COMMENT Across the property sector, and in wider society too, issues of diversity in all its forms are rightly receiving the attention they deserve. This isn’t the first time that these critical issues have garnered attention over my 30-plus-year career. However, far too often we have witnessed well-meaning actions fade away as quickly as they came to the fore. We must do better, and the time is now.
From the deeply personal and challenging conversations I have had within my own organisation in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to the debate ignited by the report earlier this year from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities and the condemnation that followed the racial abuse directed at England’s footballers this summer, these hugely significant public moments have brought into stark relief the discrimination and structural inequality that sadly still exists in our society.
As this conference season demonstrates, in the housing and property sector alone there is no shortage of panels, roundtables and keynote speeches about equality, diversity and inclusion.
Yet, as the results of EG’s second annual Race Diversity in Real Estate survey show, despite all this attention there is so much more that must be done to make the vital change that is needed. For me, that starts with ensuring the foundations we are building from are sound.
With more than eight in 10 respondents feeling that racism was an issue in the real estate sector and three-quarters having experienced racism themselves, it’s clear that there is a serious problem.
What’s even more concerning is that the results of the survey show that, on a number of measures, things are actually going in the wrong direction. Results showing that a growing proportion of respondents believe not only that the sector has a problem retaining minority ethnic professionals but that the sector is not genuinely trying to increase representation either are deeply troubling.
These findings are all the more sobering, and depressing, as they come at a time when I and many other senior leaders in the housing and property sectors have seen just how valuable diversity has been in getting us through the past 18 months of the pandemic.
Lived experience
I lead a housing association responsible for more than 58,000 homes and chair the G15, which brings together London’s largest housing associations that collectively provide more than 650,000 homes across the country.
The scale of what we do means we are part of diverse communities up and down the country. As lockdown was introduced last year, the connections we have built with our residents and local communities were so important in making sure people received the support they needed quickly. I firmly believe that our response was more effective because many of my colleagues share a lived experience with the people and communities we work with.
What I’ve seen first-hand is how we make infinitely better decisions when we reflect the communities we serve at all levels. When our residents and colleagues see themselves represented through the different levels of the organisation it builds trust, changes conversations and empowers people to seek change.
We know that minority ethnic colleagues or those from low-income backgrounds, in the sector and beyond, are too often under-represented in senior leadership positions. That’s why we must go beyond box-ticking exercises to address this. To build on this, the G15 group of housing associations are pleased to be founding partners of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Firm Foundations campaign. This initiative has the potential to transform the life chances of thousands of young Londoners from diverse socio-economic and multi-ethnic backgrounds, creating a stronger and more inclusive built environment in the process.
It is collaborative, action-focused and open to any and all companies in the industry looking to step up. Firm Foundations will creative instant impact by getting 100 companies to commit to new action and working with industry leaders on a new, long-term programme for young people.
Our pledge, as G15, is to convene organisations that build more than 120,000 homes in the next decade to open new avenues into careers for young people.
I urge you to sign up too. If we are serious about breaking the glass ceiling that holds people back, we have to start by building firm foundations. Not next week, not tomorrow, but now. Now is the time to make sure the discussion we’ve all had is backed up with action. Join us.
Geeta Nanda is chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and chair of London’s G15 group
