Vikki Bingham

Meet Vikki Bingham

What is your role at Avison Young?

Director, U.K. Client and Business Development. I work with Mark Croad to support the U.K. teams with their business development, providing data and analysis on our clients to support strategic client development

How did you get into commercial real estate?

After ten years working in a B2C sales environment I took a role at Avison Young, more to broaden my knowledge of different industries. Twenty years in, I am still here! Commercial real estate has such an impact on our daily lives and the places we live.

Who has been the most influential woman in your life?

This is a hard one as many people have been influential, but one of my friends who is a single mum with two children, she does not have a lot materially and has been diagnosed with epilepsy but has never given up finding new ways to support herself and is always positive! A number of women in my early career at Avison Young saw something in me I did not see in myself - their encouragement and mentoring has been very influential in how my time here has developed.

What advice would you give women starting out in real estate?

Be yourself, help others and never stop learning from what is happening around you - property has impact on so many aspects of our lives. To quote Joey Ramone, "Punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying 'this is who I am'... Never be afraid to be a bit 'Punk.'"

This year's IWD theme is Choose to Challenge. What do you choose to challenge or celebrate to help create more inclusion in your community?

I choose to challenge the status quo and keep pushing for positive change and to celebrate when it happens. .

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I was once a punk and still listen to the music... Giving back is incredibly important to me, helping to keep the playing field a bit level. I am currently a volunteer Vaccine Marshall at our local large vaccine centre and support of number of other organisations with mentoring and giving time.

What women’s organizations would you recommend other women get involved with?

Aspire for Equality, Women in Data and Women in Tech.