International Women's Day: NRLA celebrates women in property

Inspirational women from across the property industry came together to mark International Women’s Day at the NRLA’s annual celebration this week.  

Hosted by NRLA director Carla Johnson, guest speakers included Mandy St John Davey, MBE – who was recognised in the King’s New Year Honours for her role as national Chair of the Women in Property network and services to working women – and Victoria Valentine, business development executive of event sponsors Total Property. 

Mandy, who was named in the top 10 most influential women in construction in 2023, talked about the importance of women supporting each other and the next generation of female landlords, with Victoria outlining the need to develop your own ‘power team’ of tradespeople to ensure you are prepared for the legislation change ahead. 

Keynote address

The keynote address at the event, held at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Gerrards Cross on Tuesday, was given by property investor and digital nomad Kim Opszala, who talked about the challenge of running a property portfolio remotely. 

Kim, who has featured in NRLA members’ magazine Property, is a former corporate lawyer who quit the rat race to invest in property and splits her time between the UK and travelling Europe with her husband and their young son.  

She talked about the vital role played by tech, and the importance of choosing the right people when outsourcing. 

Afternoon tea 

As well as enjoying afternoon tea, guests were also treated to all-women panel discussion talking about the key legislative changes up ahead, with NRLA public affairs manager Eleanor Bateman, Sue Simms of Genie Homes and Sourcing and Linda Cobb OBE of Dash services, which works with local authorities and the private rented sector to improve conditions.   

The NRLA plans to build on the success of the event over the last two years with a 2026 celebration already on the cards. If you would like to attend next year’s International Women's Day event, pencil March 6 in your diaries now, with further details to be released closer to the time.

More information

• You can read more about Kim’s story here.
• To find out more about Michelle’s story click here.
• If you are a woman in property and have an interesting story to tell contact [email protected]