International Women's Day 2023 - Sarupe Uppal
To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023, Forsters is delighted to be releasing a series of Q&As with some of our partners and employees who go above and beyond to champion equity across our business.
We hope they will provide an insight into what drives those individuals who are really pushing the equity agenda forward.
Sarupe Uppal is an Associate in our Commercial Real Estate team and lead of our Race Support Network. Sarupe speaks openly about the challenges of navigating the legal sector as a queer woman of colour and provides some insightful reflections on achieving gender equality in the workplace. Read more about Sarupe below:
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Sarupe Uppal. I am an Associate in the Commercial Real Estate team and I also run the Race Support Network here at Forsters. I was born in Scotland and lived briefly in Switzerland as a child but spent most of my life in Surrey. I am a second-generation immigrant and a non-practising Sikh.
2. Have you ever experienced being treated inequitably in your career? If so, how did you move forward from it?
Yes, I have but these experiences have helped me pursue change in workplaces and the industry as a whole.
3. Tell us about your most inspiring female role models (whether at Forsters, clients, or beyond).
My most inspiring female role model was my first supervisor who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. It was great to work under such a powerhouse with a kind soul. She was also an Asian woman, so I was able to envision myself more easily being able to supervise and guide others after working with her. Another female role model is Christina Blacklaws who is a former colleague, mentor and friend, she has had an amazing career but I rate her the most for her emotional intelligence and determination.
4. What has been the highlight of your career?
Working with the East End Woman’s Museum to open the first dedicated women’s museum in England and Wales.
5. What is the best advice you have been given?
Choose your battles wisely.
6. What message would you send to young women today?
Try not to overthink it, back yourself and others. Speak out if you can about injustice, in my experience you will always end up regretting it if you don’t.
7. What do you think are the most effective steps men can take to help achieve gender equity in the workplace?
Act with urgency and do the work yourself to understand the issues.
8. Have you seen progress in the area of gender equity, and equity generally, over the course of your career?
While there has been some progress, we have a very long journey ahead of us towards equity.
9. In what areas do you feel there is work to be done?
I don’t think we have come to a place as a society or industry where we have reached equity so I don’t think there is one area that just can be focused on but instead we need a relentless intersectional approach which should be pervasive in all parts of a company’s business plan.
10. If you could summarise your career to date in one sentence, what would it be?
A painful exploration! I think I am getting there, but it has been difficult to find my way within an industry which rarely reflects me as a queer woman of colour.
11. What is your biggest hope for the future in the field of gender equity?
There are no societal pressures for women to do or not do things and not to be judged at what stage they do decide to things.
12. What benefits do you feel working at a firm with a gender balanced partnership?
More diversity of thought and less of a feeling that being a woman will be a hinderance to my career progress.
13. Do you think of embracing equity at work, and pushing forward the equity agenda, falls equally on both genders? If not, what impact do you think this has on women?
I think if we really want progress, men will have to take up the battle more. Real allyship is taking on more of the emotional labour than the group that is at a disadvantage.