In this episode I’m joined by Priya of BAME property.
Priya is an Urbanist, exploring the built environment from political, social and diversity perspectives, through her roles as a communications consultant, and founder of BAME in Property, an organisation that seeks to increase ethnic diversity in the built environment sector.
Since launching in December 2017, BAME in Property has grown to become one of the leading ethnic diversity networks in the built environment sector. Using her communication skills, Priya has grown the organisation's social media presence significantly, and during the first 100 days of the COVID-19 lockdown, she reached 370,000+ people on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Over the last few months, Priya has started providing more strategic advice to companies on ethnic diversity and BAME inequalities in housing. She sits on several advisory boards including the Estates Gazette Content Advisory Board and was recently appointed to a Research Advisory Group on Race Equality with the Oak Foundation, a homelessness charity and Heriot Watt University. She is a trusted voice in the property industry, changing the narrative about ethnic diversity.
Priya is particularly interested in the built environment in developing countries and brings experiences from her travels to the professional environment. She believes diversity in thought comes from the best working practices around the world. In late 2018, Priya undertook research in South Africa, where she explored the housing struggles faced by the Indian population in Kwa-Zulu Natal and how the role of religion and culture has helped them overcome these. She published her research paper for the property industry in February 2019 and shared her findings during a live EG audience interview in May 2019.
Priya has received the following accolades for her work:
- RTPI Planner Magazine's Women of Influence (2018, 2019 and 2020)
- September 2018, finalist for Estate Gazette's Rising Star Award
- September 2019, listed as one of Property Week's RESI Trailblazers for shaking up the UK residential sector with BAME in Property
- October 2020, finalist for the Women of Future Award, Real Estate, Infrastructure and Construction category
- October 2020, listed as one of TechRound's to