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There are increasing calls for the surveying industry to recognise and actively implement diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, and especially to attract new young professionals into the sector.
But attracting the best people needs a demonstration that the sector and its practices are truly diverse and that business environments respect all human differences in the widest sense.
In June 2021, at the FIG Working Week in Amsterdam, Netherlands, a panel of land and property leaders came together to open a conversation on D&I.
The panel considered the opportunity that land professionals could make to improve D&I in the surveying profession (land, property and natural resources) and to inspire the FIG community.
The panellists were:
- Chair, Diane Dumashie, FIG Vice President, Dumashie Ltd, UK/Ghana
- Narelle Underwood, Surveyor-General of NSW, Australia
- Chitra Weddikkara, Emeritus Professor, Chartered Architect, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Sri Lanka
- Paul Olomolaiye, Professor Construction Engineering and Management, Vice-Chancellor for Equalities and Civic Engagement, University of West England, UK
- Victoria Stanley, Senior Land Administrator, World Bank, USA
A key part of the D&I conversation is to do more to increase the number of women in the sector, and the panel provided ideas as how this may be achieved. You can view a recording of the discussion at https://youtu.be/3N0A17G3fU8
The session closed with the presentation of an action-orientated statement that FIG members can use to improve D&I in the sector’s professional working practices and organisations.
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