This presentation was given by Amanda Clack, Partner at Ernst & Young LLP and President-Elect for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), to delegates at the APM Women in Project Management SIG's annual conference 2015. The conference, entitled 'Driving the future', was held at etc.venues Dexter House in London and saw some 170 delegates and was sponsored by BAE Systems. The agenda was full of stimulating talks and interactive debate designed to facilitate knowledge-sharing and fresh insights for attendees. Delegates will left the conference armed with new ideas for progressing their own careers and personal development and, of course, bursting with enthusiasm to promote the profession and encourage a new generation of project managers. The objectives of the conference were: - Reinforce the importance of women in project management - Highlight the importance of women’s contribution to the economy through practical examples - Provide opportunities for delegates to hear from leading professionals and to be inspired to drive the future in their own careers. - Provide perspectives on what to ask of employers improve project delivery - Provide food for thought for delegates to help them drive their own objectives and achieve their career goals

1. Driving the future: How enabling
diversity can boost business

2. Objectives today…
The role of women in project management
and helping you to be inspired
 Reinforce the importance and role of women in Project Management;
 Highlight the importance of women’s contribution to the economy
through practical examples;
 Provide opportunities to hear from leading professionals, and each
other;
 Be inspired to drive your own careers;
 Provide perspectives from employers in improving project delivery;
 Creating opportunities to develop women’s careers in project
management and how to develop your own talent
…….Understand our role in driving the future

3. Look to the world in 2030…
By looking how the world will change we can
understand the role we need to play
#RICS Futures

4. Look to the world in 2030…
By looking how the world will change we can
understand the role we need to play
#RICS Futures
 Developing strong leadership;
 Embracing technology;
 Ethics at the heart in everything we do;
 Win the war for talent;
 Create successful and sustainable cities;
 Realise opportunities in infrastructure, investment, technology,
sustainability and the workplace
….Start making changes today

5. Diversity is a strategy not an issue…
Look at the built environment profession:
► Land, property and construction professions – are seen by many as made
up of an aging, declining membership, out of touch with the modern
world. More than 50% of RICS members are over the age of 50, and only
13% of the membership is female (15% in the UK).
► According to the Edge Commission’s Collaboration for change report
on the future of the UK's design and construction industries,
detractors see a tendency towards protectionism, resistance to change,
and the preservation of hierarchies within the professions
► At RICS, we recognise that to stay relevant we need to do something
different!
…..It is clear we lagging behind on gender diversity.

6. Because doing nothing is not an option
Why does it matter?....
► We need to help change current workforce statistics about our
workforce – to help ensure 2019 is not the year Britain stops building!
► We need to help address Winning the War for Talent
......Recognise we all have a role to play.
.

7. Where we are now…
Need to change the dial
Working against a backdrop of endemic stereotypes and low levels of
representation (13% female,1.2% BAME and 0.6% disability group
representation in the UK’s Construction and Built Environment sector)
► RICS Surveying the Future campaign launched in April 2014 to address
the lack of representation across the profession of LGBT people, people
with disabilities, women, BAME and socially excluded groups.
► Inclusive Employer Quality Mark launched June 2015 to help change
the dial in industry
….Tackle the war for talent and to increase awareness

8. Doing things differently

9. Doing things differently

10. Doing things differently

11. Visible Women
Doing things differently
RICS ‘Visible Women’ roundtable events held regularly since April 2014:
► Raising the profile of women from the industry in the media
► Addressing how female spokespeople can be used
► Giving women in the region a network
Outputs
► Female media spokespeople increased from 5 to 50 and used in
local & national media.
► In 2015-16 planned roll out UK-wide of media training to the women
who expressed interest in being a media spokesperson for RICS.
► An extensive roll-out of regular regional/national/devolved
roundtables.
….Start to address the ‘invisibility’ of women in the industry

12. Social media and online activity
Doing things differently
► Multiple online platforms - RICS website
(careers page, news and events, regional
e-mails etc.) but also through Twitter and
LinkedIn.
► Since 1 May 2014, there have been 2,807
tweets mentioning #SurveyingtheFuture –
totalling 12,612,776 potential impressions.
► Our LinkedIn group for the ‘Surveying the
Future’ campaign, now has a growing group
of members who actively engage in
discussion/debate about the campaign and
that is growing.
….Reaching out with huge impact

13. Importance of industry leadership

14. Importance in leading the industry
EY – National Equality Standard
• Aims to significantly impact the way diversity and inclusion is
integrated into everyday business activity across the country
• Provides a single reference point incorporating all elements of the Equality
Act 2010
• Enables businesses to undertake a comprehensive assessment
specifically focused on EDI
• Consists of best practice standards that can be applied to any business
sector or size
• Provides a pragmatic solution to EDI which rewards ambition
• Provides one recognisable holistic framework for industry good
practice
• Enables companies to showcase their businesses as leaders in this field
• Bridges the gap between legal requirements and best practice
….Because understanding leads to changing behaviours

15. Women on Boards?!
Why diversity is good business….
► Women now account for 23.5% of Board positions in the FTSE 100
(up from 12.5% in 2011) – Women on Boards Davies Review Annual Report 2015
FTSE Chairs are convinced of the value of women in the Boardroom.
► EY and the Property Council of Australia Report “The next big deal is on
– Property Industry where are you on gender diversity?”. REITS who
had a female board member for 3 years or more experienced higher
shareholder returns
► In 2003 Norway became the first country in the world to impose a
gender quota
….Women on Boards makes business sense

16. Unconscious Bias – is it me?
Is it really me that’s the problem?
► Conscious experience provides an immediate, compelling, and
incomplete account of the mind.
► Much of perception, thinking, and action occurs outside of conscious
awareness or conscious control.
► Because of that, judgment and action can be unintentionally
influenced by factors that we do not recognize, and may not value.
To take a test: Google ‘IAT Harvard University’ or go to
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
….Be part of the solution not the problem

17. Don’t underestimate the impact…
 I was at an all girls school and
property was never something I
came across as a career path
unlike law, finance,
administration etc. I was at
school a long time ago now so
things may have changed but I do
think that making sure girls know
it's a fascinating avenue open to
them, one that would suit
generalists interested in pursuing
a varied career, it critical. 
 During my career so far I
have come in to contact
mainly with senior men in the
property industry so finding
female role models in recent
months, like Amanda Clack,
has been very inspiring. I think
that the more that women are
visible in the industry, the
more that women will see it a
career path for them. 
 The
appointment of
Louise Brooke
Smith is
fantastic - we
have turned a
corner and I am
thrilled we have
her as our new
President. 
 My daughter, Amelia, is 17 and in her
final year of sixth form. She is keen on a
career in property (probably with a
rural bias). I am a surveyor but I am her
Dad so whatever I say is tinged with
bias (I am also a man). What she needs
is to talk to other women in the
profession and find a role model (and
preferably not one of my friends!). Any
ideas where she can go from here? 
“If we can overcome the
rather male orientated image
that we have, we can get
more women to train.
Working as a residential
building surveyor and valuer,
means one can work full or
part time, and can also
contribute in an area with
high staff shortages. 
 What I would say is that
having struggled and sacrificed
so very much to become a
Chartered Surveyor - I am
proud of my achievements and
pleased that as one of the '3%'
I am now surrounded by '15%'
but would prefer to see that at
50% !! 
 If someone told me
20+ years ago I would
be where I am now in
my profession and
leading the RICS World
Region for UK and
Ireland I would not
have believed them. 
….Doing something that makes a real difference

18. Diversity is a strategy not an issue…
We need to:
► Reflect the diversity of our clients in our own workforces and projects;
► Be leaders – as professionals on projects; ambassadors for our
professions; in our businesses and with our clients;
► Take personal action – to attract, influence, increase, promote, support
and develop the pipeline of future female leaders
The outcomes of doing so are tangible and proven - delivering enhanced
profits, increased returns for investors, and greater productivity.
….It’s a business investment not a problem to be solved

19. Driving the future begins today….
..... With YOU!
► Take personal actions – to increase, influence and promote the role of
women;
► Your career - You own what you do, your career and how your make a
difference for yourself and those around you;
► In your businesses and organisations - You can influence and shape
the future for the business of the future;
► On projects – You can help make your project different in the way you
work and the boundaries you set for your team and the client;
► With the professions – You can get involved and help shape the
profession for the future and for future generations.
….Don’t under-estimate the difference YOU can make!

20. This presentation was delivered
at an APM event
To find out more about
upcoming events please visit our
website www.apm.org.uk/events