Title: Senior Financial Analyst
Company: CBRE
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics, University of North Texas (2018)
Career History: Senior Financial Analyst, CBRE (2023-Present); Financial Analyst, CBRE (2019-2023); Financial Analyst, Menzies Aviation (2018-2019); Administrative Assistant, Primexx (2017-2018); Classroom Assistant, University of North Texas (2016-2017)
Kiersten L. Hazel, Senior Financial Analyst at CBRE, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of finances.
Like many others, Ms. Hazel had student loans while at the University of North Texas. She took a finance class, where she learned about investing and developed a passion for it; she grew up, too, seeing her stepfather navigating the struggles of a small business amid the 2008 market crash, further inspiring her desire to assist others with financial literacy. To pay off her loans, she shifted her focus in college to investing and eventually economics, ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree in business economics in 2018. She would later even help her stepfather sell his company and partner with a larger company, guiding him through the financial process and advising on a better price.
Ms. Hazel subsequently embarked on a career in the field and became a financial analyst at Menzies Aviation, a major player in the global aviation industry, for a year before moving on to CBRE, where she advanced from a financial analyst to her current higher-up role between 2019 and 2023. At CBRE, she handles a wide spectrum of responsibilities across the Midwest and Chicago: she provides financial planning and analysis; reviews monthly financials; forecasts the rest of the year’s budget; corresponds with 15 market leaders regarding their cities; handles ad hoc work, recruiting and retention; reviews their historical revenue, anticipated expenses, and budget for travel and entertainment; and is in charge of training newer employees in system usage and call lists.
In the midst of her developing career in the field, however, Ms. Hazel was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2021, through which her fiancé, parents, family, friends, and work colleagues greatly supported her. As a testament to her devotion, she was able to continue performing her duties at a high level despite undergoing four hours of chemotherapy five days a week for several months—it was a very rare but treatable form of leukemia, and she’s now in remission. In addition to her position at the company, she has since explored a secondary career as a motivational speaker and author, having written the children’s book series “Meet the Animals of the World,” starting with the first book in the series “Meet the Animals of the Amazon.” She’s also civically involved in back-to-school and peanut butter drives, coat drives, food drives, and events through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Hazel’s goal is to obtain her master’s degree in finance, despite having to temporarily pause her pursuit to prioritize her health. She also aspires to advance to the finance manager or finance business partner position. In the long term, she aims to become the finance director for the entire United States.