We hear from Vanessa Murray, who founded Mentoring Circle to address the gender diversity gap at the property industry’s senior leadership level – by partnering newly qualified female professionals with top female leaders. The organisation welcomes its second intake on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2022.

Vanessa discusses with Hoare Lea Directors Jo Edwards and Sara Quaglieni their experience of mentoring for the scheme, as well as getting comfortable with not knowing all the answers, and articulating ambitions out loud. Together they talk confidence, reverse mentoring and the importance of symbiotic learning through the next generation, and how we reconcile positive discrimination with a robust meritocracy.