People Moves: Knight Frank welcomes Hannah Awonuga as Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Press Release, London -- Knight Frank announced on Monday that experienced DE&I leader Hannah Awonuga has joined the firm as Group Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, a newly created role, with immediate effect.

Ms. Awonuga has over 17 years of experience in the banking industry, joining Knight Frank from Barclays Bank PLC, where she was Global Director and Head of DE&I Colleague Engagement. This follows the appointment of Karen Bowes as Knight Frank's Group Chief People Officer earlier this year, demonstrating the crucial importance of group and workplace culture to Knight Frank. 

Ms. Awonuga's role will focus on developing a strategic roadmap with the overall purpose of providing a superior experience for Knight Frank's people. She will provide strategic direction to the Group Executive and UK Boards, Business Balance leads and formulate and execute a DE&I strategy to facilitate the adoption of industry-wide best practices in DE&I, as well as develop a set of metrics that will drive this agenda across the Group.

At Barclays, Hannah was a member of the DE&I senior leadership team responsible for the design and delivery of the firm's global DE&I colleague engagement strategy and its tangible interventions for all global colleagues, clients, and customers, covering c. 90,000 employees across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Americas, and APAC. Hannah was also responsible for introducing and implementing the firm's global social mobility strategy and defining and repositioning the Barclays' Global Employee Resource Groups, aligning the ERG strategy to the bank's five key DE&I priorities.

Karen Bowes, Group Chief People Officer at Knight Frank, commented, "At Knight Frank, we are committed to unlocking the potential of all our people, creating a diverse place to work where all are seen, heard, valued and thrive. Due to the efforts of our Business Balance groups, we have made great progress but have much to do. Hannah's appointment is demonstrative of our commitment to building an inclusive and balanced partnership, and her experience will enable us to implement a robust, measurable DE&I strategy and plan designed to create equitable outcomes for all."

Hannah Awonuga said, "Knight Frank's focus on its people mirrors my own values and commitment to creating a culture where everyone can thrive. It is critical to the success of our business to enhance the employee experience and ensure that we are cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion across the business. I look forward to working with the Board, partners and all colleagues to build on Knight Franks culture to create an environment where all colleagues have a sense of inclusion and belonging."

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About Knight Frank

Founded in 1896 and headquartered in London, UK, Knight Frank is one of the world's leading independent real estate consultancies.

Headquartered in London, we have 384 offices across 51 territories and more than 16,000 people. We operate in locations where our clients need us to be, providing a worldwide service that's locally expert and globally informed.

Our determination to give you the best experience has led us to be recognised as an innovative business leader in exceptional customer service globally.

As your partners in property, we will always act with integrity and care when it comes to our clients unique needs; consistently thinking about the bigger picture to provide personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property.

Through our deep understanding of key markets and sectors – both emerging and established – we are dedicated to meeting and exceeding your property goals.