Built World Podcast

Donna Abood - Vice Chairman & Co-Head for Savills Florida Region

Ben Hoffman & Felipe Azenha

This week we popped open a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and took a walk down memory lane with Donna Abood, a true powerhouse in the real estate world. With over 40 years of experience, Donna’s journey is as inspiring as it is impressive.

Real estate runs in her veins—her father was a developer in St. Petersburg, but Donna carved her own path. After graduating from FSU, she made the bold move to Miami instead of joining her family’s business. She quickly made waves in property management and brokerage, specializing in office leasing.

Donna’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to found Abood & Associates in 1989, where she served as the sole owner and acting principal. In 2002, she joined forces with Michael Fay to create Abood Wood-Fay Real Estate Group, which eventually became part of Avison Young in 2014. There, Donna made history as the first woman Managing Director of an Avison Young office, overseeing everything from business development to tenant and landlord representation across Miami-Dade County.

With more than 80 million square feet of office leases under her belt and hundreds of tenant representation deals completed, Donna’s track record speaks for itself. Now, as Vice Chairman and Co-Head of the Florida Region at Savills, she’s leading the charge in expanding the firm’s presence throughout the state.

Join us as Donna shares lessons from her storied career, insights on navigating the ever-changing real estate market, and what it takes to be a trailblazer in a competitive industry.

Connect with us

Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
It’s our favorite topic—and we’re always up for a good conversation. Whether you're just exploring or already making big moves, feel free to reach out at felipe@builtworldadvisors.com or give us a call at 305.498.9410.

Prefer to connect online? Find us on LinkedIn or Instagram—we’re always open to expanding the conversation.

Ben Hoffman: LinkedIn
Felipe Azenha:
LinkedIn

We extend our sincere gratitude to Büro coworking space for generously granting us the opportunity to record all our podcasts at any of their 8 convenient locations across South Florida.