We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Hannah Awonuga (she/her) as Group Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) at Knight Frank.
This role will ensure that there is a strategic roadmap in place to implement DE&I initiatives and strengthen our commitment to making Knight Frank a diverse and inclusive organisation.
Hannah Awonuga joins the newly created role as Group Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and is an experienced DE&I leader. Hannah 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.
Hannah’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.”
