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Sign upInternational Women's Day 2023
News / 08.03.2023
We are thankful and proud to have brilliant women all across the membership of REB, and we look forward to sharing the insights and amplifying the initiatives they have actioned to mark International Women's Day 2023.
In the meantime, here are some of the ways Team REB marked the occasion in partnership with our members...
D&I breakfast event at Gerald Eve
Sue, Bisi and Christopher joined D&I practitioners from many of our members for a breakfast event to share the results of our survey and plan the launch of a network for professionals championing D&I in their workplaces.
Thank you to everyone who attended and to Gerald Eve and Melanie Folkes-Meyers for hosting and introducing such a great event. Watch this space for more information on the network!
NextGen on Crestbridge's podcast for IWD
REB NextGenners Sophie Ogbonda-Jardine from Vertus, Kevin Boakye from Hines and Paras Maalde from Brookfield Properties joined Stephanie Workman at Crestbridge on the special edition of the Real Assets, Real Expertise podcast for International Women’s Day.
The episode explores this year’s theme, 'Embrace Equity', and discusses the importance of allyship, communication and transparency in the push for gender equity.
Listen to the episode here.
IWD panel discussion at Grainger
Sue was delighted to be part of an inspirational conversation this morning with Gurinder Punia, Fatma Azakli, Katherine Stephens, Leesa Ingham and Rodica Damian from Grainger PLC.
The discussion was chaired by Fiona McDonald and covered topics including this year's IWD theme, personal and professional stories from the participants on finding their way within the industry, the events which have shaped who they are, their proudest achievements and what empowers them.
More than 100 people joined the call to listen to the discussion.
Karen chairing a panel at the ALM Law conference
Bird & Bird Real Estate partner Karen Friebe, who is also one REB's co-founders, the chair of our Data Working Group and the vice-chair of our Policy and Campaigns Committee, chaired a panel at the ALM Law conference on "Women, Influence and Power in Law UK" on IWD.
The panel was called Overcoming Their Fear of Failure: Gaining Trust and Encouraging Curiosity to Drive Creative Solutions. The panellists were Robyn Sandilands, Head of Legal at The Pets at Home Group plc; Caroline O'Connor, Group General Counsel at Tractable Ltd; and Anna Butler, Group General Counsel at Long Harbour Ltd.
The panellists discussed how the most creative and innovative solutions are usually developed in cultures that breed confidence and trust and empower teams to not be afraid of failure. They also talked about their roles as influencers and solution drivers within their organisations, and gave their insights into how best to generate the curiosity and creativity that will lead to a company’s growth. Another key topic of discussion was the tools and processes the panellists had introduced to help foster new, positive ways of thinking.
It was inspiring to be in a room with a large number of supportive women who gradually opened up and raised their own questions and observations about matters of concern to them. Many were young women worrying about how they can “ succeed” in their careers whilst trying to balance work and home life -the main issue seeming to be the expectations of their bosses that work life must take precedence.
Karen Friebe
Advancing inclusion for women surveyors at RICS
Bisi, Josie and Sue were proud to be at the IWD event at RICS HQ, where we had a stand and Sue presented the results of our industry D&I survey to attendees.
The event also included many other speakers, including from REB members, who discussed recurring challenges for women as a result of gender discrimination, misconceptions, biases and inequities, and also the value of active and engaged allies.
Discussion between Sue and Clifford Chance's Riaz Pirmohamed
Sue and Riaz sat down for a conversation to mark IWD and Sue shared some of her early work experiences and explained how we can all make a difference to women in the workplace. They also talked about how important it is for real estate companies to offer opportunities to young people from underrepresented backgrounds and support their progression through mentoring.
Watch the video of their discussion here.
IWD roundtable on 'equality vs equity' with London Property Alliance
Sue also chaired an insightful roundtable organised by the London Property Alliance (WPA and CPA) at Grosvenor.
Participants from across the built environment, including from REB members Gerald Eve, Howard De Walden Estates and Grosvenor, shared experiences of equality and equity and explored similarities, differences and approaches from both a personal and company-wide perspective when tackling workplace disparities for women and men.
Thank you to Rosie Day and Alice Dale at London Property Alliance for inviting us to be part of such a fantastic conversation.