Monique Royle’s appointment as national chairman of the Association of Women in Property for 2011/12 last month crowned a steady rise through the 1,000-strong organisation she joined in 2004.
It is clear just how important being a member of WiP has been for Royle, a former chairman of the Midlands branch. When asked whether it helped with her career, she gives an emphatic yes. “Absolutely, [WiP] has got me to where I am now. Without it, I wouldn’t have met the people I have. Having meetings, going to dinners and awards ceremonies was and is a great way to open doors.”
Royle is an associate director in the national hotels and leisure team at GVA, and her appointment at the start of last month came just days after Lord Davies of Abersoch said UK listed companies in the FTSE 100 should be aiming for a minimum female board member representation of 25% by 2015.
In his independent review, Women on Boards, published at the end of February, Abersoch recommended to the government that FTSE 350 companies should be setting their own, challenging targets and expects that many will achieve a much higher figure than this minimum.
As a dedicated and loyal member of WiP, established in 1987, this is something that Royle would perhaps have been expected to welcome. But, it is not.
Level playing field
Royle believes that women should progress in their career as a result of a level playing field, rather than because of special treatment. “Our debate, as a ‘Women’s’ group is not about demanding the presence of women at all costs, or aiming for equality in numbers, for numbers’ sake. Instead, we support diversity, because diversity makes for a better team.”
However, Royle, who started her career in Birmingham with Burton Knowles in 2004, before joining GVA four years ago, admits that women sometimes need a helping hand in areas where she believes men perform better.
“I don’t want to be stereotypical, but sometimes women aren’t good at networking. Men will go to the pub, or to the golf course, but women tend to have other agendas, other things going on. This is why WiP does structured events – and we try to keep them to an hour-and-a-half so that everyone can get the best out of them, but still be able to have their family life.”
Goals
Royle has several goals for her 12-month tenure. Key among them is encouraging new entrants, not only to the WiP, but to the entire industry. This is being done through school and university visits, and through mentoring schemes.
She says: “We want to get right in there at the beginning of someone’s career: we want to tell people about what they can get out of a career in property. And we are trying to encourage business and universities to speak to each other.”
Promoting the industry to women is also key for the RICS. At present, 12% of the RICS’ qualified members are female; however, its percentage of female student members sits at 27%.
Liz MacKenzie, key account manager at the RICS, says the organisation’s schemes to raise this number are “bearing fruit now because of the number of students members joining us”.
The RICS has been working with schools to educate students, working with the government and on schemes such as the Social Mobility Foundation and Professions for Good.
“These [initiatives] are all a benefit to the industry as it’s important for us to attract that best talent and fish from the best pool. And, of course, we are a global organisation, which is appealing to graduates as it is seen as a passport to going abroad. And while we have come on a long way, there is obviously still some way to go and we want to make [property] attractive to all people, [male and female].”
For Royle, this is what the Association of Women in Property is all about. “From the day people join they get involved with events that are beneficial to their careers. Time will always be an issue for people, but you only get out what you put in. The WiP is not just for people to help their companies, it’s also for their career and it is for their future. Networking is also about friendships and relationships and that only comes with time.”
