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Sign upReal Estate Balance at MIPIM 2023
News / 24.03.2023
The Real Estate Balance team is now back from MIPIM and what an inspiring event it was.
Having worked closely with MIPIM’s organisers, RX Global, to improve diversity and inclusion across the conference programme this year, we were thrilled to see more events and conversations taking place than ever before on these issues which are so fundamental to the future of our industry.
None of the incredible events and interactions would have been possible without the support of our members, so we'd like to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank you for the fantastic job you did at MIPIM to promote D&I in UK real estate and beyond. We were proud to represent such an engaging and inspiring group of professionals who showcased just how much is possible when D&I is treated as a strategic priority.
We’d like to give a special mention to all the people and organisations that helped make MIPIM 2023 as vibrant, rich and diverse as it was and we’ve included a summary of all the action below.
We’ve also put together a Members Directory of everyone who was at MIPIM this year and are happy for their name to be shared: We encourage you to reach out, connect with each other on LinkedIn and keep those important conversations going.
On Tuesday 14 March, Sue was delighted to be in conversation with the brilliant Paddy Allen, Head of Operational Capital Markets at Colliers and Chair of Pathways to Property, at the D&I spotlight session at the EG Pavilion. Paddy and I discussed where the real estate industry currently stands on D&I, what Colliers is doing to attract and retain diverse talent, and how our industry can work together to make long-term, sustainable change.
In the evening, Clyde & Co and Real Estate Balance co-hosted the EG Pavilion’s Opening Reception, with an introduction from Clyde & Co Partners Annabelle Redman, Will Deeprose and Sue which covered ways of widening access, increasing opportunities for women to progress from middle management to senior leadership, and developing inclusive cultures in a hybrid world of work.
On Wednesday 15 March, at MIPIM’s main D&I event, we brought together a range of inspiring industry speakers to share their vision for D&I in real estate. Stephanie Hyde, CEO of JLL UK, was joined by Bertrand Sannier, Global Head of HR at BNP Paribas Real Estate, in a fireside chat, while Carolyn Milligan, Senior Associate at Herbert Smith Freehills and Co-Chair of REB’s NextGen Committee, spoke about the importance of shared parental leave, highlighting our Returning to Work Parents Network.
On Thursday 16 March, we were pleased to partner with Norton Rose Fulbright and co-host a networking breakfast focused on progressing D&I in UK real estate. Sue presented the results of our recent DEI survey, and invited guests to put their heads together on the most important issues facing the industry today.
And at an EG Breakfast Briefing, Real Estate Balance NextGen Committee member, Paul Modu, Associate Partner at Knight Frank, discussed ‘Why effective leadership is key to creating truly inclusive real estate’ and shared the results of our survey in a conversation chaired by Samantha McClary with co-panellists Barbara Cominelli, Roland Karthaus, Melanie Leech and Valerie Vaughan-Dick MBE.
Member events at MIPIM 2023
Member events
On Monday 13 March, as part of MIPIM’s Co-Liv Summit, Luca Bovone, CEO of Habyt, gave a thought-provoking presentation on the current coliving landscape and the future of this growing industry trend.
On Tuesday 14 March, Norton Rose Fulbright hosted the MIPIM 2023 Ladies Afternoon Tea, providing an opportunity for women real estate professionals to come together and discuss ways to improve our industry’s gender balance.
On Wednesday 15 March, Maples Teesdale LLP hosted a DEI networking breakfast exploring different approaches to increasing representation around gender, ethnicity and social mobility in our industry. CREW also held a networking breakfast for global women in CRE and CMS hosted a networking evening.
We would like to end by thanking everyone who took the time to recognise the role that Real Estate Balance played in making MIPIM 2023 more inclusive and gave us a shout out on LinkedIn. Your support really means a lot to us, and by telling others about our work and inviting them to join in, you help us to increase our impact, open a path for underrepresented groups and improve inclusion in our industry.
One notable highlight was the thoughtful post by Taslima Salam, Partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, which contains advice for those from minority groups who may shy away from events like MIPIM for fear of being uncomfortable in an environment they don’t think they belong in.
As Taslima rightly points out, it’s up to all of us working in real estate to ensure that people of all backgrounds feel seen, safe and included. If you need some support in this, our Toolkit and Events are a good place to start.