At Knight Frank, the Data Office, led by Head of Data Management Paula Rudkin, is at the forefront of the company’s rapidly evolving data culture.

Here, Paula discusses Knight Frank's partnership with Women in Data®, shares how she's championing diversity, equity and inclusion at Knight Frank and the initiatives she's working on for the year ahead.

Paula Rudkin talking at Knight Frank's Women in Data 2022 event.

What is your role at Knight Frank?

Paula Rudkin, Head of Data Management in the Data Office.

How did you get involved in championing diversity, equity and inclusion at Knight Frank?

It’s a melting pot explanation and summary of all my interests. I got involved firstly as chair of one of our People Boards and then as a member of the LGBTQ+ network, my role in data and our partnership with Women in Data®.

Why did you become interested in this area?

It's always something that I've been passionate about, not just in the workplace but in society. Anything that I can do to make the place that we all come together to work in better for everyone has got to be a priority, both because it’s the right thing to do and because it helps us attract and retain the best people.

What do diversity, equity and inclusion mean to you, and why is it important?

True inclusion means people can bring their whole selves to work, and they don’t have to think about how they’ll be perceived or reacted to. Knowing that the business that you work for supports everyone equitably is fundamental.

What initiatives or steps have you taken to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

- Leading our Knight Frank Partnership with Women In Data®
- Ensuring I recruit in my subject area and team equitably and, as a woman in data and tech, make myself available to join interview panels to provide balance
- Collaborating with HR to ensure we are creating policies for women of all ages, for example, around menopause
- Worked with the LGBTQ+ network, supporting their initiatives
- Introduced Balance Boards to talk to the Business Services and Data Office teams
- Organised a DE&I talk by Dame Stephanie Shirley, sponsored by the Gender Balance Board. It's an initiative I introduced and pushed to ensure it happened
- Introduced reverse mentoring within the Gender Balance Board

What future activities are you working on?

- I am working with Microsoft to explore internship programmes for women in tech and data
- Exploring how data can focus our gender balance conversations
- Building a Women in Data® community in Mumbai with the data team there. The inaugural networking meeting planned for March 2023
- Working on Women in Data®'s flagship event on March 9th, getting broad Knight Frank representation at the event and leveraging our visibility at the event to reflect our intention around Gender Balance initiatives
- Working with Lisa Nunn [Partner in Strategy, Operations and Communications] and the team on Property Week's DE&I initiative as the representative for Business Services
- Exploring a Knight Frank Women in Data® event at Microsoft’s offices later in the year

What do you like to do outside Knight Frank?

I enjoy keeping active either walking, cycling, swimming or at the gym. I like to travel and enjoy food and wine with friends. I also have 2 dogs who are always looking for adventure!

Find out more about Knight Frank's partnership with Women in Data®