As part of the NLA's Diverse Leaders Programme there was a meeting held over lunch on 8 December at the law firm Trowers & Hamlins LLP's offices in London.  

 

Leaders from all areas within the build environment sector were present including representatives from Women in Property, Real Estate Balance, Building People, Urbanist, BAME Planners Network, Future of London, BAME in property, London Borough of Lambeth, Civic Engineers, NLA, Fletcher Priest and Trowers & Hamlins. 

 

The discussion was primarily around collaboration on ED&I in the sector and the importance of convening representatives that can speak to the experience of diverse people in different roles and professions. These key areas for convening discussions drive coordinated actions "back at the ranch". It was encouraging to see shoots of collaboration elsewhere within the sector which is exemplified in the recent publication of the "Action Plan, Creating a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Built Environment Sector" (the Action Plan) published jointly by the CIOB, ICE, Landscape Institute, RICS, RTPI and convened with the help of the Greater London Authority. 

 

The Action Plan serves as a useful barometer for the appetite within the sector to drive understanding of some of the foundations of EDI and make some progress against 3 key objectives: Data (standardising member data collection), Pipeline (understanding the transition between education into employment) and Standards (raising the sector's standards of EDI knowledge, behaviours and practice). 

 

Attendees at the meeting shared the aims of the Action Plan around they key objectives and it was acknowledged that Diverse Leaders and organisations represented in the meeting could signpost to standard approaches and benchmarks established within the sector that may achieve some of the Action Plan's success criteria. Attendees were keen to reach out to the Action Plan signatories in order to seek a joined up approach to these objectives; harnessing existing resources, avoiding duplication and stretching the success criteria for the whole sector.