DiversityDelivers

#DiversityDeliversGetting the gender balance right around the decision-making table is just the first step towards an industry able to adapt to a fast-paced future, said property leaders during The Property Congress.”If you can get gender diversity right, then it helps in getting the rest of diversity right,” Scentre Group’s chief executive officer Peter Allen told the audience during the ‘Fast Five’ session with some of the industry’s leading thinkers.As a Property Male Champion of Change, Allen has introduced a range of transformational policies, including generous parental leave policies and flexible working arrangements.A safe workplace culture is an important element of diversity, Allen said, “as everyone needs to be able to bring their true selves to work.”Mirvac’s chief executive officer and managing director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz agreed, arguing that “real diversity means diversity of thought. And that requires an inclusive culture.”Later, during a Future Directions exclusive morning tea with some of the industry’s rising stars, Lloyd-Hurwitz revealed how Mirvac’s commitment to flexible working has become a central pillar of its diversity efforts.”Flexibility has had a huge impact on our organisation. We’ve turned the conversation about flexibility on its head – it’s no longer about working mothers but about everyone. Sixty per cent of Mirvac people now work flexibility. This is changing our employment brand – from office-bound presence to output. And it’s absolutely changing people’s lives.”For DEXUS Property Group’s chief executive officer Darren Steinberg, the diversity agenda should be expanded to include ethnicity, sexuality and age. DEXUS actively seeks new employees outside the property industry to bring new ideas and values to its business.The diversity thread continued to weave its way through a number of sessions of the conference, and the chatter during the breaks confirmed that the Property Council’s message is achieving cut-through.While sharing her insights into the technological wizardry reshaping the property sector, scientist and drone expert Dr Catherine Ball recalled the ideas of Charles Darwin and his evolutionary discovery that “it wasn’t the strongest community that survived, it was the community that could adapt – and you can only adapt if you have diversity.”The Property Council has launched a new video, #DiversityDelivers, and is encouraging members to share it with their staff, colleagues and customers.