Saleem Fazal, Real Estate Disputes partner and Head of our Liverpool Office, has been awarded an MBE in the King's New Year Honours List 2023 for services to Inclusion in the Property Industry. 

This honour recognises Saleem's role as co-founder and long-time co-chair of Freehold, a support and networking forum for LGBTQ+ professionals working within the real estate sector. 

Since Freehold’s founding in 2011 its membership has grown to over 1,000. As well as advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusivity, it has taken more than 50 professionals through its official mentorship programme, facilitated hundreds of informal mentorship chats, held many networking events, and partnered with numerous LGBTQ+ charities and non-profits on important causes. 

Freehold has been supported throughout by Taylor Wessing and leading building and property consultancy Tuffin Ferraby Taylor LLP (TFT). Key corporate supporters include Shaftesbury plc, Land Securities, and British Land. Co-chair David Mann of TFT also received an MBE in the Honours List. 

“It's an incredible privilege to be included in the Honours List," says Fazal. "The recognition belongs to the whole Freehold team, all our corporate sponsors, the property press and all our members who have bought into our vision of a property sector in which LGBTQ+ professionals feel fully welcome and represented. We would not have made so many advancements without the hard work, dedication, and support of many people over the years.” 

Both Saleem and David stepped away from their co-chair roles in 2022. The new co-chairs have confirmed the importance of their achievements. “What was once a lonely sector for many LGBTQ+ people has become a lot more accepting and inclusive over the past few years,” says Freehold co-chair Scott Parsons, UK COO at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. “That’s in no small part thanks to the efforts and vision of people like Saleem and David.”