I think it’s critical that we’re creating opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to enter Landsec, and the wider sector, so that it fully reflects the communities we’re part of. I’m really proud of the work my team and I are doing, with the support of people from across our business, to deliver Landsec Futures, and why I love being a part of the volunteering opportunities organised with our employability partnerships. 

As part of my role I have the pleasure of bringing the stories of the young people we are helping inspire through our industry and local programmes to life, and help to promote them.

I’m also a Pride Network Ally, committed to championing equality and respect, and creating a welcoming and supportive workplace for everyone at Landsec. 
 

As someone who has an established career and is in a senior leadership position within a successful business, I’ve been through the ups and downs of being a woman in often male dominated workplaces and industries. I had few, if any, role models through the early years of my career, as such, feel a huge responsibility to help other women succeed, whatever success may mean for them personally. Together we can share experiences, learnings and advice – I’m in a privileged position now where I can help to lift up future generations of female leaders and provide support to fellow female leaders.

I am passionate about inclusion and am not afraid to tackle any challenging topics head on, often encouraging debate, in the hope of finding ways of making improvements. I take the time to educate myself on areas such as bias, why it occurs, and what each of us can do to overcome our own biases. 

If I am faced with the opportunity, I intentionally create a safe and supportive environment, where the views and opinions of those I work with, can be shared openly. I encourage people to be curious rather than judgemental, and to come together to truly understand each other’s perspectives and to find solutions collectively.
 

We work across so many dynamic and multi-faceted communities across the UK, it’s essential to have that diversity represented internally at Landsec. 

As the Corporate Affairs team, we act as advisors to the business, helping our people, senior leaders and execs to consider the full breadth of our audience and share information effectively. Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility, so the more inclusive we can be in our communications across the business, the more people can feel connected with each other and our purpose.

As a mother, it’s important to me that we’re creating spaces women can thrive in. It’s possible to have thriving home lives and lead successful careers for those that want to - it’s important that we’re creating environments that can make this a reality.

I began my journey as co-chair of Landsec Women affinity network last year. As a network, we continuously drive progressive and impactful change across Landsec and beyond so that we continue to improve inclusion.

I’ve had a proactive role in helping to shape our continuing to work smarter policy which supports our flexible working approach at Landsec as well as the addition of being able to work anywhere in the world for up to two weeks every year. I’m also leading the working group who will be shaping our wellness space in head office which will include breast pump facilities so that our colleagues returning from maternity leave can have a comfortable, safe, and welcoming space to use as and when they need to. Along with fellow network members, I’ve also been involved with our enhanced maternity and partner benefits which will come into effect from 1st April 2024.

Recently, we hosted our World of work day through our partnership with Construction Youth Trust, inviting young women from local schools to join us for a careers insight day. We had representation across many of our business areas including retail, workplace, finance, procurement, sustainability, communications and health and safety; it was a great opportunity for this group to meet some of the incredible women who work at Landsec. Events like this are essential to inspire the next generation of women in our industry.
 

As we approach International Women's Day, I am reminded of the power of diversity and inclusion in our workplace. Being a Malaysian Hindu woman, coming across different regions, Landsec gives me a sense of belonging.

My journey here has been one of embracing diversity in all its forms. Being part of a multicultural team has taught me the importance of understanding and celebrating our differences. I strive to inspire inclusion by sharing my own experiences and traditions with my colleagues, fostering a sense of curiosity and appreciation for diverse cultures. 

In my role, I actively seek opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from various backgrounds, recognizing that our differences are what make us stronger. Whether it's sharing stories of my Malaysian heritage, the amazing food & cookies, participating in cultural awareness events, or simply lending a listening ear, I aim to create a space where everyone feels valued and immensely respected. I am looking forward to being a part of many more celebrations and awareness events to foster more inspiring topics in the future.

This International Women's Day, let us celebrate the unique journeys of all individuals within our team. Together, we can continue to build a workplace where diversity is not just embraced but celebrated.

Here's to fostering inclusivity, empowerment, and a brighter future for all.
 

I’m currently taking part in the Circl inclusive leadership development programme – giving me the opportunity to work with and mentor a young person from an underrepresented background. It’s been an invaluable experience so far - one of the things I’ve learned that has resonated is the idea of promoting responsibility – asking questions that prompt the coachee to realise the power they have when it comes to their goals.

Working in comms follows a similar concept – working to uplift perspectives and empower individuals to share their stories in ways that create impact.

It’s of the utmost importance to elevate the voices of those who might often go unheard. Women have always been 50% of the population, but only occupy a tiny amount of recorded history - so it's heartening to me as a writer to have seen a majority of women in comms teams throughout my career. 

There's still so much to do in terms of increasing diversity within these groups - but I am excited for the possibilities.
 

As Co-Chair of Landsec’s Affinity network, Hand in Hand, I am passionate about creating inclusive places where everybody feels welcome and involved, as well as removing the stigma around disability and mental health and support the wellbeing of all our people and customers.

I also thrive to build and develop diverse and inclusive teams, as not only will you have a larger arsenal of skills in a diverse team, but you will also create an environment where people can learn from and be inspired by one another, encouraging continuous development. 

But building a truly diverse and inclusive team is easier said than done. We all have unconscious biases to battle, and this can be particularly true when recruiting. To keep my own biases in check, I often think about Prof. Claudia Goldin who made history by becoming the first woman to win a solo Nobel Prize in Economics in 2023. She was recognised for groundbreaking work on the key drivers behind gender differences in the labour market. 
She published a study of the big symphony orchestras in the US, none of which contained more than 12% female musicians due to both implicit and explicit biases in the recruitment process. To combat these, orchestras began implementing “blind” auditions with the candidate performing behind a screen. This helped a little but less than expected, until a carpet was added. Why? It turns out that the committee could hear the click of women’s shoes as they walked onto stage and even that was sufficient to bias their decision. By hiding the identity of the musician there was a significantly higher likelihood of a female musician progressing to the next round of auditions.

I think this is a fascinating story, which reminds us that unconscious biases are persistent and creep into decision-making and that solutions can be put in place to combat it, so that we can be truly inclusive.
 

I’m helping to inspire inclusion by refreshing our benefits to make sure they support everyone.  From adding a neurodevelopmental pathway to our private medical policy to supporting (mainly) women that bit more by offering the option to phase their return to work over a 6-month period, working 80% of the time for 100% of their pay.

The focus on Inspiring Inclusion needs to be an ongoing project, I do this through my work as co-chair of the Landsec Women’s Network.  

The network focuses on celebrating and promoting gender diversity, raising awareness of gender related issues, and to represent our employees, customers, and communities so that together we can drive impactful change within Landsec and beyond, making our business and industry diverse, inclusive, and reflective of the communities we’re part of.

Where possible, we collaborate with all networks to ensure we focus on the intersectional topics that may cross over several areas.

Landsec runs regular mentoring and coaching sessions, both internally and externally which I support as much as possible.

I’m passionate about making positive change on topics including culture to create a more balanced equity in the future.