Marsha Ramroop, Inclusion Consultant, Derby, UK

What inspired you to want a life in Architecture and the creative industries?
Stephen Lawrence- I knew he wanted to be an architect and I wanted to ensure that the spaces we existed and lived in were inclusive. The kind of world that he would have wanted to create, and should be living in.

Who inspired you in finding your path to Architecture and the creative industries?
No one in particular- it’s only by chance I saw the role to be Director of Inclusion at the RIBA and I knew I had to apply. I felt if I could influence the creation of inclusive spaces, I could influence the creation of an inclusive world. Once I was here there were a few things that happened, and, actually it was the Executive Director of Comms and Marketing at RIBA who supported me and gave me the confidence to find my voice in the profession.

How you unlock obstacles and overcome bias in your work.
It’s an ongoing journey of self reflection and continuous learning. We are all biased, and once we look in the mirror and take responsibility for that we can all be better humans to each other. Obstacles are often opportunities too- it’s just understanding how to frame it.

 What improvements you feel are required to promote effective change in the academic and working environment?
The promotion of Change has to be a relentless message, of words, actions and outcomes. Improvement will happen if we follow through the holding educators and practice leaders to account for their behaviours, and role model a different way.The Improvements are manifold: we need to attract a wider range of people to be in the profession, decolonisation of the curriculum, acceptance of different lived experience in design, listen to the communities in which we build, pay Part 1 &2 properly… everything about the profession needs to improve.