WiA has been instrumental in helping shift the UKREiiF EDI agenda in this year's conference and have been invited to become one of UKREiiF's official partners.

This year's theme was focused on the Gender Pay Gap and how to tackle remuneration inequalities within the built environment. The event kicked off with a 90' round table discussion on how women can address the widening gender pay gap within their respective industries through strategising, attracting more females to their professions, building confidence and resilience as well as taking active measures in calling out inequalities.

The panel comprised of highly experienced professional across HR, academia, private practice, coaching, EDI experts as well as recruitment specialists, who all shared personal insights and practical tips on how women can become better negotiators and aim for the remuneration they deserve, building salary equity.

The audience remained engaged throughout the discussion as well as during the networking drinks which followed. The event was a great success and has received a considerable amount of positive feedback from clients, collaborators as well as the general public, through numerous social media posts, before and after.

Del Hossain’s 5 golden nuggets from the discussion to take away and apply:

1. Ask for a pay rise as few employers in a weak economy bring this to the table.
2. Be positive as progress ‘is’ being made and you can be part of that change by being proactive and involved.
3. Transparency & Communication is key- do ask what you need to do to progress, agree kpi’s to track progress in agreed timeframes - not open ended.
4. Visibility- It’s hard to be what you can’t see but not impossible. Look for role models , mentors, this lifts the spirit and helps focus the mind.
5. Accountability- Map out what you want to achieve and be accountable to yourself, it’s your career and no one is as invested in it as you are.

We were lucky enough to have Lawrence Barraclough of You See Media take this fantastic short film of the evening!

A big thank you to our hosts and speakers:

Buro Happold Leeds Office

Del Hossain, Associate Professor at Bartlett School of Archiecture (Chair)

Hazel Whittaker, Founder of Curio

Marsha Ramroop, EDI Strategist and Author

Julie Bramsdon, Head of People at Purcell

Pepper Barney, Co-founder of BiBO

Suzanne Ross, Head of Operations, Corstorphine & Wright