Storytelling, personal journeys, and leaders walking the walk help us to nurture talent, embrace diversity and foster an inclusive working environment. But we have a long way to go.

I have been at the annual Construction Industry Council (CIC) conference today on behalf of Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) – a gathering of professional bodies invested in our built and natural environments, the world we inhabit.

It was my first time at CIC. I now know that if I come across another event organised by its Chair Wei Yang, I will not be disappointed. Wei had clearly put a lot of thought into her choice of speakers and what they were being asked to address. The result was a rich seam of insight into the realities of nurturing talent and being more inclusive.

A particular shout-out to:

Sumita Singha OBE 💙 (who had several in tears at the dinner when describing her personal journey from growing up in India sharing one room with her family and sleeping on a table to being at Trinity College Cambridge and onwards to being a highly respected architect);

Jessica Taylor (who as an accomplished lawyer hailing from Ghana had been the first black woman to study Law at Liverpool University in the 1980s and continues to face “huge assumptioning” in her career – “people don’t believe I’m a solicitor because I’m black”);

Lorna Stimpson (CEO at LABC and a key figure in building control who recalled her early years when she had been poorly treated – “they did all they could to get rid of me” – and in one role “I’m still ticking a box for somebody” as a woman); and

Amanda Clack (who had us enraptured as we journeyed through insights from her book ‘Managing Diversity and Inclusion in Real Estate’).

Three takeaways from Amanda: inclusion means “people feeling they can bring their whole selves to work every day”; “it’s important to be authentic as a leader; don’t just jump on the EDI bandwagon”; and “if you think EDI is about ticking a box and moving on you’ve got it all wrong”. She urged us to “tell your story” – as Sumita, Jessica and Lorna did so powerfully.

I was left with a reminder of the deep importance, and also complexity, of hashtag#equalitydiversityinclusion. It’s no good just scratching the surface – there’s a need to delve deeper, and to have an open mind receptive to learning more and walking the walk.

It was inspiring to hear from Maryam Al-Irhayim (Council member, RIBA) as someone near the beginning of her career who was wonderfully articulate and insightful, offering a new phrase when it comes to building for the future: “measure twice, build once” (the pyramids have lasted 1000s of years; concrete structures may last 100).

I’m proud that as CIHT we were part of the discussion, noting our commitment to EDI and our manifesto call for investment in “a wider pool of people from a broader range of backgrounds to have professionals who are aware of the complex societal, environmental and economic challenges we face”.