Leaders accelerate gender equality drive

Leaders accelerate gender equality driveAMP Capital Investors Director & Chief Investment Officer, Property Adam Tindall (pictured) is one of the 22 property industry leaders who have signed up as Property Male Champions of Change. He shares his views on the need to accelerate gender equality in the property industry.I am passionate about accelerating gender equality in our industry, which is historically very male-dominated.From a personal perspective I feel like I have been participating in a small case study with my sister on this very issue my whole working life. We had a very similar upbringing and are both engineers. We have both worked hard, but I have seen firsthand the challenges my sister has had to overcome being a female in the property industry that I have not had to face.That my sister has overcome these challenges to succeed is something of which I am very proud.Many of my male industry peers are equally as passionate about facilitating change as they see the potential for their partners, sisters, daughters to be leaders going unfulfilled in many areas of society, not just the property industry.How can we go about changing this? A good start would be improved recruitment practices; providing more support and mentoring for women in career development; and addressing the challenges created by family commitments and flexibility.Above all, we must confront the myths, assumptions and unconscious bias that underpin much of our culture and society. It’s not only improving pathways to leadership for women but also improving outcomes for everyone. Getting the best people into leadership creates better, more successful organisations with more opportunity and flexibility and founded more securely in trust and performance.Groups like the Property Male Champions of Change (PMCC) can be an important catalyst to bring about meaningful change, raise the profile of women and increase the number of women in senior roles across our industry.But we all have a role to play. Change starts with each of us, so please join the PMCC in working to improve our business and industry for the better by resisting assumptions; having a voice; and aiming to be an example for others.Adam Tindall is the Director & Chief Investment Officer, Property, at AMP Capital Investors and one of the 22 property industry leaders who have signed up as a Property Male Champion of Change.