SPOTLIGHT: ANN CAREY; Growing E&Y's real estate group in Midwest.

Byline: Colleen Lobner

Job: Chicago-based senior manager and regional leader of Ernst & Young LLP's Construction Real Estate Advisory Services practice, since April.
Vitals: 51 years old; bachelor's degrees in business and art history, University of Michigan, 1980; consignment coordinator, Sotheby's, Chicago, 1980-83; leasing broker, then vice-president, Rubloff Inc., Chicago, 1983-91; stay-at-home mother of three, 1991-97; director of stadium development, Chicago Bears Football Club, Chicago, 1997-2005; senior vice-president of projects and development services and national lead for sports facility group, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., Chicago, 2005-09.

Strong suit: Team building, complex project leadership and "making things happen that didn't look like they would happen," Ms. Carey says.

R%sum% gap: First time working for a big accounting firm, where real estate isn't the only focus. "I'm learning more on the tax/legal beat," she says.

Track record: Oversaw the $632-million renovation of Solider Field, completed in 2003.

Job one: Marketing E&Y's advisory practice and seeking opportunities to grow the group in the Midwest. "It's a very fluid market right now--people are all looking at different service providers. It's a great time to enter the market in a bolder way," she says.

Obstacle: Accounting firms like E&Y must compete against firms such as CB Richard Ellis Inc. and Jones Lang LaSalle. "There are a lot of full-service real estate companies that have been providing these services for a lot longer," says Ray Milnes, a partner in the building construction and real estate group of New York-based accounting giant KPMG LLP.

The plan: Strengthen relationships with clients and uncover their current challenges. "Listening is really important," Ms. Carey says.