Pathways to Property, the programme which aims to widen access to the real estate profession, has added three board members.
Jacqui Collins, co-founder and chief executive of Blend; Mandeep Mangat, director at Kennedy Wilson; and Harvey Sangar, director at Opera, all join the board.
Collins served as chief development officer at the Urban Land Institute, where she led its European expansion over eight years. She has also held roles at Lodestar UK, BIZUMA and Tucano Urbano.
The new board member has led an educational programme for 15–18-year-olds from underprivileged backgrounds for over a decade, helping to develop links between schools and the industry.
Pathways for Property said that Collins would continue to drive awareness and widen access to the real estate industry for young people from less advantaged and non-traditional backgrounds at Pathways to Property.
Mangat's 17-year real estate experience has spanned debt, equity and asset management, as well as having run her own education business.
She is described as being "passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of young people" and "hopes that her career and life experiences as an Asian woman [in the property industry] can bring new perspectives to the board".
Harvey Sangar has 22 years' experience in real estate spanning design and project management. He has spent his career advising leading blue-chip developers, investors, funds and occupiers on how to optimise their buildings and projects working in the UK, Europe and USA.
As a director of a leading project management business in central London, Opera, he combines his area of practice with business operations and managing emerging new talent in his field.
Sangar has also been involved with the British Council of Offices as a NextGEN mentor for the past three years.
Pathways to Property chairman Paddy Allen said in a statement: "Jacqui, Mandeep and Harvey each bring extensive experience, skills and knowledge to the board, as well as fresh thinking, new ideas and shared values, that align with Pathways to Property, with a passion to widen representation in the real estate sector.
"Living our own values, it was fantastic to work with the team at [recruitment firm] Rockbourne to find great talent outside our own networks and we are really delighted to have all three join our board at a time when we’re seeing our first alumni progress their careers in real estate, building on the foundations the project has built over the last 12 years."
Led by the Reading Real Estate Foundation at Henley Business School, University of Reading, the project was established to deepen the talent pool in real estate and broaden representation across the industry.
Pathways to Property seeks to raise awareness and aspirations about the vast range of careers available to young people from less advantaged and non-traditional backgrounds, looking to positively encourage diverse routes into the real estate sector.