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Dimitra Maniatis started her career eager to work on the next big project. That hunger took her far across different industries as a successful transaction manager and real estate agent, setting her up to be an effective leader.
But after she built her first company headquarters, something clicked that deepened her need to serve her colleagues—a passion that continues to influence her work today.
“Seeing everybody walk in for the first time, seeing their faces was a turning point,” says the director of global real estate and facilities at AspenTech. “They were saying, ‘Wow, we belong here; this is for all of us.’ And they were right. I did it all for them and for the company, and it showed me that my role is to represent them. I’m here to listen to them. I’m here to be their voice, to make them happy, and to give them what they need to make their workspace work for them.”
“They were saying, ‘Wow, we belong here; this is for all of us.’ And they were right. I did it all for them and for the company, and it showed me that my role is to represent them.”
Dimitra Maniatis
At AspenTech, Maniatis does that by serving as a sounding board for the various departments, employees, and leaders she works with. Through surveys and in-depth conversations, she and her team allow those partners to guide workplace design choices that lend themselves to more collaboration and cohesion, especially as the company prioritizes its hybrid work schedule and maximizes its growing portfolio.
“I like having surveys and getting people’s ideas of what they feel their space would look like. We also go through a design development stage where we meet with each group at every level since each one is different and works differently,” she explains. “We need to design the space for their unique needs, so we ask, ‘What kind of workspace do you need, what kind of collaboration space do you need, what kind of tools?’”
The result is something fresh and exciting. “We’ve upgraded our facilities, bringing in a new look and feel with color and new furniture,” she says. “Before this change, our offices were these plain, high cubicle-after-cubicle offices with many conference rooms. So what we’re looking to do with the input of our employees is to add collaboration spaces. We’re creating lower cubicles, more open environments for people to come together, and inviting areas where remote workers can come in, sit down for a day, and have meetings with other team members.”
Before she a leader in her field and industry, Maniatis started her career in finance and auditing. She worked at GSA as a real estate transaction manager for three years before serving as a senior manager of transactions at Santander Bank for two years. She went on to spend the next two decades as a real estate agent for Century 21 Commonwealth, a director of real estate specialists for Fresenius Medical Care North America, and a director of global real estate and facilities at Haemonetics.
As she reflects on those experiences, she says she learned to always be open to opportunities because “you never know where it’s going to lead you.”
“I started my career in finance and auditing and never thought I’d end up in real estate, but I’m glad I did,” Maniatis says. “Keeping myself open to learning from each opportunity and growing within them was also important. I didn’t know everything along the way, but I was open to learning and asking a lot of questions. Each step taught me something new for the next level.”
Today, Maniatis is guiding the company’s transition to a new hybrid work model. A key success factor in that effort is to ensure AspenTech’s facilities are adapted to support the evolving needs and schedules of workers. To that end, Maniatis is focused on the facility renovations in addition to helping the company optimize and synergize some of its spaces by combining locations in Mexico City, Montréal, and Beijing.
“I didn’t know everything along the way, but I was open to learning and asking a lot of questions. Each step taught me something new for the next level.”
Dimitra Maniatis
With such a huge undertaking, she understands the importance of surrounding herself with effective leaders. Maniatis takes pride in helping individuals become those effective leaders by setting clear expectations and being a positive motivator.
“It’s helping them understand where you are, guiding them, and giving as much feedback as possible,” she says. “It’s also important to praise them, recognize what they’re doing, and to create new opportunities for them to exceed and go to the next level.
“Being a great communicator is key for the person you’re developing to understand where you are, where you expect them to be, and what you expect from them,” she continues.
Young professionals aspiring to become leaders should follow Maniatis’s advice: “Find yourself a sponsor or a mentor and invest in yourself with LinkedIn Learning or other certificate,” she says. “Also, make sure to network, keep your options open, ask a lot of questions, and find ways to distinguish yourself from the next person.”
At Cresa, we find and foster the best environment for every business. We are the world’s only global commercial real estate advisory firm that exclusively represents occupiers and specializes in the delivery of integrated real estate solutions. Our purpose is to think beyond space, strengthening those we serve and enhancing the quality of life for our clients. Cresa’s services include Transaction Management, Workplace Solutions, Project Management, Consulting, Lease Administration, Technology, Capital Strategies, and Portfolio Solutions. In partnership with London-based Knight Frank, Cresa provides service through 16,000 people across 380 offices in 51 territories. For more information, please visit cresa.com.
