trajectory as deliberate and impactful as Sharon Riley Wortmann, Managing Director at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). With over 25 years of experience spanning tier-one firms such as KPMG, Lend Lease, Morgan Stanley, MetLife, and Colony Capital, Sharon has honed a reputation for excellence in strategic real estate advisory, analytics, and institutional leadership.
Her journey began at KPMG in Miami within the hospitality sector, an environment that demanded both analytical precision and relentless work ethic. Those early years, defined by 80 to 100-hour weeks, laid the foundation for what would become a career distinguished by adaptability, insight, and leadership. Over time, Sharon transitioned from advisory to high-level real estate investment and brokerage, becoming a recognized specialist in industrial brokerage within the dynamic Inland Empire market of California, the largest in the nation.
“My career has been very deliberate,” she reflects. “Every phase, from consulting to investment to leadership, was about learning agility, building relationships, and understanding market behavior at a deeper level.”
Beyond Transactions: Creating Lasting Impact
At JLL, Sharon’s contribution transcends transactional success. Her work centers around providing data-driven insights that empower clients to make informed decisions about their portfolios while balancing risk mitigation with long-term community and economic impact.
“Commercial real estate professionals today must go beyond simple transactions,” she explains. “By leveraging analytics, we can help clients strengthen local economies, create jobs, and revitalize communities. That’s where real value is created.”
Bringing ESG Thinking Into Real Estate
While her day-to-day focus remains in real estate, Sharon’s influence extends into sustainability and governance through her role on the ESG Committee at Keppel Pacific Oak US REIT (KORE). There, she helps shape investment and development strategies that align profitability with responsibility.
“ESG shouldn’t be viewed as a cost; it’s a value enhancement strategy,” she says. “Features like energy efficiency, health and wellness amenities, and affordable housing components are not just ethical; they increase asset value and tenant demand.”
Her practical view of ESG connects environmental and social goals with measurable business outcomes. She outlines how each component, Environmental, Social, and Governance, is now a core factor in determining property performance, investment resilience, and access to capital. ESG-aligned properties, she notes, “achieve higher occupancy, better retention, and stronger financial returns.”
Opportunities for ESG Impact
Sharon sees the most immediate ESG opportunities in energy-efficient buildings, community-centric developments, and tenant well-being. She believes that real estate’s social value must be built into a project’s entire lifecycle, from concept to long-term use.
“Affordable housing integration, green spaces, and health-oriented design features all contribute to more resilient communities and stronger property value,” she adds.
Leadership Rooted in Empathy and Integrity
Over the years, Sharon’s leadership philosophy has evolved from task-driven to servant leadership, centered around empathy, collaboration, and integrity.
“I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about control; it’s about empowering others,” she says. “I lead by example, maintaining transparency and ethical standards, even when the market makes that difficult. There’s no ‘I’ in team; it’s always ‘we.’”
That same ethos guides her community involvement. Among her proudest achievements is serving as Community Service Chairperson for the Inland Empire NAIOP Chapter, where she led initiatives like book drives, mentoring programs, and weekend nourishment support for local students. “Seeing our collective work directly improve lives has been more rewarding than any professional milestone,” she says.
Challenges, Lessons, and the Road Ahead
Like many industry leaders, Sharon acknowledges that balancing cost pressures with sustainability goals remains a major challenge. Data availability, regulatory shifts, and reporting standardization continue to evolve. Still, she sees this as an opportunity for innovation.
“The winners will be those who integrate ESG into their core value proposition today,” she says. “ESG will soon be embedded in every real estate decision, from investment to tenant engagement. It’s not a trend; it’s the future of how we define value.”
Looking forward, Sharon’s priorities include advancing client education on ESG metrics, developing actionable roadmaps for decarbonization and green leasing, and exploring AI-driven energy optimization in collaboration with JLL Spark. Through KORE’s ESG Committee, she aims to translate her broad industry expertise into measurable, data-backed sustainability outcomes.
Advice for Future Leaders
For those aspiring to combine real estate with ESG principles, Sharon encourages both learning and participation.
“Build your ESG foundation, get certified, volunteer for sustainability initiatives, and engage with professional networks like ULI and GRESB. Start where you are and identify quick wins that create immediate value.”
Her leadership mantra encapsulates her career philosophy perfectly:
“Leadership is not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge, including the communities and environment we build for.”
A Vision for Purpose-Driven Real Estate
Through her roles at JLL and KORE, Sharon Riley Wortmann continues to bridge the gap between financial performance and social impact. Her story demonstrates that leadership, at its core, is about stewardship of people, places, and progress