Tina Cheung

What do diversity and inclusion mean to you, both personally and professionally?

Professionally diversity is not only about where you are from, how you look or what languages you speak. Embracing diversity will also help us attract the best talent, drive innovation and collaboration, and deliver the best experience for our employees as well as our clients. Inclusion starts with recognizing our differences and respecting the uniqueness we bring. It enables us to combine the best of both worlds comprising inclusivity and merit from our talents. It means every person is valued and has a sense of belonging of CBRE.

Personally, I always remind myself, especial when it comes to dealing with my children, that diversity and inclusion means accept the difference and build a relationship through understanding and accommodating each other’s differences.

As the head of People and an exco member at CBRE, how do you ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace?

A true diverse and inclusive workplace is not defined by a set of D&I polices, but rather how we behave. Embracing diverse thinking, mindset and culture is the first step to ensure creating a diverse and inclusive workplace for our employees. I always ask our leaders and myself, have we done enough? Have we done some different comparing to the past? Why we need to follow the “old habit” but not a “new way” or “another way”? Do our staff feel safe and sure express their concerns and opinions without fear of victimization based on their unique perspectives?

How do you think employees can maintain work-life balance and mental wellness during uncertain times? As a full-time working mother, how do you find yourself balancing between work and family? What is your advice to female colleague?

Balancing between work and family can be hard. Our company is family friendly, with the option of working from home or flexible hours at office. We provided 14 weeks of maternity leave at full salary 18 months before official regulation was introduced and we have a fully-equipped mother’s room. Both of my kids are CBRE babies and with CBRE flexible working policy, I feel that I have lots of support from the company.

My advice to other female colleagues in balancing career and family: always trust yourself, never ever doubt your capabilities and what you can truly achieve. Don’t be shy to ask for career support from your spouse, colleagues or manager.