G15 backs Mayor’s Fund for London ‘Firm Foundations’ campaign

The G15 has signed-up to be founding partners of the Mayor’s Fund for London ‘Firm Foundations’ campaign, which aims to make the built environment industry more inclusive and accessible.

The campaign was officially launched today through a virtual session that brought together industry leaders and emerging young faces in the sector for a conversation about how we can dismantle the barriers that hold back ethnic minority professionals within the sector.

The Mayor’s Fund for London is an independent charity focused on social mobility in the capital and Firm Foundations is their new diversity and inclusion campaign aimed at making the built environment industry more inclusive. The campaign aims to create instant impact in its first year by signing up 100 companies to take collective and meaningful action whilst also working with business leaders to shape an industry-wide programme for the longer term.

The G15 are pleased to be founding partners of the initiative, which has the potential to allow young Londoners from diverse socio-economic and multi-ethnic backgrounds to flourish, creating a stronger and more inclusive built environment in the process.

Introduced by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, today’s event was a positive and promising launch of the Firm Foundations campaign.

Speaking at the event via a video message (which can be viewed in full below), Geeta Nanda OBE – G15 Chair and Chief Executive of MTVH, expressed her support for the campaign:

“I’ve seen first-hand how we make better decisions when we reflect the diverse communities we serve at all levels. When our residents and colleagues see themselves represented through the different levels of the organisation it builds trust, changes conversations, and empowers people to seek change.

“Ethnic minority colleagues or those from low-income backgrounds, in the sector and beyond, are too often under-represented in senior leadership positions. If we are to address this and transform the future of the built environment for the better, we must go beyond conversations and box ticking exercises.

“If we are serious about breaking the glass ceiling that holds people back, we have to start by building firm foundations.”

Although there is far more work to be done, today’s event was a promising step towards a more diverse, inclusive, and equal built environment industry, which the G15 and its members are committed to supporting.

To find out more about the campaign click here.