Last night, we received a special award from the G15, a group of London's largest housing associations, for going above and beyond in improving diversity.
The first ever G15 Ethnicity in Housing Awards event, held at the Museum of London Docklands, recognised Black, Asian and Minority ethnic people in the housing sector.
It included a Kandyan dance performance, a message from UNIFY, a collection of networks across the sector, and a speech from guest speaker Dr Shola Mos-Mogbamimu (founder of Women in Leadership Publication and author of ‘This is Why I resist’)).
Shortlists for the awards had been announced in advance, but we walked away with a surprise UNIFY Special Recognition Award, in honour of the work we’ve done with them since 2016, our willingness to challenge ourselves and the sector and the great strides we’ve made to improve diversity in our organisation.
Kate Davies said: “It was a fantastic event that was made all the more special by winning this award. Improving diversity and making sure our senior management is more reflective of our staff and residents has been a key focus for us in recent years and I’m proud the progress we’ve made is gaining recognition both internally and among our peers.
“Congratulations to all our colleagues who were shortlisted, as well as one of our engaged residents who has given up so much time to help improve services for those living in our homes.”
Colleagues from Notting Hill Genesis had been nominated in the Future Leader, Supportive Colleague and Lifetime Achievement categories. Meanwhile, Cultural Energie, one of our staff networks, were nominated for best Staff Racial Equality Action Group.
- To coincide with the awards, the G15 has released its Ethnic Diversity Pledge – 2022 Report, which looks at how its members are implementing and delivering the pledge. It includes contributions from the G15 group, and Notting Hill Genesis has shared details about its Race at Work action plan and its outcomes.