In November, ULI Toronto announced its Women’s Leadership Initiative. Our goal is to promote the advancement of women in Toronto’s real estate and development industry.

We profile and celebrate the success of women in building a better Toronto.
We create opportunities for young women to become leaders in our industry,
We work to ensure ULI Toronto events, committees and leadership better reflect the diversity of our membership.

To get the ball rolling, ULI Toronto’s Women’s Leadership Initiative co-hosted the 2013 Fireside Chat with Mayor Hazel McCallion and Toronto’s Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat.

While the chat was a casual event with a lot of laughs, the crowd was clearly inspired and impressed by the duo’s passion, achievements and ability to lead change. We, men and women from across the industry, were there to learn from two remarkable leaders in real estate. And we did.

As the ULI Toronto’s Women’s Leadership Initiative finds its stride, we will be looking to do as we did with the Fireside Chat. We want to ensure that women’s leadership in real estate gets the profile that it has earned. We want to inspire more women to become the leaders of tomorrow.

There are still too few women like Hazel and Jennifer at the top of the real estate ladder, especially in the areas of finance and construction. In November, ULI Toronto and the Women’s Leadership Initiative sponsored women’s participation in the annual Emerging Trends event. In the 8 years of this event, this year was one of the best – I have a hunch that the diversity of men and women in the room had a little to do with it.

ULI Toronto’s Women’s Leadership Initiative is just getting started, but we are propelled by the talent, opportunity and potential in our city. We are ahead of the curve with the discourse of women’s leadership reaching new heights thanks to people like Sheryl Sandberg and her Lean In Initiative (http://leanin.org/ ); and to increasing recognition of the value women’s leadership in successful business (check out this work from Ryerson’s Diversity Institute (http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/diversity/resources/DiversityLeads_Gender_2012.pdf).

Look for big things ahead. Share your ideas. Get connected.

Laurie Payne
Women’s Leadership Initiative
Development Director, Toronto Community Housing