This isn’t about promoting women because they are women. It’s about empowerment

COMMENT: The introduction of the Future Female Leaders programme has captured the zeitgeist of our industry perfectly. After many years of being under-represented in the property sector as a whole, we are finally taking positive action to correct the gender imbalance. This isn’t about promoting women because they are women and it looks good on tenders, however, it is about true empowerment and equality. Our Future Female Leader, Helen Lowe, works in our business development team and I know how excited she was to be taking part. Helen’s experience spans a number of fields in the property sector, having worked as a senior designer for BDG architecture + design, TP Bennett (in the architectural and design sector male/female ratios tend to be far more equal), and Cushman & Wakefield. Her knowledge and experience is vast and varied. In her current role as business development manager for BW: Workplace Experts, Helen is responsible for the strategic account management of a portfolio of critically important clients. This encompasses some of BW’s biggest work providers and influencers, including a lead role in developing relationships with sister company HITT in the US to better serve our international clients and make the most of global thought leadership. The EG Future Leaders project has not only been a powerful exercise in uniting some of the brightest and best females in the industry, but I hope it has also given them a renewed appreciation of the unique contribution each profession makes to the sector as a whole. This is an amazing opportunity for a young person in the fit-out industry. In the spirit of collaboration, Helen has shared (and will continue to do so, no doubt) her training tips internally as well as making some important and influential contacts for life. The conversations that I have had with Helen as she has gone through this process – being challenged and taken out of her comfort zone – have helped me to see the world of property through a very different lens. Each and every one of us will have a different set of experiences that provide us with unique insights and perspectives from which we can all learn, as individuals and as a business.  Like many men in the industry, I consider myself to be supportive of women, but the knowledge of this programme has enabled myself and the BW board to think harder about how we can step things up a level to be more proactive. It is one thing to be inclusive and sympathetic. but to experience true empathy, well, that is something else. Steve Elliott is chief executive, BW: Workplace Experts