A small group of women estate agents who came together on Facebook to support one another in lockdown has grown to over 2,500 members and is making a huge impact on the property industry.
This March they held their first Women in Estate Agency Conference at London’s Cavendish Conference Centre, with topics including mental health, financial advice, building a brand, safety at work and communicating your worth.
Vicky Bibiris, a Partner of Location Location in Stoke Newington, was among those to attend. She said: “This group has been such a positive force – for the past few years we’ve supported each other, offered advice and shared stories on Facebook, so to finally meet in person was very special.
“My girlfriend Amy Shields who also works in the industry was one of the guest speakers and gave a brilliant presentation about mental health in the workplace and my friend Stephen Brown spoke of the loss of his wife and how he now uses his story to help others. Another agent bravely shared her experience of being sexually assaulted in the workplace.
“This International Women’s Day seems the perfect time to celebrate the bond formed between women on this group and it was great so many men came to the event to show support.
“We’ve got to be supporting each other, energising each other, collaborating and sharing stories – it’s how we learn and grow. There certainly isn’t a problem with women being underrepresented in the industry anymore – though some of the big corporates do still have pay gap issues. But we do need to do much more to increase racial diversity.”
The conference, which was sponsored by Rightmove and other industry suppliers, was organised by an advisory board made up of Sarah Edmundson of Agents Together, Lucy Noonan, owner of Atomic Consultancy, Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa Property, Clare Yates of CY Training, Kirsty Franks of Kirsty Franks Marketing and event manager Sarah Davies.
The keynote speaker was Joanna Swash, Group Chief Executive of Moneypenny answering service. Speaking about Joanna’s talk Vicky added: Joanna’s presentation was a source of empowerment and inspiration. Her accomplishments, while remaining true to herself, are truly awe-inspiring.
Kristjan Byfield, the co-founder of Base Property Specialists in East London, described the event as “uplifting” and “emotional”, adding: “We laughed, we cried, we got angry and sad, inspired and more.”
Describing the guest speakers as: “thought-provoking,” added: “Whether it was social media tips, market challenges, different approaches to work, personal safety or health- topics and ideas that made you think – not just ‘we could win instructions’ but ‘why aren’t we doing this for us/our staff.”
What a wonderful achievement! Congratulations and well done to the amazing organisers, sponsors, inspiring speakers, and all the attendees who made it possible.
Your collective efforts and hard work have truly made a difference and have created a positive impact in your industry. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to making this event a success.
