2023 - a year in review

Written By Priya Shah

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

As 2023 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on a wonderful year of business, making connections and continuously collaborating… on bringing more ethnicity to property.

Our 2023 highlights reel, featuring our key achievements, events and testimonials. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this and to Cincera for producing the video.

This was our first whole year of business since our founder, Priya Aggarwal-Shah took the decision to run BAME in Property full time.

Amidst the challenging economic climate, we’re thankful to the c.30 companies who chose to work with us, either as a corporate partner, on a retainer basis or on one-off pieces of work - not forgetting the dozen more companies who hosted job adverts with us. A particular highlight has been bringing our partners together to network, exchange ideas and to learn from each other.

From hosting events for South Asian Heritage Month and Black History Month, to chairing roundtables for London Property Alliance and speaking at numerous conferences, we’ve spread our wings further than ever before.

Our workshops have been delivered to people in all corners of the UK, starting important conversations about race, microaggressions, unconscious bias, inclusive engagement and more.

“Despite our business ventures, one thing has remained – BAME in Property is free to sign up to as an individual member and all of our articles, content and insights are free to read, regardless of whether you are a paying corporate client or not.”

In our bid to reach more students to educate and inform about careers in the Built Environment, Priya has spoken at LSE, UCL and Cambridge University, and we’ve hosted events with students from Kings College London and Kingston University – thanks to Gerald Eve and Colliers for sponsoring these initiatives.

Our Jobs Board has hosted over 60 roles, reaching 1,000s of people across our network. We’re pleased to share that many have secured roles through this medium and the other support we’ve provided in the recruitment process.

From BBC London to Property Week and BE News, we’ve not shied away from sharing our views in the media, using any opportunity to spread our mission and ideas.

what our clients are saying...

“Priya delivered a workshop on Race and Microaggressions to a group of our staff during Race Equality Week. I was initially apprehensive as this type of session was new to us as a company, but Priya put us all immediately at ease with her frank but friendly method of delivery. Priya was skilled at engaging people in uncomfortable discussions, and we learned a lot about the different types of microaggressions and how to identify them. Most importantly, Priya was excellent at helping us understand how we can do better in our everyday interactions, directly relating them to our work – here, her direct experience of the property industry and its challenges is invaluable. Highly recommended!” 

 Rebecca Neil, Social Value Manager, DP9

“Priya is an invaluable partner of London Property Alliance - the membership body for the property industry in central London. She provides guidance and counsel for our Diversifying Real Estate guidebook series, and helps drive our wider D, E & I programmes.

“She is a force for good for the industry: supporting our members and stakeholders in becoming more inclusive and reflective of London’s diverse communities.”

Rosie Day, Chief Strategy Officer, London Property Alliance

“The events hosted by PREACH Inclusion® have provided opportunities for meaningful conversations and the sharing of experiences across the sector.

“Alongside attending the events, regular engagement with the social media content being posted has proven valuable for expanding my knowledge of the industry as a whole.”

Navidu Vithana, Member (Graduate, CBRE)

“PREACH Inclusion®’s strategy design and implementation together with Priya’s approach to engagement ensures full enrolment of some of the biggest players in the property industry. She provides expert advice and guidance to companies of all sizes and is focused on excellent client service as well as offering healthy challenge and radical candour when needed.”

Chrysta Poppitt, Senior Director, Turley

“Trident started working with what was BAME in Property (now PREACH Inclusion®) in 2022, when we required support and advice to further develop our approach to EDI.  Priya has created a bespoke EDI framework for Trident and has rolled our training across the company. This has been a fantastic learning experience for everyone, it has prompted conversations and has given us the confidence to make important changes with Priya’s ongoing support.”

Alexandra Price, Director of Marketing, Trident Building Consultancy

Despite our business ventures, one thing has remained – BAME in Property is free to sign up to as an individual member and all of our articles, content and insights are free to read, regardless of whether you are a paying corporate client or not. Without companies who support us financially, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing the high-quality content we do, so thank you to those who put their trust in us.  

Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to support several charities this year – LandAid, Smile with Shiv and the DEC Turkey Earthquake Appeal, allowing us to give back.

We look forwarding to sharing more insights and exciting announcements in 2024. Here’s hoping for another fantastic year!

As always, please email hello@bameinproperty.com to have a chat with us about working together and learn more about our Services here.

Priya Shah
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