Colliers launches 2021 REAL programme to coincide with International Women’s Day

Lydia Ings, HR Director at Colliers

This week, Colliers launched it’s REAL (Real Estate And Leadership) programme for 2021, with 16 women from across the UK business inaugurated onto the course designed to accelerate careers and maximise the potential of future leaders.

“We want to empower all our people to be the best they can be and our REAL programme has proved to be a great vehicle for actively identifying and accelerating the potential of future female leaders in our business,” said Lydia Ings, HR Director at Colliers. “Feedback from last year’s course has been really encouraging and we’re looking forward to getting started with this year’s modules to help our latest cohort gain a better understanding of their own unique style of leadership, and to support them in honing their strengths through an inspiring programme of practical and theoretical learning.”

The year-long modular course is designed to guide participants in discovering and optimising their personal and professional strengths, incorporating a mix of practical training on strategic thinking and how to demonstrate the skills, attitude and behaviours of a leader. Throughout the year, the participants will hear presentations from guest speakers, from both within and outside the real estate sector, to showcase different styles of leadership and inspire the cohort to become future leaders themselves.

Colliers’ REAL for Women 2021 cohort, includes:

Deirdre George, Senior Asset Manager, Hotel Asset Management
Amy Bracey, Senior Surveyor, Business Space Lease Advisory
Alys Holland, Associate Director, National Offices
Sophie Bartlett, Surveyor, London Offices Lease Advisory
Carys Allen, Surveyor, National Capital Markets
Bernice Maher, Associate Director, Project & Building Consultancy
Phumzile Mbatha, Senior Surveyor, Cost Consultancy
Liz Steele, Associate Director, Investment Property Management
Louise Daly, Associate Director, Rating
Sophie Atwood, Director, Rating
Chloe Dixon, New Homes Consultant, New Homes
Sasha Riddle, Associate Director, Retail
Emily Knowles, Associate Director, Valuation
Helen Rankin, Senior Surveyor, Valuation
Vicky Dent, Financial Reporting Accountant, Finance
Grace Bergin, Senior Transaction Manager, EMEA Corporate Solutions

Raminta Kymantas, Senior Learning and Development Consultant at Colliers, added: “Last year’s programme was made up of women from across the UK who held client-facing roles. Following the success of our first year and in response to demand and further buy in from senior leaders across the business, this year’s programme has been opened up further to invite nominations for women across all parts of our business, including business support services. We’ve also added new modules to cover; leading projects, building clients relationships; and media training, plus networking events with the 2020 alumni cohort. It’s great to see the programme developing and adapting to the changing attitudes and expectations of the business and our clients.”

The new cohort’s first day on the programme coincided with International Women’s Day. Colliers celebrated with a webinar, where a group of male and female panellists, including representatives from Microsoft and Standard Chartered Bank, discussed how they #choosetochallenge the status quo in their careers, covering some important topics such as shared parental leave, menopause and barriers to career progression.