Connex Leadership Networks – a networking organisation for executive leaders in the affordable housing sector – has launched a new thought leadership report looking at race, equity, and inclusion in housing.
The report – titled Honest Conversations: Race, Equity, and Inclusion in Housing – brings together a collection of pieces penned by industry leaders from the affordable housing sector as well as the Co-op, Network Rail, and Hogan Lovells.
Some of the questions asked include:
- #BAMEOver: Should We Stop Using The Term BAME?
- “The term unhelpfully blends ethnicity, geography, nationality – and in doing so erases our identity and reduces us to an ‘other’” – Amanda Parker, CEO, Inc Arts UK
- How Can We Tackle Unconscious Bias in Executive Recruitment?
- “I’m going to be brutally honest – we’re talking about it now because it’s in fashion. We’ve been forced to think about it because of BLM. 15, 20 years ago it wasn’t really an issue, was it? It was the right thing to do a long time ago, but we’re only just dealing with it now because we have to” – Suresh Lal, Partner – Housing Practice, Odgers Interim
- How Can We Be A Good Leadership Ally In The Workplace?
- “For white allies it means far more than trotting out some empty corporate statements – it means really stepping up and taking action”, and working out what is within our agency and power to do” – Kate Dodsworth, Director of Consumer Regulation, Regulator of Social Housing (speaking in a personal capacity)
- BLM: What Has Changed with Race and Workplace Diversity?
- “Gradually a movement based on collective actions grew within the business. It’s not going to end with George Floyd” – Cordelia Johnny, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Stonewater
- How Can We Drive Organisational Success Through Inclusive Leadership?
- “A powerful and empowering culture is a super route to organisational success” – Denise Fowler, CEO, Phoenix Community Housing
There has been a lot written recently about the impact that systemic inequality continues to have on society.
Connex says this report was compiled as a response to such issues, and that, within UK housing specifically, the gap remains significant.
The report was born from several roundtable discussions that Connex has hosted in the past year.
Founder Tunde Hinton said: “The most important thing for us is that the conversations are just the beginning. We will continue to push our members to take what they’ve learned and implement it in their organisations so we can nurture sustained change.
“And we’ve been gratified to see the practical impact that we’ve catalysed in the short time that we’ve been operating.”
Connex says its report aims to provide readers with actionable takeaways to help them achieve meaningful change within their organisations, the housing sector and wider society.
This is the Connex’s first foray into reports of this kind.
Image: SmartPhotoLab/Shutterstock
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