Solent: Women in Property launches new network

Women in Property, the UK’s leading national association of female property professionals, inaugurated WiP Solent recently in Winchester, with more than 60 of the region’s property professionals coming together to celebrate the association’s growing presence in the region.

The announcement followed the appointment of Natasha Cottell, business development manager for Wates Construction, as the new chair for the South West branch for 2016/17.

Alison Welch, cost manager for property-and-construction consultants Gleeds, based in Southampton, will be leading the Solent satellite.

Cottell commented: “It is clear from the support our network receives that the past 30 years have made a huge impact on the industry’s diversity agenda and I very much look forward to building on this.”

The new WiP Solent satellite is additional to the South West branch, which includes Devon and Cornwall, and the Gloucestershire branch. A fourth satellite is set to be launched launch in Wiltshire in April.

Welch said: “I hope that this launch will encourage women in the Solent area to get involved, so that they too can benefit from extending their professional network and creating new business opportunities.”

The Association of Women in was established over 30 years ago, and now has eight regional branches across the country. It is regularly consulted on policy issues. It has recently given evidence at the Lord Davies enquiry into Women on Boards, and it is due to give evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Committee on Women and Work.

It helped to shape Property Week magazine’s Open Plan Campaign and subsequent Diversity Charter aimed at driving greater diversity and inclusion across the industry.