PREACH Inclusion® (formerly BAME in Property)

🎉 NEW BRAND ANNOUNCEMENT! 🎉 After weeks of anticipation, we are excited to announce our new brand: 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧® (PREACH standing for Promoting Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), acknowledging the evolution of our organisation’s services and scope. 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧® will not only promote racial, ethnic and cultural diversity across the Built Environment sector, it will also support the sector towards greater intersectional inclusion. Over the last 18 months, what was ‘BAME In Property’ has expanded to include race workshops, creative content around faith and religion, as well as insights into identity and cultural heritage. 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧® will grow this and continue our range of existing services. We know that the term BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) has been insufficient when it comes to describing individual ethnic groups. Born out of dialogue and debate with many in the industry, our new name reflects the views of those who do not identify as ‘BAME’ and are keen to see the sector move away from this controversial term. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more about our new brand and the ethos behind it. For now, please read more in our announcement below (also on our updated website). Thank you for your support over the years and we look forward to 𝘗𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘊𝘏-𝘪𝘯𝘨 Inclusion with you 😉. 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧®, Promote it, Preach it. https://lnkd.in/dZW33mUP

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of hosting CBRE’s REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) Network’s South Asian Heritage Month panel discussion. It wasn’t just an honour for me to do this but a great learning opportunity too. I was so inspired by the brilliant panel, who all shared their stories and insights so candidly, under this year’s SAHM theme of ‘free to be me’. 🔸Navidu Vithana talked about the importance of names, their meaning and cultural significance, and how we all have a responsibility to make an effort. The utmost sign of respect. 🔸Mohammed Basid CMIOSH echoed that, and as part of his role in the REACH network, he introduced name pronunciation in email signatures - a simple but impactful change. 🔸Zoha Omer shared her journey from being ethnically Indian, but being born and raised Saudi Arabia, to then coming to study and work in the UK. The challenges and opportunities this brings, all while resonating with many in the audience. 🔸And finally, Nadia Amani talked about nuances - being of Afghani heritage, she shared how not all Afghans consider their country to be part of South Asia; it’s all to do with geographical location, tribes, culture and more. An important reminder that what you read in a textbook doesn’t reflect the reality of an actual lived experience. I also enjoyed the fireside chat at the end, giving the speakers an opportunity to share some more light-hearted traits about their culture. Judging by the feedback received, it was a hugely successful event. A testament to the hard work of the REACH Executive Committee - particular shout out to Nikhita Patel for her fab organisation. Fun fact - Nikhita and I went to Sixth Form together and after losing touch, recently reconnected to collaborate on this event - a great reminder of the power of networks! Thanks also to Olutayo Oladugba CDCMP®, BTech, BSc, HVAP, CDCTP for your support and humour throughout the event. Let’s keep up the discussion and allow more opportunities for learning and celebrating our culture. 📧 If you’re looking for a host for your SAHM event too, please do get in touch. South Asian Heritage Month CBRE UK CBRE Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) CBRE Capital Markets #freetobeme

🗣 In conversation with... Joshua Skyers and Arslan Iqbal, from Quod. We're back with our interviews and really do have a fantastic one to share today - if we may say so ourselves! Our conversation takes us to Quod, one of our corporate partners, where we caught up with Josh Skyers, a Consultant in Socio Economics and Arslan Iqbal, a Senior Consultant in Development Economics, within the company. Both in their early careers, Josh and Arslan have already achieved a significant amount in a few years, including professional qualifications and progression within their respective roles. Like many people, they also experienced the impact of the global pandemic on their careers and share how this affected them – both the challenges and how they came out stronger the other side. “𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘘𝘶𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭… 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵… 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.” - Josh With equity, diversity and inclusion being central themes of this discussion, we also cover everything from code-switching to the influence of faith and religion on their work. “𝘘𝘶𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘐 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘯, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦… 𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴” - Arslan Finally, we hear from Carly Vince, Senior Director at Quod, who shares more about the EDI focus within the business and why it's important. Grab a cuppa and dive in! (Full piece linked in the first comment).

Just over a week to apply for these roles at National Grid - multiple locations available.

Be curious… but don’t assume. A conversation with an individual during my circuit class this morning has inspired this post. This person was a middle-aged white man (this is important context). We introduced ourselves to each other at the start of the class. At the end of the class, he came up to me and said: “are you Portuguese? My wife has a similar complexion to you.” I politely said no, thinking this might be an opportunity to correct him. He then went onto say: “ahh, you must be Mediterranean of some sort?!” I shook my head, again trying to speak. “Persian?” he said. I finally got a word in edgeways and said: “I’m actually Indian.” To which he said: “ahh yes, Smita! Of course, that’s Indian!” “My name is Priya… not Smita.” I said. He closed the conversation with: “ahh, Smita, Priya - same thing, both indian.” Cue: resting b*tch face 😂. I was honestly too tired from the class to say anything at this point! But here’s how the conversation could have been improved in so many ways: 🔸Getting my ethnicity wrong once is fine, but rather than continuing to guess, he could have just let me speak and it may have sparked a nice conversation. 🔸This person may have not come across a fair-skinned Indian but that in itself begs the question about stereotypes and judging too quickly. 🔸 In high intensity situations like a circuit class, it’s very probable he misheard my name. But rather than saying ‘Priya / Smita sound the same’, he could have just apologised and said he misheard me. 🔸It was at that point that I felt the conversation turned from being a string of silly mistakes to micro aggressive - lumping names together, saying they sound the same, not making the effort to correct oneself etc. He could have owned his mistakes and used it as a learning opportunity. I don’t believe he meant any harm intentionally, but it did leave me feeling annoyed and question whether I was overreacting. Given we are marking South Asian Heritage Month, it’s a great opportunity to spark some curious conversations about names, heritage and more. But let’s ask more questions and make less assumptions about people and then we can really create some meaningful connections. 📧 Please reach out if you’d like to know more about my workshops on Microaggressions. Feel free to share any similar experiences in the comments section below👇🏽.

Five exhibitions to visit in London* during South Asian Heritage Month! 1️⃣ I Am Who I Am Now: Selections from the Bengali Photo Archive, showing at Four Corners E2 in Bethnal Green. This exhibition focuses on everyday photographs taken of and by Bengali people over the past 50 years, depicting social scenes, sports, community and political activism. Showing until 3rd August 2024. FREE to visit. 2️⃣ Awaken: Sufi Music & Women of South Asia at the Royal College of Music. An informative exhibition on the origin and evolution of Sufi music, and how female artists have broken gender and cultural stereotypes. Showing until 20th October 2024. FREE to visit. 3️⃣ The Indian Army at the Palace at #HamptonCourtPalace. Explore the forgotten story of Indian Army soldiers who camped at Hampton Court Palace in the early 20th century. Bonus: book a talk and tour with A Little History of the Sikhs, who supported this exhibition. Showing until 28th September 2025. Tickets required, concessions available. 4️⃣ Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King at The Wallace Collection, Explore the life of the great Sikh leader Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), through stunning artworks, including jewellery and weaponry from the Sikh Empire drawn from major private and public collections. Showing until 20th October 2024. Tickets required. 5️⃣ Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence. A look into how India and Ghana adopted modernist styles of architecture, as a symbol of progressiveness, distinct from colonial culture. Showing at Victoria and Albert Museum until 22nd September 2024. Tickets required, concessions available. All viewed, reviewed and recommended by us 😊. More in the reel below! 👇🏽 *This is not an exhaustive list, so please share any we’ve missed out in London! https://lnkd.in/e_b6J5JS

📅 Today is the start of South Asian Heritage Month, running from 18th July - 17th August. Now in its fifth year, SAHM raises the profile of British South Asian heritage and history in the UK through education, arts, culture and commemoration, with the goal of helping people to better understand the diversity of present-day Britain. South Asian influences can be found everywhere in Britain - From Gujaratis in Harrow and Wembley, Punjabis in Southall and Handsworth, Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets and Pakistanis in Bradford and Sparkhill, South Asians form the fabric of British society, influencing the development of communities, infrastructure and services. Today, South Asian culture permeates all parts of British life and adds to the richness of the nation. For example, chicken tikka masala is widely considered Britain’s national dish. Not to mention South Asia is home to some of the best cricket teams in the world🏏! This year's theme of #freetobeme really aligns with our evolution to PREACH Inclusion (Promoting Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), a better reflection of how 𝘸𝘦 identify ourselves. Through out strap-line of 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭, we want to encourage you to share you identity and heritage, in a way that is 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. We look forward to sharing more content throughout the month and getting involved with events and speaking opportunities. Stay tuned! As always, please get in touch if we can help you source a speaker for your event, through our #SpeakerDirectory. We also have a dedicated #SouthAsianHeritageMonth page on our website, so please do check this out and learn about the incredible South Asian diversity we have in the UK (linked in the first comment). 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞 | 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭.

There we have it - the King's Speech has announced a Race Equality Bill, making #ethnicitypaygap reporting mandatory. We're yet to hear on the fine details of this and it will still be some years before it becomes an official policy, but this is a good first step. There will be challenges with #ethnicitypaygap reporting but also a big opportunity to improve recruitment and retention policies overall - such as sharing salary ranges on job descriptions (a really simple but impactful change). We've been talking about this for a while, that our below article actually has our previous name BAME in Property on it! But the sentiments about the challenges and opportunities still stand, which is why we're resharing it. https://lnkd.in/egfBmbS5

📢 NEW JOBS ALERT! 📢 National Grid is hiring! There are two roles available, in multiple locations. See details below. 🔸 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐱 6 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 As a Land Access Coordinator, you'll carry out a pivotal role between National Grid Overhead Line Engineers and the Access to Land Team, to arrange access for maintenance works on existing overhead lines. There are six locations available - South East, East Anglia, South Wales / South West, North East / Yorkshire, North Wales / North West and East Midlands. 💷 £39,000 – £43,000. 📅 Apply by 1st August. 🔸 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐱 2 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 As a Land Officer, you'll assist in the provision of an expert National Grid Electricity Transmission Property service, delivering / enabling access requirements for the essential maintenance activities in accordance with current industry best practice, process and guidance, enhancing National Grid's reputation. There are two locations available - South West and East Anglia / South East. 💷 £41,000 – £52,000 📅 Apply by 1st August. Read more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eWJnXXw4 📧 [email protected] to advertise your next role with us and reach 1,000s of people across our network.

‘A Race Equality Act in the first King’s Speech will serve primarily as a declaration of intent, as well as allowing an assessment of how ethnicity pay monitoring is working or not. But it must be accompanied by a race disparity focus across government to truly change Britain.’ - Runnymede Trust We have been calling for #ethnicitypaygap reporting for a few years now and it’s a topic that frequently comes up in discussions with our corporate partners. Companies are starting to think about it, with many already reporting these figures. It sends a signal that you want to reduce pay inequities and support people from all backgrounds to progress. https://lnkd.in/emMdGeXq