Data Driven: Scott Moore of Cortland On How To Leverage Data To Take Your Company To The Next Level
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Absolutely. I started my career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) during a pivotal time in business and technology — right around the Y2K transition and the rise of the internet. That era was all about transformation: helping companies modernize their systems, rethink operations, and prepare for a digital future. I spent a decade of my career there, learning from some great leaders how to navigate complexity and drive change at scale.
But I’ve always had a passion for real estate, so I made a big pivot and left consulting, earned a master’s degree in real estate, and moved into multifamily development. That eventually led me to Cortland in 2011, where I joined as an investment manager. Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to the intersection of technology and real estate — how data, systems, and innovation could unlock new value in an industry that was just beginning to digitize.
In 2017, I stepped into the CTO role, and that’s where I’ve been focused ever since: building a technology platform that not only supports our operations but actually shapes the resident experience and drives our competitive advantage. It’s been a journey of continuous reinvention — both for me and for Cortland.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from that?
Fresh out of college, I made what I thought was a smart career move by accepting a job that seemed interesting on paper. The reality hit me when I found myself in a small town where I was quite possibly the youngest resident by a decade or two! Six weeks in, I was having dinner conversations with myself about retirement while still figuring out how to do my own laundry.
The experience taught me that sometimes the biggest risk isn’t taking a chance — it’s staying in the wrong situation too long. I made the difficult decision to leave after just six weeks, which felt both terrifying and embarrassing at the time but ultimately led me to really examine what I wanted from my career. That self-reflection guided me to Accenture, where I found the variety and challenge I was actually looking for.
Looking back, I get a good laugh about it. But the experience taught me something valuable: it’s better to acknowledge a mistake quickly and course-correct than to stick with a poor decision out of pride or fear. That mindset has served me well throughout my career — whether it’s pivoting on a project strategy or making the leap from consulting to real estate. Sometimes the best move is admitting when something isn’t working and having the courage to try again.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?
One of my colleagues recently shared something that stuck with me. He said that because of my role and Cortland’s tech-forward approach, I was in a unique position to see the finish line before the rest of the organization. He described how I was often under pressure to deliver quick fixes to day-to-day challenges, but instead remained focused on the long-term vision — even when it meant going against the grain.
That meant making some hard calls: choosing to invest in proprietary capabilities when off-the-shelf tools may have been easier, or holding the line on data strategy and governance when others understandably wanted faster results. It was a good reminder that leadership isn’t always about being the loudest voice in the room — it’s about guiding the team toward our goals, even when the path isn’t clear.
