The REWIRE podcast: Recent Episodes
EG
In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary speaks to experts from JLL, Savills, Oxford Properties, Octopus Real Estate and Taylor Wessing to talk about what good needs to look like in the industry if it is really to deliver a working environment for everyone.
Listen in as they talk about the need to challenge and be challenged, the overwhelming importance of collaboration to bring about real change and why empowering people to call out and to be called out yourself is vital as we move towards a more equal and inclusive sector.
The podcast has been recorded as part of EG Future Leaders programme, which seeks to uncover the fresh talent in the industry and support them on their journey of showcasing the career opportunities available for all in the sector.
Find out more about the programme and its previous iterations at https://www.egi.co.uk/futureleaders/
Returning to work and making it rain
In the latest EG Property Podcast, focused on talent, EG editor Samantha McClary talks with Lisa Unwin and Deb Khan, two women who have made a career of promoting and empowering other women.
This discussion wide-ranging discussion looks at why women are more likely to leave their professions, why that is happening more now, what that lack of talent means for an industry and how we make sure it comes back.
It also investigates the value of older, more experienced people in your business, taking a career break when you are still reasonably new to your career and why more women need to talk about their business acumen and they add real value (aka income) to business.
This episode is the second in a new series focused on talent in the real estate sector. If you have a story of your own journey back into the workforce to share or a burning topic you’d like to hear discussed, e-mail Samantha.McClary@egi.co.uk
In this episode of the EG Property Podcast EG editor Samantha McClary is talking with industry consultant Jane Hollinshead about talent in a Covid world, about the power of the pivot and about how the industry needs to get better at enabling more movement within the sector instead of out of it.
They also talk about how the Covid environment runs the risk of undoing all of the good work the sector has done on D&I and Jane shares her tip on how to make the jump from safety to fulfilment.
The episode is the first in a new series focused on talent in the real estate sector. If you have a story of your own pivoting journey to share or a burning topic you'd like to hear discussed, email Sam at samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees is intent on fixing the inequality problem in his city. He sees being mayor as an expression of a deeper commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive world. A commitment that is a product of the circumstances of his birth.
“My mum had me in 1972, unmarried,” says Rees in this interview with EG editor Samantha McClary. “I use this description. It’s a bit brutal, but she was an unmarried white woman, not much money, with a brown baby on the way.”
Rees spent some of his early years living in a refuge and watched as his mother, a “sub-working-class woman with a brown baby” was disrespected by those around her.
“That burned into me,” says Rees. “Since then I’ve always had a sense of concern for people I thought were being left behind or being mistreated. That has been a sense of burden I have carried and wanted to do something about.”
And while Rees knows there is still much to be done in Bristol to fix its inequalities, he has not let that burden of responsibility sit too heavily on him while in office. He has sought to find ways to ease that burden, including creating the Bristol Equality Charter and the Stepping Up programme. He is also lending his support to EG’s Future Leaders project.
Listen in to find out more about why a focus on diversity and inclusion is vital for our cities to thrive.
Back in early 2019 EG gathered its first cohort of Future Female Leaders, a collection of 12 women from across the built environment who would undergo an intense public speaking course and then stand up in front of hundreds of property professions and tell their stories, with no notes and no slidedeck.
But the experience wasn’t just about becoming a powerful public speaker. It was about learning to use your voice, it was about finding out more about yourself, about your value and about exactly what it was that you were passionate about. It was about creating future leaders. A group of 12 that knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it.
In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary, asks two of the original FFLs - Knight Frank's Kathryn Cripps and Savills IM's Emily Hamilton - about their recent career moves and what advice they would give to anyone thinking about taking a new big step in an uncertain world.
This podcast was recorded over Teams so while the quality of advice shared is top notch, the sound quality is not quite studio quality.
Results from EG's first survey looking into the race and racism in real estate are shocking but sadly not surprising. The industry is overwhelmingly white. But it is also, according to the survey, overwhelming failing to take action.
In this podcast EG editor Samantha McClary and reporter Lucy Alderson speak with Bola Abisogun, founder of DiverseCity Surveyors, Ghislaine Halpenny, director of strategy and external affairs at the British Property Federation and Chris Ireland, UK chief executive, about what the result mean and, most importantly, how they have to spur the industry and all of us into making a change.
Click here to read the survey in full
In this episode of EG’s REWIRE podcast host, EG editor Samantha McClary speaks with the final trio of Future Female Leaders – Lucy Whitfield from Cluttons, Nicola Wood from Grosvenor and Katie Jacobson from DLA Piper - about creating a future vision of real estate as a sector in which people can be proud to work and a sector in which all voices are not just heard, but listened to.
They talk about the importance of being seen and being able to communicate powerfully from a far and about whether the way we present ourselves physically – through body language and what we wear – is shifting as a result of the change in communication that Covid-19 has brought about.
This conversation – if you listen carefully – also features a vocal cat. Which is either one of the highlights of recording a podcast over Teams, or one of its shortcomings. So apologies, for that and any other audio issues there may be with this recording, which might not be quite up to the standard you have come to expect from an EG audio production.
The quality of the conversation, however, is always, top notch.
In this episode of EG’s REWIRE podcast, your host, EG editor Samantha McClary, sits down, virtually of course with three more of the businesses that are supporting the second cohort of women through the Future Female Leaders programme.
- Sian Tunney, head of the leisure division at Savills,
- William Nawnton, head of real estate at DLA Piper
- Angela Hughes, HR director at Cluttons.
In this episode they talk about how development of people is particularly important during a crisis, why leadership has never been more vital skill and how they as established leaders are learning new skills during lockdown .
They also look at how virtual working is enabling the junior members of teams to showcase their skills more and how this will, hopefully, leader to a deeper pool of future leaders in the real estate environment.
This podcast was recorded over Teams so the sound quality may not be as high as you’ve come to expect from an EG production, the quality of the content, however, will be.
In this episode of EG’s REWIRE podcast host Samantha McClary talks to leaders from three of the companies supporting women throughout the Future Female Leaders programme.
William Beardmore-Gray, global head of occupier services and commercial agency at Knight Frank, Michael Neal, chief investment officer Europe and Asia Pacific at Nuveen Real Estate and Jo Weston, operations director at Willmott Dixon Interiors, talk about the importance of visible and inspirational leaders at every level, the importance of investing in future talent whatever the economic environment and how businesses should and are leading their teams through the coronavirus pandemic.
So listen in from some lessons from the top about leadership, communication and workforce development.
This podcast was recorded over Teams and at times the audio quality is not quite crystal clear. But, as always, while we can’t promise you that the sound quality will be as high as you’ve come to expect, we can promise that the content quality will be.
In this episode of the REWIRE podcast EG editor Sam McClary talks to our second trio of Future Female Leaders from series two the EG Future Leaders project about how the challenges of lockdown are providing inspiration around how to be a real and true future leader, what we are learning from being stuck inside with family and how each are managing to undertake the Future Female Leaders training in a virtual world.
Listen in for key takeaways from
- Sarah Bissessar, senior estimator at Willmott Dixon Interiors
- Laura Mackay, associate director in development at Savills
- Suzan Ucmaklioglu, architect at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
This podcast was recorded via teams so while the audio quality may not be up to the of a pre-Covid EG podcast production, content quality most definitely will be.
In this first episode in a series of podcasts where we will get to find out more about our second cohort of Future Female Leaders, EG editor Samantha McClary meets Zoe Sharpe from Dandara, Amanda Lim from Knight Frank and Natasha Trathen from Nuveen Real Estate.
The trio share their views on how they are operating in lockdown, what they have learnt so far from the the Future Female Leaders programme and how they are planning to use their experiences to deliver their standout Ted-style talks when the Future Female Leaders finale comes round.
"We're lean, we're hungry, we're young. We've a lot to prove." Meet Lesley Davison, the newly installed chief investment officer at Seaforth Land. In this episode of the REWIRE podcast we talk about how Seaforth boss Tyler Goodwin's search for the right "man" for the job had to be a woman, how Lesley has hit the ground running, getting a major investment deal over the line just nine weeks into the job and how Seaforth believes it's different approach is making it an attractive partner.
This episode of the REWIRE podcast celebrates International Men's Day with news that Cushman & Wakefield has trebled its paternity package from two to six weeks. Joining host Samantha McClary in the studio this week is Leng Montgomery, head of diversity and inclusion at Cushman & Wakefield, to talk about why the new package is being implemented, why it is open to all types of parents and why work policies like this deliver more than just a package of rights.
We don't need to work harder, we should work harder - the power to change is ours, says Rachel Dickie, investment manager with responsibility for urban regeneration at Legal & General Capital, in this latest episode of the REWIRE podcast. In this episode, host Samantha McClary tackles diversity from a different angle. Not only will you hear about Rachel's journey into real estate and how she feels about being a role model for tomorrow's leaders, but you'll also learn about sci-tech as an investment class and the diversity that that brings to the L&G portfolio, the importance of investing in a sector that will bring a diverse range of skilled jobs to the region regions, and much, much more.
In this Future Female Leaders podcast we look at how some of our partner organisations are changing their organisations through a new approach to career development. When it comes to embedding a flexible working culture, why is it important that leaders “leave loudly”? Are recruitment practices changing to ensure more diverse hiring? And what should you do in an advisory role when clients expectations lag? Answering these and other questions are: William Beardmore-Gray, global head of occupier services and commercial agency at Knight Frank Becca Johansson, head of operations for real estate at DLA Piper Sarah Turner, head of organisational effectiveness at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland EG editor-in-chief Damian Wild hosts.
In this EG Future Leaders podcast we meet three of the businesses that have been supporting the programme to find out more about how they are working to change culture within the real estate sector. Listen in to find out more about how flexibility, inclusivity and empowerment are key in attracting and retaining talent. Sharing their thoughts are: Leanne Baird, head of marketing at BW Dave Beddell, director of strategy & growth, civil infrastructure for UK & Ireland at Aecom Alisha Morris, HR business partner at Cluttons EG editor Samantha McClary hosts.
In this episode of the REWIRE podcast, we meet the final trio of our Future Female Leaders to find out what they have learnt during the programme, how they are feeling about the big final event on 8 October and what they plan to do with their skills once the learning part of this programme comes to an end. Listen in as EG editor Samantha McClary catches up with Sandeep Dhillon, principal surveyor at the Cabinet Office, Helen Davis, director at Arup, and Rossella Nicolin, associate director at Aecom, in the hope of picking up some tips and advice on how not to let the side down with her own public performance at the Future Female Leaders finale. To find out more about the Future Female Leaders programme visit www.egi.co.uk/futurefemaleleaders
In this episode of the REWIRE podcast, Real Estate Balance managing director Kaela Fenn Smith talks to host Samantha McClary about boys and the role that men have to play in the current gender debate. They talk about the true nature of inclusiveness and how diversity needs to create a positive and safe place for all people in business. Listen in to find out more about how to bring real inclusiveness to your business, how to create a balanced workplace for all and much, much more.
In this episode of the EG REWIRE podcast, host Samantha McClary meets Jessica Bowles, director of strategy at Manchester-based regional developer Bruntwood, to talk pay gaps, purpose and why real estate is more than just bricks and mortar. Listen in to find out how Bruntwood managed to take its gender pay gap from 16% to 10% over the space of a year, why the firm is committed to delivering on its purpose, what role diversity has, in its many forms, on delivering for the business and much, much more.
EG talent reporter Lucy Alderson hosts the third in our series of special live broadcast REWIRE podcasts, featuring EG’s Future Female Leaders. In this episode we meet Helen Lowe, business development director at BW, Emily Hamilton – senior sustainability manager at Grosvenor, and Alanna Hasek, senior associate in the real estate team at DLA Piper and find out what they’ve learnt from Future Female Leaders programme so far, and share their top tips on what it means to be an inspiration future leader. To find out more about the very special Future Female Leaders programme and to secure your place at what is set to be an evening of inspiration on 8 October when our Future Leaders deliver their stories, visit www.egi.co.uk/futurefemaleleaders And if you want to watch as well as listen to this podcast, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6570310842984865793
EG editor Samantha McClary and Lucy Alderson co-host the second in our series of special live broadcast REWIRE podcast featuring EG Future Female Leaders. In this podcast we meet Eva Kiivit, regional operations manager at Greystar, Manreet Randhawa, senior portfolio manager at Nuveen, and Victoria Ireland, partner in residential consultancy at Cluttons and talk about the programme so far, what they've learnt, the most difficult thing they've had to do to step outside their comfort zones and how the simple act of just talking to peers can help you see you've got a valid and interesting story to tell. To find out more about the very special Future Female Leaders programme and to secure your place at what is set to be an evening of inspiration on 8 October when our Future Leaders deliver their stories, visit www.egi.co.uk/futurefemaleleaders And if you want to watch as well as listen to this podcast, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6569948293420449792
EG editor and REWIRE host Samantha McClary launches the first in a series of live broadcast podcasts with the women from EG's Future Female Leaders programme. A programme which brings together a dozen women from across the built environment to put them through a very special public speaking training course, culminating in a live TedX style presentation on 8 October. In this episode we meet Anna Parry, projects director at Hayes Davison, Hana Hassan, senior project surveyor at Willmott Dixon and Kathryn Cripps, partner in London leasing at Knight Frank and talk industry perceptions, becoming a role model, what they have learnt so far through their training sessions, their biggest challenges, any eureka moments and what it’s been like being in programme with a group of women wanting to speak up and stand out. To find out more about the very special Future Female Leaders programme and to secure your place at what is set to be an evening of inspiration on 8 October when our Future Leaders deliver their stories, visit www.egi.co.uk/futurefemaleleaders And if you want to watch as well as listen to this podcast, visit:https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6569597504055324672
On this week’s episode of the REWIRE podcast host Samantha McClary is joined by four women who sit on Savills’ UK board: Sian Tunney - a director in the licensed leisure team and sits on the board with responsibility for the wider leisure division Jane Cronwright-Brown - national head of residential lettings and sits on a number of Savills boards, including lettings operations, UK residential operations and the UK residential strategy board Katrina Mackay - head of client services in the property management division; and Nina Coulter – a director in the residential development sales business who specialises in London development. Over the course of the conversation the women talk about the evolution of the Savills UK leadership board to one that is more representative of the workforce, how that has opened up new discussions and more flexible working practices within the business, and made it easier to both attract and retain talent. The quartet also reveal what advice they would give to their younger selves to make sure the capitalise on the opportunities that inevitably come our way.
In this latest episode of EG’s REWIRE podcast, host Samantha McClary talks with Virginia Clegg, senior partner at DAC Beachcroft, Valeria Segovia, principal and design director at Gensler, Louise Kennison, head of people development and engagement at Swan Housing Group and Matt Reed, head of retail asset management at British Land about how business needs to be flexible and inclusive if it is to deliver the new work order. We talk about making workplaces functional for the wide range of workers and working attitudes that are now prevalent, how to create places that help rather than hinder returners to work and much much more.
Fear, failure, fairness, feedback and fun: The five vital elements that can either make or break an individual’s ability and willingness to speak in public. In this podcast, recorded live at the London Real Estate Forum, we gather five women involved in EG’s Future Female Leaders programme to find out how all of us can face the fear and do it anyway, perhaps even having a little fund along the way. Listen in for invaluable advice and insight from Katie Whipp, head of client development, Cluttons Monique Sutherland, UK head of development, DLA Piper Thomasin Renshaw, director of development, Grosvenor Catherine Schaefer, head of human resources, Nuveen Sarah Lloyd-Hughes, founder, Ginger Public Speaking Hosted by EG editor Samantha McClary
In this very special episode of the REWIRE podcast, host Samantha McClary meets Sarah Lloyd-Hughes, the founder of Ginger Public Speaking to talk about an epic new programme EG is launching with Ginger to deliver this industry's future female leaders. The Future Female Leader's programme is a four month public speaking course, delivered by Ginger's experts, that with partners Nuveen, Knight Frank, Cluttons and Arup, offers 12 women from across the industry a unique opportunity to be part of an amazing learning experience. Listen in to find out more and make sure to pick up your copy of EG this weekend for full details.
Antonia Belcher's story is not unheard. She transitioned years ago, with a positive story. With a loving family and supportive work colleagues and, indeed, a booming business. But transitions don't always go the same way as Antonia's. And she knows that. In this podcast Antonia talks to REWIRE host Samantha McClary about the Antonia & Andrea Belcher Trans Fund, a fund Antonia set up with her wife last year to support trans activism around the world. Through the fund, Antonia wants to support trans charities - charities which currently receive little or no funds - to enable trans people around the world to live their lives freely, to be unafraid to be who they really are. Listen in to find out about Antonia's journey and why she needs you to help her make a difference.
Hello and welcome to the lastest REWIRE podcast, a podcast that aims to REWIRE the real estate one story at a time. A podcast that discusses all things diversity and inclusion, from gender, ethnicity, background and sexuality to the diversity of roles there are in the industry, the diverse skills sets required and the need for diverse and inclusive thinking. In this episode host Samantha McClary talks to Christine Battist, chief financial officer of Avison Young, the Canadian real estate adviser that recently bought GVA and has ambitious expansion plans. Listen in for an insight into the diversity and inclusion agenda over the pond and into Avison Young’s focus on establishing and growing a more diverse workforce within its own business.And hear more from Christine, who admits that she has always been a leader, from the playground to today, about the power of sponsors, the power of paying it forward and utilising the power of awareness.
In this episode of the REWIRE podcast we talk to James Mitchell from Axiom Architects. Fresh from publishing fresh designs for the Palace of Westminster, which Axiom pondered could stop the deadlock on Brexit, we talk to James about the role that architecture and design has in developing buildings and communities that encourage collaboration, diversity and inclusion. We ask whether some of the world's most historic buildings, including the Vatican, are still fit for purpose to today's environment or whether the traditional "parliaments of power" need to be replaced with new, more inclusive, designs. Listen in for an entirely different view on diversity and how we need to rewire the real estate industry.
Real Estate Balance is on a mission. It wants to balance this industry. It wants women to play just as important as a role in it as men. And to do that it needs men to be involved in the discussion. It needs the men that currently sat at the top of many of the business in this industry, to lean in. To really understand. And Real Estate Balance has got a not-so-secret weapon to help it on its journey to achieve that: former head of commercial at LandSec, Kaela Fenn-Smith is smart, charming, dedicated and unafraid to tell it how it is. Which makes her the perfect managing partner to sit along Real Estate Balance chair Vivienne King. The pair caught up with EG, to discuss just how Real Estate Balance is focused on action, on providing the tools and inspiring confidence for all businesses across the real estate universe to level the sector.
In this episode of the EG REWIRE podcast we speak to half of the senior executive team of community shopping centre investor Ellandi - the female half. The company is taking diversity and inclusion seriously. It believes that without a diverse and inclusive team - that one that isn't just gender diverse - it cannot deliver the best in class service it wants to deliver to its customers. The shopping centres it manages operate in diverse communities and as such, the team has to fully understand what makes those communities tick. In this podcast we talk about how diversity is more than just gender, take a look at how disability plays a big role in the D&I agenda, and how communication, understanding and perhaps just being a little bit nicer (trite as it may sound), is key in creating a more balanced built environment. Listen in to hear from: Alysoun Stewart - chief operating officer Julie Pears - head of future places Stephanie Brew - head of finance Isabelle Hease - head of research and analytics Ruth Moorhouse - asset manager
In this episode of the EG REWIRE podcast we talk to entrepreneur and founder of marketing agency Man Bites Dog Claire Mason about her campaign to close the Gender Say Gap. We talk about to make women more visible and audible in the world of property, about the power of preparation, conquering fear and how authenticity is the best weapon you may have in your public speaking arsenal. And we dare the industry has a whole to just audit their gender say gap alongside their gender pay gap this year to help to start the journey to close it. Find out more about REWIRE and EG's own pledges to help close the Gender Say Gap at www.egi.co.uk/rewire
When it comes to work/life balance Kate Vine, principal at architect Perkins + Will, seems to have it sussed. Not only does Vine have a team of boys to manage at home but she is also a woman tasked with changing - or some might rewiring - the way developers think about the role of architects in the built environment. Here she talks to The REWIRE Podcast host, Samantha McClary, about her route into the built environment, the changing role of architecture and how the realisation that perfection is not the solution has enabled her to have it all.
In this episode of the REWIRE podcast, host Samantha McClary is joined by Sherin Aminossehe, former head of the Government Property Unit and now head of offices at Lendlease, former PR supremo and now executive director of planning and development at London First, Sue Brown, and Amanda Clack, former RICS president and now head of strategic consulting in the UK at CBRE, to talk about barriers to participation, particularly for women at real estate events. With a wide and in depth knowledge of the industry Sherin, Sue and Amanda are no strangers to a panel. In this discussion they share their views on why getting up on stage and talking matters, for you and your business and share some tips and advice on how to make the most of the opportunities that come your way. To find out more about why the real estate industry needs to champion its women in a public arena, read EG's survey of more than 200 professional women HERE
In this episode of the EG REWIRE podcast, we meet Seaforth Land founder and chief executive Tyler Goodwin and find out about his unapologetic blinkered search for a senior woman to join his business. The board of Seaforth Land is distinctly male and Goodwin, who is passionate about the success of his business, knows the future cannot be all one sex. He knows that the right person for the job, the right person for the growth of the business, is female and is happy to play the long game in finding that women. In this discussion, we talk about the role, why a female perspective in the business is so vital and why he thinks the search is taking some time. All that and some commentary on the real estate market today.
In this first episode of the EG REWIRE podcast, a podcast channel dedicated to rewiring the real estate industry one story at a time, we meet Katie Kopec, international director at JLL. Kopec is celebrating her 35th year with the agent and shares her story on how and why she got into real estate and why she has stuck around for so long. She is the woman who has a little piece of her in some of the country's greatest regeneration successes, including Docklands, Greenwich Peninsula, Stratford, King's Cross and more latterly Canada Water. Tune in to find out more about her career and why horses, Harleys and a hairy situation in an industrial estate keep Kopec enthusiastic about life, work and the built environment.