The Land Collective

We’re looking forward to welcoming students and graduates to our upcoming events this month with Greystar and deverellsmith 🔥 Our development tour with Greystar has now sold out but there’s still a few spots left for our networking masterclass and social with deverellsmith on Thursday 17th July, so do register and share: https://lu.ma/yw4mvtvb On the panel, you will hear from: Sarah Hayford, Founder & CEO of The Land Collective Debra Yudolph, Founder & CEO of SAY Property Consulting Paul Modu MRICS, Associate Partner at Knight Frank Tom Lambourne, Head of UK Estate Agency at deverellsmith. This event is open to sixth-formers, all the way through to young professionals. Come along to learn, connect and have your LinkedIn at the ready!

Applications for our third ESG Launchpad are now open! 🌱 The programme will run from October for eight weeks and is open to university students and graduates interested in learning more about ESG from a built environment perspective. ESG as a business practice is high on the agenda for businesses and employers all over the world and we want to ensure that our participants are actively learning about how businesses are tackling key issues. If you’re an employer who would like to get involved, please drop us a message at info@thelandcollective.com - we would love to hear from you! #ESG

#SocialMobilityDay What a great time to reflect and remind ourselves that the field still isn’t level for those playing on it. Whoever, the the continued efforts were making along with many organisations like ours and the support from employers — we can move the needle. Seven years ago, The Land Collective was established at the University of Nottingham to encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds to engage with the built environment sector through discussion, career education and written commentary. Fast forward to the future and here we still are but with a slightly different focus, ensuring that young people from underrepresented backgrounds are equipped with the knowledge, tools and exposure necessary to enter and thrive in the real estate and built environment sectors. A majority of our members are from working class backgrounds, with many being the first in their family to attend university or even have a corporate job. We are delighted to have run numerous employability programmes, events and enabled hundreds of young people from diverse backgrounds to secure careers in this incredible sector alongside our employer partners - the work continues! We’d like to encourage more employers across the sector to invest in the future as it pertains to access and opportunity, the UK remains one of the worst places for social mobility in 2024, we all can make a difference!

Last week, our team were welcomed by ING Media to their HQ as part of the Elevate programme. An initiative set up by ING to support minority owned businesses with PR and communications. What an insightful afternoon it was! Were looking forward to being part of the programme and what comes next.

Yesterday, we took our members to Databricks to celebrate our new partnership! ⚡️ At The Land Collective, we aim to develop the next generation of diverse leaders in the built environment industry. In order to do that, young people need to know what’s actually happening across the industry and outside of it! The influence of technology, data and AI is something that can’t be ignored, even in our sector and we’re super excited to share this information with our members in collaboration with Databricks. We’re looking forward to our joint-future events and to expose our members to the ways that technology and real estate align. #realestate #earlytalent #tech

In May, we're excited to host an informational event with Chancerygate Foundation about their bursaries for Black students looking to enter the sector. Young people need to know that these opportunities exist and that help and support along their journey are available. If you know students in Year 12 and 13 of African or Caribbean heritage who would like to learn more during half-term, please share this with them! #socialmobility

There’s A LOT you can learn in smaller companies or startups at the start of your career. You don’t always have to go for the big corporates! In our recent ‘How I Got Here’ career series, we speak to Tanvi Joshi, a Strategy Manager at L&Q. To watch the full interview, you can find the link below. #careerdevelopment #careers

MIPIM 2024 and what a week it was! My time at the Palais gave me deep insight and exposure into the built environment. Participating in discussions on ESG’s influence on asset value, the future of AI in real estate, and shifting investor perspectives shed light on the pivotal role sustainability, technological innovation, and flexible investment strategies play in navigating the ever-changing real estate terrain. These insights, coupled with the challenges posed by external factors like political uncertainty, high interest rates, and rising costs, highlighted the necessity for resilience to maintain competitiveness in the industry. What was particularly interesting was the panel on the evolution of cities, high streets and office builds with Kat Hanna, that concluded on the importance of creating an “immersive experience” for users and consumers with a strong emphasis on mixed used developments to make buildings more accessible to the public. Oxford Street and the West End were used as working examples and the City of London have seemed to adopt this as a core value when it comes to approving planning. It was inspiring to listen in on the discourse around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the industry as discussed by Chanelle Gray, Hannah Awonuga and Anne-Lyse Raoul who highlighted the importance of inclusive workplaces. I also had the opportunity to observe the diversity of routes within the industry as I embark on my career journey in real estate. Thanks to Shaunak Rauniar and Tex Jones, MSc for showing me the ins and outs of development and Ishdeep Bawa for sharing a telling route to real estate finance. Spending time with amazing individuals such as Kat Hanna, David Bell, Lee Anderson, Shereen Anderson, Nathan King and ALI SAYED (just to name a few) only added to the value of my week as they individually contributed to my development with their expertise. Once again, a massive thank you to the wonderful Sarah Hayford and The Land Collective CIC for opening the door to such an opportunity, and I am always grateful for the guidance and support of the remarkable Ayo Ajayi who chairs the advisory board. My MIPIM wouldn’t be the same without the wise words of Tyler Goodwin who continues to give me sound advice as I navigate the industry. To everyone I met and connected with this week, don’t be a stranger! Let’s keep the conversation going and stay in touch. #mipim24 #realestate

We're excited to present to you all our new additions to The Land Collective advisory board! Edward Vaughan Dixon - Ed is Head of Responsible Investment for Aviva Investors real assets platform and leads the firm’s ESG and sustainability strategy across £50bn of real estate, infrastructure and nature-based solutions. As a direct investor with broad private markets capabilities, Ed works across multiple asset classes including direct real estate, private credit and private equity. Ed has 22 years’ of industry experience, starting his career as a carpenter in 2002 and progressing through consulting, development and project management roles at Landsec, Mace Consulting and Marks and Spencer. Laura Croggon - Passionate about people and communicating, Laura has built a career in employer branding, marketing and communications with a proven track record of driving brand success. Understanding specific audience needs and how to deliver messages that land are Laura’s sweet spot. With a dynamic blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and a results-oriented mindset, her specialisms lie in developing and executing comprehensive marketing initiatives that resonate with target audiences. She's currently the Group Marketing and Communications Manager at real estate recruitment firm, deverellsmith. Sybil Taunton - Sybil is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where she is responsible for the development and delivery of the RICS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy for roughly 700 employees and more than 135,000 surveying professionals globally. Sybil is also a U.S. Air Force Veteran, having served 12 years as a Public Affairs Officer, specialising in strategic communications and community engagement. Janniah Evans - Janniah is a longstanding supporter and member of The Land Collective, with her first engagement with the organisation being our virtual internship programme. Janniah now is a Graduate Asset Manager at Grosvenor and will be joining our existing Next Gen board members to support with strategy and fundraising. We're delighted to have them all on board! Watch this space!