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SHAPE sponsors the Diversity Masterclass at The Property Congress 2022

For the fifth year in a row, SHAPE is Diversity Sponsor at The Property Congress 2022, Australia’s number one property conference.

The Property Council of Australia’s annual event, held this year in Hobart from 28 to 30 March 2022, brings together leaders in the industry to discuss the big issues driving property development and investment in Australia and globally.

One of the first events of this year’s conference was the Diversity Masterclass, facilitated by Michael Manikas, a proud Biripi and Worimi man and Managing Director of DLG SHAPE. An Aboriginal owned and managed fitout and construction services specialist operating nationally, DLG SHAPE was launched as a partnership between the David Liddiard Group and SHAPE in 2016.

The Diversity Masterclass included speakers Bob Johnston, CEO of The GPT Group, and Josephine Sukkar AM, Principal of Buildcorp Group Pty Ltd. Both speakers, guided by Michael, discussed diversity in the construction industry, with a focus on gender diversity, LGBTQI+ diversity, reconciliation, and the link between diversity and domestic and family violence.

Speaking on the long-standing partnership, Peter Marix-Evans, CEO at SHAPE, said: “We are proud to be Diversity Sponsor at The Property Congress, an achievement we’ve made possible for five consecutive years.

“At SHAPE, our vision is to be the place where everyone wants to work, and this is only possible by providing a safe and inclusive workplace with a culture of respect, understanding and acceptance for all. We believe that by building a diverse workforce, we will enhance our business performance, facilitate innovation, and attract and retain the best people from the widest available talent pool.”

Shaping Diversity In Construction

SHAPE is committed to building a more inclusive construction industry by shaping its own diverse workforce. Through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan, launched in FY 2021/22 to supersede its Gender Action Plan, SHAPE aims to support and facilitate an inclusive environment that embraces and recognises the benefits of diversity.

As part of the DEI Action Plan, SHAPE is undertaking initiatives to assist its people in understanding and contributing towards this objective. These include programmes to understand and eliminate unconscious biases, a Senior Leadership Advocacy programme to support under-represented people with career-advancement opportunities, flexibility plans, and an annual gender pay gap analysis to ensure a zero pay gap for like-for-like roles.

SHAPE’s commitment to closing the socio-economic gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is underpinned by its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). SHAPE launched its Reflect RAP, the first in its reconciliation journey, in 2017, in an effort to build meaningful relationships and create opportunities for employment and sustainable business with Australia’s Indigenous peoples. After meeting its targets, SHAPE proceeded its Reflect RAP with the Innovate RAP in 2019 and is now working on its Stretch RAP.

We are proud to be Diversity Sponsor at The Property Congress, an achievement we’ve made possible for five consecutive years.

To support and enable diversity in the property and construction industries, SHAPE sponsors InterBuild, a network that supports LGBTQI+ people, plus NAWICWIDAC and Top 100 Women, organisations that empower women in those industries. SHAPE is also a proud member of Supply Nation, a company that aims to create greater social good by matching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses with corporate Australia.

SHAPE attendees at this year’s The Property Congress include CEO Peter Marix-Evans, along with Simon Kirby, Director of Business Development at SHAPE, and Keeta Welch, Senior Project Manager in SHAPE’s NT branch.