In the commercial real estate industry, where women have historically been underrepresented, we’re making a conscious effort to create opportunities and promote gender equity. With strong and vocal support from our global senior leaders, our ERG leaders are driving progress on the ground.
Meet Empower global council member and Senior Manager, Integrated Marketing, North America Magdalene Marvin, and U.K. Women’s Network and Principal, Head of Operations, Real Estate Management, Facilities Management and Infrastructure Management Emma Berry, who are championing efforts in their respective markets.
While both groups share a common mission, their approaches and experiences are shaped by distinct cultural and regional nuances. Together, they explore unique challenges and opportunities for the groups, and highlight their successes, challenges, and the invaluable contributions they make to our diverse and dynamic workforce.
Magdalene: I’m compelled to stand for inclusion, simply put, because it’s the right thing to do. My own moral code wouldn’t let me not care about it. There’s also plenty of evidence that having diverse teams is transformative for innovation, creativity and growth. And we know our clients care about DEI and consider that in their decision-making as well. But you can’t just have diverse teams—you need to take it to the next level—because it’s not safe to have diversity without true inclusion.
By actively, intentionally, creating a culture of inclusion, we’re fueling this incredible fire that not only lights us up as individuals, but the collective whole. When you put in the work where you are right now, the ripple effect can be your whole community, the whole world.
Emma: I have always been of the view that a more diverse workforce delivers better service for clients. Given the work we do, that service can then deliver a significantly increased positive impact on our local living and working environment and our society. Diverse views and experiences are vitally important.
The commercial real estate industry, unfortunately, still falls behind other industries in terms of our gender balance and so the purpose of our women’s ERGs is to help drive that change, address issues that may be holding us back from achieving this balance and also create a space for like-minded individuals who care about change.
Magdalene: Empower is an intentionally genderless name, because, while we are people creating impact for women, we encourage everyone to be involved. As we aspire for our network to feel intentionally inclusive, we do our best to avoid performative or exclusionary language so that when we simply say women, we mean all women: femmes, trans women and non-binary people for whom ‘women’ is a term that applies. And we hope everyone else will join and loudly support our empowerment efforts.
Magdalene: Intersectionality is really what makes our ERGs so deeply powerful. Among our Empower audience, there is so much uniqueness – those who love their current role, a segment who want to aim for the c-suite; those getting ready for a promotion, or for retirement; caregivers by choice, some by circumstance, some who are child-free, or who want to be married, or who love being single; who are experiencing menopause, or experiencing a transition; those seeking more work and those seeking less work… it’s really endlessly diverse.
We know our members are a collection of complex and layered individuals, that their experiences at work are intertwined with their experiences as humans, so our council is working hard to be sure we’re not only serving the majority as we build strategic action plans that feel valuable for everyone. As Audre Lorde said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” Our group aims to work and see everyone right where they are and be there as a source of support.
Emma: The value of the collective and the power that comes from a network of shared experience and ideas is so powerful. It is much easier to drive change when you are surrounded by great minds and we have many of those here, ready to support and be the positive change they want to see.
Magdalene: To me, a successful legacy of this group would look like: a cultural transformation where all women and nonbinary colleagues (1) have no doubt that they’re being given a fair shot at all times and (2) have total psychological/physical safety.
Some ways that could show up: total transparency around fair pay, revolutionary benefits, the complete absence of harassment, microaggressions and biases. For the business, the success would be to continuously attract and retain talent representative of our external values, to be an inclusive employer.
Emma: The ultimate impact is to improve the gender balance, not just for Avison Young but for our entire industry. We know this is a long-term goal and will take time. To make a more immediate impact, our U.K. group is structured around six core pillars: Recruit, Retain, Raise, Reach, Relevance and Reward. This allows us to deliver focused change in very specific areas that can deliver big impact, on a far shorter timescale.
Magdalene: I believe that everyone has a chance to create a ripple effect no matter where you work or what your job is. I have a personal desire to contribute to a positive social impact in the world, and I know our industry can do more, and do better. So, it’s very fulfilling to have the chance to be part of a movement that creates safe spaces and enables connection and learning, helping others to feel seen and perhaps even be inspired— that can ripple for a lifetime. I’m honored to listen to the women of Avison Young and do my best to bring to life initiatives that serve them and their communities.
Emma: There has been a real willingness to support the group, listen to our ideas and give the group freedom to create our own direction. I think our culture and openness have always been one of Avison Young’s differentiators and support of a network like this is a testament to that.
Magdalene: I usually prefer one-on- one connection, so I was hesitant to join a global panel and share my own perspectives. But knowing part of our effort has been to create platforms for women to share their stories, and to provide spaces where we hear from them in many different walks of life, I found the courage to speak, and the women of Avison Young cheered me on. After the webinar, I read the words of support and encouragement in the chat. That was the moment when I knew I wasn’t alone. That made me want to keep going.
Emma: I was really humbled to win the Global Diversity & Inclusion award – recognizing that I was one of the founding members of the network. However, every single one of the members of the committee made this happen so my gratitude also extends to them and recognizing how much we all have the potential to accomplish together.
Magdalene: Helping build bridges across all our ERGs. Many of our people consider themselves members or allies of multiple groups, so by working together, we’re able to raise more voices and perspectives, to foster a stronger sense of belonging and allow employees to see themselves represented in more places.
Emma: We’ve made our colleagues appreciate this network is not just for women but for all. Its purpose is to create a more gender-balanced workforce that is both a necessity and also crucially really important for our clients. Our “In Conversation” series has been really successful and allowed us to cover an array of topics that impact women’s careers, engage in meaningful dialogue, and also allow us to feature prominent clients.
Magdalene: The role of our women’s council is to listen and then enable (empower!) change, so I’m most looking forward to the evolution of our group as our company grows, seeing a measurable impact on our culture and our business, and bringing as many people as possible along with us on this journey so that their own careers and lives can grow, too.
Emma: At the moment we’re addressing the basics, but this is hugely vital as momentum grows and more people join the U.K. network. I’m looking forward to seeing the ideas around “what next” and the development of what we think is possible. In line with what’s next, I am also looking forward to passing on the baton from the current committee of leadership to a new team next year, full of new energy, new ideas, and the opportunity for people to develop their own careers in the ways that mean that most to them.
