Tiffany English Builds a New Legacy

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Tiffany English was set for life. As a principal at Ware Malcomb, a well-known real estate design firm, English spent two decades overseeing the San Diego offices, working in Latin American markets, and accruing an impressive list of certifications and distinctions.

English, a “third culture kid” (people raised in a culture other than their parents’ or their nationality) spent most of her early years all over the globe. After her family fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon, her father’s job with the US State Department brought them to African countries like Mauritania, Gambia, and Swaziland, and later to Japan. English graduated from high school in New Delhi, India, before coming back to the US.

From life abroad to principal, English had already built an incredible career. Then she got a call from a longtime client, Qualcomm.

“My predecessor had decided to retire,” English explains. “He called me and encouraged me to apply for the job. I was a principal, a shareholder, and almost fifty. But he told me to just come meet the team.”

English liked the team and was intrigued by the idea of engaging in another chapter of personal growth. Having achieved a successful career at Ware Malcomb, where she had spent decades mentoring and coaching other young leaders, she decided it was time to pass them the reins while she wrote a new chapter for herself.

Since Qualcomm remains a client of Ware Malcomb. English has seen her old colleagues thrive while she grows as Qualcomm’s senior director of architecture and pursues her master’s degree in real estate at Georgetown.

Coming to Qualcomm provided English with a fresh perspective. On the owner’s side, English now maintains a wider outlook than she did on the other side of the aisle.

“What has evolved here has also been part of my master’s work,” English explains. “The company is growing and diversifying, and so I’m making sure that, on the real estate side, we’re aligning our long-term real estate goals and strategies around the company’s. It required me to develop a much deeper knowledge of how employees feel about their workplace and the environments they need to create and innovate.”

Fortunately, the organization was already on a great path when English assumed her role. She credits her team for helping her grow and figure out how her expertise and leadership can guide Qualcomm in the right direction.

Over the past year, English has implemented new global workplace guidelines that align with Qualcomm’s vision, culture, brand, and future direction. The senior director says that with a 35-year-old real estate portfolio of both owned and leased properties, it was a challenging proposition.

“We couldn’t roll those out everywhere at once,” English explains. “We had to prioritize and provide support for certain teams at certain times. In essence, we want to maintain our real estate portfolio at a high level while making sure we have consistency and connectivity with our brand and culture across that whole portfolio.”

“We have been very fortunate to partner with Tiffany to install our workplace solution at Qualcomm,” says Honghao Deng, cofounder and CEO of Butlr. “Her vision and expertise in setting workplace guidelines inspire the team to deliver the best results.”

English may have left a long list of mentees behind at Ware Malcomb, but her mentorship is far from over. She is a vocal advocate for Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), a global organization with 14,000 members and 80 chapters around the world. English has been an active member since 2005 and has engaged as a leader; she served on the global board of directors from 2018 to 2022, including president in 2021. Since coming to Qualcomm, English has also joined the organization’s Q-Women employee resource group and has gotten involved with its mentoring program.

English says it was important for her to join a company where she knew women were supported.

“At this point in my career, it’s about continuing to learn, but also lifting up the young women who are coming after me and helping develop this pipeline,” English explains. “It’s been so great to have the support from Qualcomm behind me. They have encouraged that kind of work since I got here.”

At 51, English still sees plenty of runway ahead. She continues to diversify her knowledge base, driven by curiosity, education, and evolution.

And for the young women English mentors, she offers invaluable advice. “One big lesson I learned at CREW was that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for what you want,” English says. “Women can be afraid to ask for what they deserve. We just hope someone sees the good work we’re doing. Just remember, the worst you’re going to hear back is no. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.”

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