With International Women’s Day shining a spotlight on gender issues around the world, the UK property industry is again shifting uncomfortably in its seat. Long-standing disparities are being addressed, but progression is happening at a glacial pace, and women in property remain a minority.

The industry wants change. According to a recent survey by Real Estate Balance, 80% of employees believe that company action to address gender issues is important to their job satisfaction – and over three-quarters of men also see it as a priority.

Despite this, it is thought that women make up just 30% of senior leadership roles in property and 42% in middle management roles – both of which are down from 2017 (Diversity in Real Estate Survey 2019).

Celebrating women’s achievements in the industry, PrimeResi profiles twelve leaders and teams pushing the boundaries and changing the game:

The entrepreneurs

Olga is a chartered surveyor and WELL Building Standard Accredited Professional, and is one of the first people in the UK to become a WELL Faculty member. She advises both developers and private clients on how to build/renovate to the WELL Building Standard and how to make healthy changes to homes.

The former Savills and CBRE consultant was named as one of EG’s rising stars of the year in 2016, and was listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 rundown last year (in the Manufacturing and Industry category). Turner Baker’s latest venture, AirRated, is a first of its kind for testing indoor air quality within residential homes.

The above is an extract from the original which was published by Prime Resi in March 2020. The full article can be found online here.