In an interview with the FT, William Beardmore-Gray, chair of property group Knight Frank has said he wants to harness the power of diversity to shed the company’s ‘fusty’ image and turn it into a modern, dynamic agency with international reach.

Posh

The company has traditionally been associated with ‘posh’ Englishmen and is known as a trusted brand of the establishment.

When it comes to growing its overseas business in Asia and the Middle East Beardmore-Gray says that is not necessarily an advantage, especially as it means it is more associated with country houses and top-end London homes rather than big commercial real estate deals.

Beardmore-Gray tells the FT. “We’re currently restructuring our European business and we are spending a lot of time focusing on Asia.”

And according to the latest figures, half of Knight Frank’s revenue comes from overseas.

We’ve got to be fishing in the entire talent pool, not just part of one.”

Beardmore-Gray says: “The thing that kept me awake at night has been making the company more reflective of wider society.

“I saw the balance and diversity in our business as a burning platform . . . We’ve got to be fishing in the entire talent pool, not just part of one.”

Instead he wants to build a business where “everyone felt they belonged”.

He adds: “We couldn’t carry on being enthusiastic amateurs in this area.”

As a result of his diversity drive, at partner level female representation has increased from 21.7% in 2021 to 27.3% in 2024. At the lower associate level, 49.6% are now women, compared with 43.3% in 2021.

Knight Frank is also now collecting broader data on the backgrounds of its workforce in order to “remove barriers to entry and success”.