Real Estate Balance managing director Sue Brown sits down with Paddy Allen, chair of Pathways to Property and head of operational capital markets at Colliers, to understand more about the property sector’s diversity journey.
Sue Brown: Can you share some brief thoughts on where you think we are as an industry on D&I currently?
Paddy Allen: Where we are as an industry is much further forward than we probably think. But there is still a lot more to be done. I’m very keen that we don’t chastise ourselves about how terrible we are because I don’t think that’s helpful. But I also think it nullifies the effect of all the really good work that has been going on for the past 10 or 15 years in the sector. Getting more representation and inclusivity in any industry is generational change – it’s not going to happen overnight. If I look at what we have done through Pathways to Property and at Colliers and other businesses around the industry, I think we have made great strides. The number of young people coming in from different backgrounds is fantastic. The challenge for us now is to make sure that those young people we have nurtured stay in the industry – that they don’t feel like they are hitting a ceiling or that they don’t belong or are not represented.
Sue Brown: As chair of Pathways to Property, I know that enthusing the next generation of property professionals is a passion of yours. What more should the industry be doing to widen our talent pool?
Paddy Allen: What’s really important is thinking about the language we use, thinking about how we market ourselves and just getting more people out there to talk about what they do. What young people absolutely love is role models. They want to see people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same place as them. And we just need to build a bigger platform for more role models.
Sue Brown: Colliers is in a position of being able to influence suppliers and clients on the value of D&I, so what are you doing in the area of D&I and business relationships?
Paddy Allen: One of the small changes we have made in our pitches and our pitch decks is that we now include a slide on our values and what we mean by them, and we make sure we hold ourselves accountable. The way we grow the business is to make sure we focus in on the right people who share our values and to build deeper relationships. And I certainly think, with the way the markets are at the moment, deeper relationships are the ones that matter. It’s not just about having loads of people, it’s about having the right people, and being able to work together and influence that.
Sue Brown: We are on a long road in terms of diversifying our industry and making it truly inclusive for all. Do you have any suggestions about how we can speed up that journey?
Paddy Allen: Real change comes through strong leadership, strong conversations and consistency. My children look to me and my behaviours as to how they should act, and they look for a consistent approach. They don’t look at how I might do something one particular time. They look at whether I have done the same thing 100 times over. And it’s the same in business. Are we consistent in our behaviours? Do we do what we believe in, and are we standing up for our values? I also want to see more role models. I want to see more people feeling comfortable that they can talk about their journey, where they are from and who they are, because that’s the bit that makes the biggest impact on young people. It’s not the technical stuff, it’s meeting people and having conversations with people and thinking “you’re a bit like me” or “I like you and I’d like to be like you”. That’s the bit that matters. We need more people willing to put themselves out there to do that.
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