“I want to retire and see that these young girls are now holding board positions”
Beryl Mutandiro, Quantity Surveyor at Mace.
Beryl's decision to pursue a career within construction stems from her childhood experiences, growing up in South London, and witnessing the calls of change from her community. Beryl took it upon herself to be a part of an industry which has the capacity to evoke change and progress. Having grown up on a housing estate, Beryl recalls seeing members of her community living without basic necessities such as electricity or water and this has inspired Beryl to want more for those around her.
Beryl started her campaign of change by doing work experience during her college years with her local MP and pursued a degree in Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management. Beryl quickly realised that the political avenue was not going to provide the systemic improvements she was seeking to implement and turned her efforts to construction. With some encouragement from her mother, Beryl felt a career in quantity surveying would enable her to directly contribute to the delivery of homes which could meet the basic needs of residents. Although fairly new to the world of real estate and construction, Beryl has identified where her strengths lie and uses these qualities to advocate for others, to create influence and to have the necessary conversations to promote change.
As a member of the first cohort of COVID-19 graduates, Beryl acknowledges the challenges she faced in securing a role given the wider economic context. Beyond the fire within Beryl which drives her, she reflects on the unwavering support and kindness offered by her mentor who was introduced to her during an unexpected encounter whilst at her part-time job. Her mentor, a partner at a consultancy firm, heard her concerns around securing a job in the midst of COVID-19 and offered her a job on the spot. It was during this period that Beryl realised the power of a network, noting that it can be difficult to secure a job and meaningful opportunities to progress in role without adequate support or mentoring.
One major point of note for Beryl has been the lack of other black women in the industry, she has struggled personally to establish her own presence in certain rooms and has felt the uphill challenge of starting in an industry where connections can open or close doors. This did not stop Beryl but pushed her to become a force that younger black women could look up to. As part of her efforts to support a meaningful shift in DE&I conversations at work, Beryl has been encouraging her organisation to consider initiatives which focus on retaining ethnically underrepresented colleagues noting that investment in the company culture will yield meaningful results in relation to keeping representation at all levels.
Beryl’s determination and commitment to pursue change is inspired by her younger self. She remembers the feeling of starting your career and not understanding the heaviness (and beauty) that exists in the challenges she has faced. She is motivated to continue her efforts to ensure that individuals, particularly young black women, who are starting out in their careers today and keen to enter industries where they may have been told or shown that they do not belong, are able to succeed without the added burden of prejudice. Beryl’s vision is clear, as she shares, “I want to retire and see that these young girls are now holding board positions”.
One way in which she supports younger generations is through mentorship opportunities. To date, Beryl has supported a range of school-aged students, graduate and apprentices in her community with advice on career options, often highlighting the benefits of a career in real estate and construction. She constantly offers encouragement and seeks to impart wisdom based on her own experiences in the hope that they will make decisions based on their aspirations rather than opting to take the well-trodden path.
With her tenacious and confident attitude, Beryl has shown resilience through her journey in the industry and hopes to continue conversations on better retention of people of colour in the industry and creating a more diverse workforce. Beryl encourages other black women to take chances, share your ideas and fight for what you want irrespective of your background. From her own experiences, Beryl highlights that you never know the impact of your contributions until they are vocalised therefore, taking a chance is paramount.
The Phenomenal Women campaign is sponsored by the RICS
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