After six wonderful years, I’ll be stepping down as Managing Director of Real Estate Balance at the end of April.
Many of you will know that I’ve faced a number of health challenges over the past year. It feels like the right time to hand the baton to someone who can continue to drive this important work forward.
It’s hard to fully capture what we’ve achieved together over the last six years.
When I joined in April 2020, I felt strongly that the industry needed to move beyond simply replacing white middle-class men with white middle-class women. I was committed to broadening our focus to include ethnicity and social mobility alongside gender.
Today, Real Estate Balance has grown significantly. Our membership now includes 120 of the most influential organisations across the industry.
Thanks to your hard work, commitment, and the support of our Board and Executive team, issues such as inclusion, representation and belonging now have far greater visibility and engagement across the sector.
There is, of course, still more to do. Our surveys continue to show that the senior leadership gender gap remains a persistent challenge. Change will take time, and it will require continued commitment from organisations like ours.
What’s been most encouraging is seeing what’s possible when we work together. When we get behind a shared issue and have open, honest conversations about what’s working — and what’s not — we can go so much further.
That’s what Real Estate Balance is all about.
The result is a fairer, more inclusive industry — one that is safe and welcoming for people of all backgrounds, and one that also drives stronger commercial and financial performance at CEO level, alongside better outcomes for the communities we serve. In today’s world, that feels like something we can all be proud of.
It has been a genuine privilege to work with you over the last six years. Thank you for being part of this journey.
I’m pleased to say I won’t be stepping away completely. After a short break, I plan to stay closely involved with Real Estate Balance, particularly supporting new member growth, while I explore new opportunities in the sector.
The Board is well advanced in its succession planning and will be sharing an update shortly.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll continue to support Real Estate Balance under its new leadership, so together we can keep driving progress and being the change we want to see.
With very best wishes,
Sue Brown
Managing Director
Real Estate Balance
