Bode Adeloye and Joseph Bass of British Land explore what Black History Month means for them and how the world of business is changing, as people from more diverse backgrounds enter organisations and rise towards senior roles.

A time for change

Bode: Growing up as a Black person in south east London, when you see the City, there are a lot of white faces. The first perception you get is that people want to stop us getting on the corporate ladder and climbing up. But not every company is like that. More companies are doing what British Land’s doing and encouraging people from diverse backgrounds to come in and move up.

Joseph: British Land’s Ethnic Diversity Network, which has seen a lot of people joining this year, celebrates events that are important to members throughout the year, highlighting different cultures, food, music and messages. This Black History Month, we’re having virtual fireside chats with senior leaders, and events looking at historical figures and showcasing modern day people doing things in real estate and technology.

Bode: The Ethnic Diversity Network has a lot of different things going in parallel. I’m on a team focusing on Black recruitment. There are other people looking at training, for example we have non-bias training coming up this month. Most of the senior executives now have objectives around diversity for their departments. In my team, technology, a lot of apprentices come from different backgrounds and they’re encouraging us to do verbal recruitment, so we keep building on that.

Joseph: British Land is looking at Black promotions and career paths as well, finding ways to assist the progression of people of colour, so senior roles have broader ethnic representation. They’re making a conscious effort to ensure that employees feel safe and able to speak. These conversations can be awkward, so that’s much appreciated. I’m working with the Canada Water team now on ways to support people of colour within the Canada Water community.

A time for celebration

Joseph: Given everything that happened this year, it's been imperative to talk and assist friends and family with emotions they’re going through. Black History Month gives us a month of opportunity to address ongoing issues and causes that we’re fighting for in our day-to-day lives. As a young Black person, it has been difficult. I hope we reach the day when, looking at your colleague or friend, the colour of their skin doesn't change your perspective. Then, Black History Month can be more about celebrating where we’ve got to, as well as the tough times we’ve gone through.

Bode: Black History Month has always been important for me, partly because Nigerian Independence Day is within this month, so my family celebrates quite a lot. With the pandemic, this year we’ll be spending time together watching documentaries on historical figures and having discussions, remembering what we fought for and what we’ve achieved since. My mum loves history and politics, so she tells us stories about lesser known historical people and events. One of my favourite tales is about a fight between the Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo tribes, and how afterwards the country re-joined, the tribes started having conversations and working together, and nowadays you have less conflict.

Looking forward

Bode: In the future, I hope race equality becomes normal. As a business, you need diversity to reach the pinnacle of what you can do. To reach a larger audience and come up with different ideas, you have to have a diverse team. I’d encourage anyone who might have felt rejected because of who they are, to transfer to other places. To find an organisation like British Land, who accept and understand who you are, and look at the skills you can bring to life.

Joseph: We’re seeing more diverse faces and people from different backgrounds in the world of property. British Land is making a conscious effort to work with colleagues within the Black community and integrate people of colour across the business. This matters not only from a moral perspective but from a business perspective if you want to reach a wider audience. It’s the people who are in your business who make your business.

Find out more about British Land’s employee networks.