Earlier this year, Brant Morwald was promoted from Vice President of Data Services at Constellation1 to President. We recently sat down with Brant to ask him about his new role and his vision for Constellation1. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Do you have a real estate or brokerage technology background? What led you to this industry?
Like a lot of my peers in this industry, I didn’t find real estate, it found me.
After I graduated from Ivey Business School, I went into consulting. I specialized in operations and was lucky to get to work in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, financial services, and healthcare, and to travel all over the world, primarily to South America and Asia. It was really exciting to get to serve as an outside expert for a client, to look at their operations from every angle, and to bring an outside perspective that could help them succeed. And even more gratifying to put changes into action and to see them achieve real results.
It was this winding road that led me to Constellation1. I met former president and colleague Andrew Binkley, which is how I wound up initially joining the team as a director of business development.
How did you then find yourself at the helm of one of the biggest real estate technology and data services companies in North America?
Andrew was my mentor for two years as director of business development, and then I transitioned to Vice President of Data Services and reported directly to him. My role became hyper-focused on leading our stellar data services team, which allowed me to develop my expertise and hone my skills in one particular area of our business, but without losing sight of how it fits into the big picture. I was fortunate to have a lot of support and cross-functional visibility.
After two years in that role, I was tapped by Constellation Real Estate Group leadership to take the reins at Constellation1 as president. I think I owe my promotion to my background leading the data services business and the success that our team has had over the past couple of years. This is a data-driven industry, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence and AI tools for real estate, and Constellation1 continues to lead in the real estate data space.
What excites you about real estate tech in general and Constellation1 in particular?
We’re living in an exciting technology moment, real estate and proptech included. Every week, there seems to be a new development in AI and cloud computing, and Constellation1 is at the forefront of all these developments. We have some of the best and brightest people in the real estate technology industry working here, and it’s an incredible time to be looking at the space and our company, what our clients need and value and how those align with what we offer. I’m excited to be able to define our strategy moving forward and to get to execute that strategy with this awesome team.
We’re always looking at ways to optimize our offering, deliver more value, and leverage the latest in technology, and I can tell you we have some big things planned for the coming year—and beyond!
How would you describe your leadership style?
There’s been a spotlight on leadership in the real estate industry recently, and not always for flattering reasons. I believe in the power of participative leadership and servant leadership, involving my team in making important decisions while ensuring they’re empowered to share their ideas and lead their respective areas. I’m dedicated to continuous improvement, both of myself and the organization. Growth is important, of course, but sustainable growth stems from understanding our value proposition and the way we help solve real problems. This means asking how we’re serving our customers now and how we can serve them better into the future.
What’s the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned during your career that has prepared you for this moment?
I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one, so here are two big lessons that I apply to everything I do:
First, you really have to listen.
As a leader, there’s a lot of pressure to take charge and to act. But I’ve learned that acting without the facts will never get you where you want to go. So, in my new role, I’m eager to lend an ear to all of Constellation1’s stakeholders—our people, our customers, our partners—and to really listen to what they care about and ultimately what they need from us and our products and services.
Secondly, and this relates to listening, you have to actually hear what people are telling you.
Listening is great, and important, and the other side of that coin is that you have to be ready and willing to hear what others are saying and use their feedback to inform your decisions. This means you can’t blindly execute a strategy; you need to be informed, get buy-in, and act on facts.
Even as president, it’s impossible for me to know every single thing that’s going on in our business. I make a point of surrounding myself with people who are smarter than I am and the absolute experts in their respective fields. I rely on their expertise and their advice to not just devise Constellation1’s strategy, but to pursue it as well.
Where can we find you when you aren’t in the office?
Family is the most important thing to me, and so I spend as much quality time with them as I can. I also love being outdoors and am an avid golfer. Provided there isn’t snow on the ground, much of the time you can find me out on the fairway.
Something that surprises a lot of people who know me professionally is that I also love to fish, it’s one of my favorite ways to relax. There’s something about being out on a lake that helps me collect my thoughts and find a balance, so I come home (or back to work) refreshed and recharged.
What advice do you have for someone aspiring to work in the dynamic and exciting world of proptech?
Real estate is unpredictable. The entire landscape is constantly evolving and changing, especially now. The last five years have been a big roller coaster ride. To succeed in this industry, you need to be comfortable with change and be adaptable. You are responding to new conditions all the time, so you need to be agile and able to pivot when necessary.
That said, real estate is built on relationships, even more so than other industries, which means that you can make really close, meaningful connections. For me and many others, that makes it an especially rewarding industry to work in.
What final thing should real estate industry players know about you?
Good leaders have a holistic view of things, and you don’t get that kind of view by sitting in your office. I’m more eager than ever to get out there, to get to know everyone I haven’t gotten a chance to know yet here at Constellation1, and also to get to know even more people in the industry. Andrew stressed how important collaboration is to move the real estate industry forward, and I firmly believe that as well.
Learn more about Constellation1
Constellation1 is a long-term partner to the real estate industry and provides front office, back office, and data services to real estate brokerages, franchises, MLSs, and associations across North America. To learn more about Constellation1, get in touch with us today.
