Last chance to apply for pro bono communications support for ethnically diverse SMEs

Please note that this article was published prior to the new brand name of PREACH Inclusion® on 25 April 2024, so you will notice references to BAME in Property.

This week, we are pleased to have a guest contribution from Roxane McMeeken, Director at ING Media – one of BAME in Property’s Corporate Partners. Here, Roxane talks about ING’s new pro bono programme, called Elevate, which will support ethnic minority-run small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the built environment with communications support and advocacy. The aim of the programme is to enhance participant’s credibility and authority by helping them communicate to raise their profile and increase their chances of success.

Over time, the programme aims to contribute to improving diversity and inclusion in our sector, and ultimately creating a built environment that is better designed for all communities it serves.

Read more about why we need this programme and how you can apply below.

Roxane McMeeken, Director, ING Media

Building a successful architecture practice or consultancy is arduous at the best of times. Producing exceptional work is not enough. You also need people management skills and a head for figures, and you must be constantly developing relationships with clients, while chasing – and impressing – prospects. The amount of unpaid time and effort architecture practices in particular put into tendering and competition entries is probably unmatched in any other sector.

“It goes without saying that those with the drive to start their own firm deserve a level playing field."

But the challenges don’t fall on everyone equally. Entrepreneurs who are not white face extra barriers to success. In a UK survey of aspiring and established Black entrepreneurs, 53% reported having experienced racism or discrimination, and 84% perceived racism as a potential barrier to their entrepreneurial efforts (Black Business Network/Lloyds Bank 2021).

This might mean potential clients ruling you out or having a loan application turned down: according to independent research group BVA BDRC, more than half of ethnic minority-run small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were refused credit in 2021, compared to less than a quarter of all SMEs overall. In the current economic climate, when inflated costs and looming recession are compounding the pressures on emerging practices, this is an issue that is more pressing than ever.

“We all need a built environment that reflects our diverse needs and perspectives, and that will only come when the sector itself is representative of the communities it serves."

In the built environment sector, the implications are far-reaching. It goes without saying that those with the drive to start their own firm deserve a level playing field. But it’s not their problem alone: we all need a built environment that reflects our diverse needs and perspectives, and that will only come when the sector itself is representative of the communities it serves. This must include not only those coming up through the ranks, but those in leadership roles too. We’re a long way from that today. In architecture, for example, the latest data from the Architects Registration Board shows that just 1 per cent of registered UK architects are Black, compared to 3 per cent of the general population.

At ING, as communications consultants specialising in the built environment, we know it is an industry where connections – and communicating a compelling story to a network – are crucial to winning work and to long-term success. We have also become aware of the additional hurdles that emerging businesses with founders of diverse heritage may face, through our work with start-ups and as PR partner for inclusion charity Blueprint for All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) which supports people of diverse ethnic heritage to pursue a career in architecture, among other work to support people into professional careers.

There are a number of programmes that seek to improve representation by focusing on the origins of exclusion, education and recruitment, through initiatives such as Blueprint for All’s bursaries for architecture students. At ING, we wondered if we could make a complementary contribution to positive change by supporting entrepreneurs from diverse ethnicities to grow their businesses.

So we are launching Elevate, an initiative to provide PR and communications advice on a pro bono basis to help firms raise their profile and increase their chances of success. Our aim will be to enhance their credibility and authority by helping them communicate - with impact and consistency - the values, skills and experience underpinning their approach.

“Elevate will be a learning process for us, and we will continue to adapt and evolve the programme as we discover what works best for the participants."

It’s open to companies in the built environment sector with up to 15 employees and at least one founder or leader from a diverse ethnic background. Through Elevate, ING will offer an intensive and completely bespoke package of support, including an in-depth workshop session with our consultants, and we aim to build long-standing relationships with the participants.

Elevate will be a learning process for us, and we will continue to adapt and evolve the programme as we discover what works best for the participants. We hope that along the way, it will contribute to improving diversity and inclusion in our sector, and ultimately to creating a built environment that is better designed for all of the communities it serves.

To join Elevate, email elevate@ing-media.com with a couple of sentences on your company, your ambitions, and why you would like to take part. Please apply by 17th February (though ING will accept any applications that come over the weekend too). ING will review applications and appoint the initial cohort in the first quarter of 2023.