In the News
Building a gender balanced and inclusive presence delivers business benefits
Male Champions of Change, 23 November 2017 - Simple and constructive changes to create gender-balanced brands and more inclusive workplaces are
delivering real business benefits according to a new report released by the Male Champions of Change. "Organisations need the best talent to be successful, so unwittingly turning people away on the basis of gender makes no sense,” says Property Council's chief executive Ken Morrison.
Monitoring key to gender pay equity
The Australian, 26 July 2017 - The Property Male Champions of Change delivered its annual progress report, saying its 20 member organisations, headed by leaders including Dexus’s Darren Steinberg, Stockland’s Mark Steinert, Mirvac’s John Mulcahy and Scentre’s Peter Allen, had seen 75 per cent “achieve balance or progress towards balance in the percentage of women in key management personnel”. Pay equity reviews were undertaken by 75 per cent of member organisations in the past two years and all members had committed to a review every two years, the report says. [Pay wall]
Property Male Champions of Change driving measurable progress on diversity
Property Council of Australia, 25 July 2017 - All Property Male Champions of Change organisations have now adopted formal flexible work policies or strategies, and 75% of PMCC organisations have achieved balance or progress towards balance in the percentage of women in Key Management Personnel, according to a new report.
Carol Schwartz, Reserve Bank board member and women’s advocate
Australian Financial Review, 24 May 2017 - Throughout her career, Carol Schwartz has had two main passions: advancing more women into leadership roles and all things property. Both contributed to her being invited to take a seat at the most powerful board table in the country. [Pay wall]
How men are fixing the gender balance problem
Australian Financial Review, 4 April 2017 - Although there are quite a few contenders for the most male-dominated sectors in the Australian economy, property and construction would certainly be near the top. So when the chief executives of several leading companies in the area – including Lendlease, Mirvac, Charter Hall and Stockland – joined a Male Champions of Change group in 2015 to address the gender gap in their industry, there were bound to be some interesting challenges. [Pay wall].
Over 700 women now involved in Property Council leadership
Property Council of Australia, 9 March 2017 - Over 700 women across the property industry are now involved in the leadership of the Property Council of Australia following the implementation of comprehensive and ambitious diversity targets.
Property Council’s big spill delivers gender diversity
The Australia, 9 March 2017 - In late 2014, less than a quarter of the Property Council of Australia’s myriad committees were made up of women. Late last year, most of the 1600 positions were spilled and the make-up of the new committees is 43 per cent women. “Across the industry we are seeing meaningful change — while there is still much to do we are no longer the laggards or dinosaurs that we once were,” said Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison. [Pay wall]
CEOs say redefining merit is the key to promoting women
Australian Financial Review, 24 August 2016 - There's a backlash by male middle managers against women getting promoted according to Chief Executive Women and the Male Champions of Change. In their joint report In the Eye of the Beholder – Avoiding the Merit Trap they say merit must be redefined to include broader leadership skills and potential. [pay wall]
To find out more and download In the Eye of the Beholder, click here.
Mirvac chief sees the sense in diversity
Australian Financial Review, 25 July 2016 - The Mirvac chief was one of seven women property leaders interviewed for a new study into women's pathways into and through the property industry. The study, Grow the Talent Pool – Insights on gender representation in property, was released on Monday by the Property Council and EY. EY's market segment leader for Real Estate, Construction, Leisure and Hospitality, Doug Bain, said the key drivers of success for women in property were found to be the support of management, the opportunity for a career path and a passion for the industry. [pay wall]
Property industry still a boys club: EY survey
The Australian, 26 July 2016 - The report, “Grow the talent pool — Insights on gender representation in property”, surveyed more than 3800 people in the property industry and interviewed seven women in leadership roles. The survey was undertaken by EY, which is part of the Male Champions of Change group of 18 companies. EY last week released key figures showing 62 per cent of women and 35 per cent of men surveyed identified the “industry’s boys’ club mentality” as the number one barrier to women entering the property industry. [pay wall]
Property Council and EY release ground breaking gender profile report
Property Council of Australia, 25 July 2016 - The Property Council of Australia and EY have released a groundbreaking study into women's pathways into and through the property industry, and the drivers to their recruitment, retention and promotion. “This study takes the pulse of the men and women who work in this industry and provides unique insights in how to grow the talent pool,” said Ken Morrison, Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia.
Shifting the diversity dial
Property Council of Australia, 20 July 2016 - A new report identifies the property industry’s ‘boys’ club’ mentality and a lack of diversity in senior leadership as some of the top barriers women face in their journey towards reaching executive leadership roles. Carol Schwartz AM, Convenor of the Property Male Champions or Change, says the research shows organisations need to start actively and intentionally creating pathways for women to leadership positions to achieve change.
Property industry's jobs for boys in way of women's success: report
The Australian, 20 July 2016 - The latest report by the Property Male Champions of Change group, which is seeking to break down historical gender barriers in the sector, found 62 per cent of women and 35 per cent of men identified the “industry’s boys’ club mentality” as the number one barrier to women entering the property industry. “The industry is hamstrung by a culture that is still far too blokey and that excludes too many women. That’s not going to change unless senior leaders own the problem and do something about it,’’ said Ken Morrison, Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia. [pay wall]
Yes, property is a boys club and its leaders aim to change
The Australian Financial Review, 20 July 2016 - The convenor of the Property Male Champions of Change, Carol Schwartz, said the report was courageous. "This is what the research is telling us, and this is what we are committed to change," she said. "There is no silver bullet but the leadership, and the commitment to change, will make a difference." [pay wall].
Women in Property industry must speak up on gender equality: Green buildings CEO
The Guardian, 10 Feb 2016 - Romilly Madew, the chief executive of the Green Building Council Australia acknowledges that there are several men in the building industry who are actively seeking more women in their senior-level positions. She highlights Ben Johnston, the CEO of property owners and managers GPT, who has achieved a 50/50 split of women and men at non-executive director level, and Ken Morrison, the CEO of the Property Council of Australia, who has helped set up the Property Male Champions of Change group to drive gender equality in the industry.
Buildcorp looks at other sectors to attract more women
Australian Financial Review, 8 Feb 2016 - A key theme for many employers this year is the issue of working flexibly. It's not happening as fast as it should, says Carol Schwartz, a Stockland director and convenor of the Property Male Champions of Change program. [pay wall]
Gender diversity and pay fairness in property more rhetoric than action: survey
Australian Financial Review, 15 Oct 2015 - Property Council of Australia President Mark Steinert speaks on the Property Male Champions of Change gender diversity initiative. [pay wall]