Above, Brant Morwald
In just a few short years, Brant Morwald has had more global business interactions, and gleaned more cultural insights, than most executives experience in decades. That’s certainly a major reason he was chosen to lead Constellation1 as president at age 31. As he readily admits, his journey has been a combination of shrewd career choices and keeping his mind open to learning non-stop.
Born and bred in Canada, Morwald graduated from Ivey Business School in London, then had a decision to make—investment banking or consulting? He chose consulting, and the result matured him personally and professionally.
“I had done an internship at Imperial Oil and got intrigued with the oil and gas space as well as the energy space, so coming out of university, I worked in consulting for oil and gas companies,” he says. “I traveled the world, worked in Saudi Arabia, Europe, South America and North America, not just in oil and gas, but healthcare and financial services.
“I would be parachuted into companies facing business problems, with different cultural experiences and cultures within the business,” adds Morwald, who learned how to adapt within the company styles. “The global markets have very different approaches in terms of executing and how to get things done, which allowed me to see things from a different lens when meeting with vendors and partners, regardless of their geographic location or business objectives. It was hugely beneficial.
“I think there was one year I spent about 240 nights in a hotel, and I’ve already reached lifetime platinum status, which is either a good thing or a bad thing,” says Morwald, whose travel experience in consulting eventually brought him to Constellation1.
With offices in Laguna Beach, California, and Markham, Ontario, Canada, Constellation1 is a long-term partner to the real estate industry. Part of the Andromeda Operating Group and Constellation Software Inc. (CSI), the company serves 125,000-plus customers across more than 100 markets globally—providing front office, back office and data services to real estate brokerages, agents, franchises, MLSs and associations across North America.
Morwald also credits his love of traveling with meeting his future wife.
“We met in the Dominican Republic when we were both there with friends,” he says. “They had remarked that my friend wore a Toronto Blue Jays hat, and we said, ‘Hey, you guys are from Toronto? We’re from Toronto, too.’ Nothing came of it at the time, but we added each other on social media. I ended up going to Germany for a project, then a couple of years later decided to come home. I remembered that girl from the vacation, we reconnected, and it took off from there.”
They’re expecting their first child in April.
Morwald acknowledges that he’s perfected something that’s crucial in his position and, again, traces it back to his travels: the art of listening.
“Usually, prior to taking on a new project, I would spend some time with an individual in the firm who had been there before, just to kind of understand the differences, the ins and outs,” he says, “but it was also largely just being tossed in and sinking or swimming. That taught me to really listen. I would just listen, observe the meetings going on, then slowly start to adapt to their approach.
“Also, you have to actually hear what people are telling you. Listening is great, and important, but 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,” adds Morwald.
“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 smart people 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.”
It’s an exciting time for both Morwald and the company, as the real estate space continually transforms with new proptech, new ideas and new services.
“What gets me up every day is having something exciting to work on and having good people to work around,” he says. “That’s why I liked consulting. You see the results and the benefits. That’s also why I like Constellation1 so much. 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’re a growing company despite the size of the Constellation software. We’re entrepreneurial in nature, and the people here are incredibly smart.”
As we head toward the future, Morwald is looking forward to the challenges the company can take on that will excite him as a leader. “I always want to take on new challenges. That’s why I like this environment, because I have the freedom to do that. So what’s going to keep me here and what’s going to keep me excited is us taking on new initiatives, new projects, looking at different market segments and things like that.”
While knowing that the baby next spring will put a crimp in how many rounds of golf he can play, Morwald relates that a life balance is crucial to keep him powering forward.
“I try to look for hobbies and things like that,” he says. “Golf is one of them. Fishing is a big one as well. Because my days are so intense and stimulating, one of the things I always try to balance is taking any chance I can to get out on the lake and do nothing—especially up north at our cottage. That’s usually when I can gather my thoughts and come back refreshed, so that’s a big part of my balance and something I like to incorporate into my schedule.”
For more information, visit https://www.constellation1.com.
