Join leading industry figures in signing the Diverse Leaders Pledge

Monday 25 October 2021

Join the Pledge

Join leading industry figures in signing the Diverse Leaders Pledge

A year on since NLA invited the built environment to sign the Diverse Leaders Pledge and commit to tackling chronic discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age and socio-economic background to create a strengthened, resilient and representative workforce – we take a deep dive into the pledge and update on the actions, collaborations and activities undertaken so far.

“Sign the Diverse Leaders Pledge. Inclusion needs to become part of the DNA of every organisation and it is only through talking, questioning and celebrating our differences and our similarities that we will start to achieve balance.”

Rachel Bell, Director, Stride Treglown and National Chair of Women in Property

Key Statistics

28 organisations signed
57% of signees are architecture practices
89% declare that all jobs will be publicly advertised where they are most likely to attract diversity of applicants
93% declare that they will commit to zero tolerance of harassment, bullying and discrimination of any kind

ACTIONS

The action each business takes will differ, but here are some examples from four pledge signees:

Cartwright Pickard

Appointed a Diversity Champion
Created an EDI Committee with representatives from each of their studios
Undertaken a diversity monitoring survey which they will be completing annually
Reviewed their Gender Pay Gap with a view to publishing this data soon
Added a diversity statement to all of their recruitment adverts and the careers area of their website
Added a flexible work statement to all of their recruitment adverts and the careers area of their website
Held an International Women’s Day lunchtime event
Organised a ‘takeover’ of their intranet homepage with useful links and resources throughout Mental Health Awareness Week

Deloitte

Removed the final-stage presentation element of Early Careers Recruitment for 2020/21, helping to level the playing field for candidates. This has had a positive impact on candidate success rates from Black and ethnic minority groups, as well as those from lower socio-economic backgrounds
Set up D&I group and D&I champions
Reverse mentoring programme – nearly 300 Black and ethnic minority colleagues have been paired with partners and directors to help leaders better understand the lived experiences of colleagues from minority ethnic backgrounds, in and out of the workplace
Emerging Leaders Programme – 166 participants from Black and ethnic minority background have been paired with sponsors to support their development and leadership journey
Introduced additional mandatory training for all employees covering race bias, micro-behaviours and inclusive language and communication
To demonstrate their commitment to the Diversity & Inclusion agenda to their clients, they have updated a clause in the Terms of Engagement, outlining expected joint commitments from clients with regards to Diversity, Respect and Inclusion
Published its ‘Building towards inclusion: Deloitte pay report 2021’ in September which sets out the gender and ethnicity pay gap as well as the Firm’s continued commitments to best practice and transparency

Lendlease

Set up new targets for representation of female and BAME employees at senior levels. The data is reported quarterly
Agreed an Exec sponsor for the Internal Culture Network Group
Launched ‘Boost’ – a personal development programme aimed specifically at employees from minority ethnic backgrounds
Launched ‘Conversations about’ sharing experience of underrepresented groups – topics have included Ramadan, language, and heritage
Reverse mentoring for the Construction Executive Leadership Team

Stitch

Set up a new charity, The London Neighbourhood Scholarship Trust (LNS), by Sally Lewis, Director of Stitch. The LNS vision is to promote a more socially aware and diverse built environment in London through investment in architectural education. Read more about the initiative and how to get involved
Read Sally Lewis’ ‘Five minutes with…’ interview with NLA

EVENT

Join the Diverse Leaders Networking Evening at Coal Drops Yard on Tuesday 9 November 2021, 6:00–8:00pm.

Book your place for free

RESOURCES AND INITIATIVES FROM OUR CO-SPONSORS

BAME in Property’s resources page includes a Race guide developed with London Property Alliance, as well as a report on the impact of planning policy on BAME households.Future of London’s Emerging Talent Programme is a tangible approach to improving the ethnic diversity within organisations working in housing, regeneration and development. Working collaboratively with public and private sector employers, Future of London are leading the recruitment of an entry-level cohort of talented individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds via a unique 21 month paid development programme with opportunity to experience three different London-based work placements.

View more resources

Join the Pledge