Exceptional Female Role Models – Banke Odunaike

Banke Odunaike is Global Head of Legal for CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions business segment, which provides Facilities Management and Project Management services for the world’s largest real estate occupiers across 100+ countries.

Prior to this role, she was Chief Culture Officer with responsibility for ethics & compliance, diversity, equity & inclusion, senior leadership talent identification and development, and succession planning.

Banke joined CBRE as Senior Director, EMEA Legal in 2017. She was appointed Head of EMEA Legal in 2020 and her role was further expanded to oversee the APAC region in January 2023.

A champion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the law, she established CBRE’s UK Legal DE&I Taskforce - a team who saw CBRE become foundation signatory to the UK Model Diversity Survey in 2021. She was Executive Sponsor of CBRE’s REACH network and sits on the Senior Advisory Board of the Apollo Leadership Institute which brings together general counsel and senior in-house lawyers to collaborate on culture, leadership, and talent; as well as on the creation of meritocratic workplaces.

She is also a member of The Eagle Club – a global network of women in senior leadership positions who work proactively to promote equality and the progression of talented women in business.

Banke has been recognized as one of the UK’s ‘Women Who Will’ for ‘Driving Innovation in Diversity & Inclusion’, and has been named in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 list.

Can we start by understanding more about your childhood and background?

I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. My Father is an entrepreneur and the retired CEO of a healthcare & cosmetics company which he founded and listed, and my Mother is a retired Paediatrician. I spent my early childhood in Nigeria, but also lived in the USA for a time when my Mother worked at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Growing up, the UK was always a choice destination for holidays and summer school. My father was particularly enamoured by the British education system, so it was inevitable that my sibling and I would end up in UK boarding schools. I ended up going to high school, university and law school in Yorkshire. Attending Harrogate Ladies College, the University of Hull and then the College of Law in York. If my parents had their way, they would have had me stay in education all the way to attaining a PhD, with some mastery in Latin and perhaps a little Psychology thrown into my repertoire.

My parents worked incredibly hard and invested significantly in our education.?They were disciplinarians who instilled a strong work ethic in their children from a very young age. From as early as I can remember, we had designated household chores and duties. My parents had zero tolerance to laziness and immodesty, and so as kids we were taught to pride ourselves in ‘getting-things-done’, and in being respectful, committed and humble.

My parents also valued getting us involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible. My siblings and I were very often the only black kids at summer camp or other school clubs; but this actually helped to build a strong sense of identity and gave us a multi-cultural and diverse exposure from a very young age. We made many friends from very diverse backgrounds, most of whom are still my friends today. ?

With this backdrop, I developed a laser focus on my purpose and objectives. I decided, at about the age of 10, that I wanted to become a lawyer – I was inspired my grand uncle who had become a judge, and he had the most fascinating way of converting his cases into very interesting stories filled with morals and core principles. I couldn’t wait to visit him as a child and being around him made me feel empowered to do what was right and just.

I researched becoming a lawyer and developed a plan for what I would need to be successful. I knew that I had to be studious and have strong analytical and problem solving skills, I also realised the importance of building good, sustainable relationships through empathy, role modelling and servant leadership.

Upon completing law school, I spent 8 years in private practice, initially on a training contract and then becoming a pensions lawyer with a couple of high profile UK firms. I then joined Mercer and spent 5 years working as an in-house corporate counsel; before joining CBRE in 2017, and having worked in several interesting and challenging roles, I've recently relocated to Dallas, Texas to take up the position of Global Head of Legal for our Global Workplace Solutions business segment.

What is the best advice you have ever been given or regularly give to others?

Embrace change fearlessly and never let your curiosity stagnate.

There really is no greater learning than when you are outside of your comfort zone. In my experience the rewards of being prepared to step into the unknown far outweigh the trepidation.

We all have fear when we are asked to do things that initially feel uncomfortable, but almost always when you are prepared to take the leap of faith you quickly start to realise that things are not going too bad, and more importantly you start to learn new skills as you go through the process.

In a world that is constantly evolving, the ability to adapt is an absolute necessity. As we approach change with a growth mindset, we start to view it more as a gateway to opportunity. So my advice is to be brave, be prepared to plunge into the unknown and trust that you will learn and grow as a result of gaining new experiences.

Try not to view your career in a linear way. The desire to stretch your knowledge, your understanding, your capabilities is invaluable. Be prepared to make mistakes in the pursuit of growth. I would encourage people to focus on the following - ‘how can I gain new knowledge?’ ‘how can I grow?’ ‘how can I evolve and gain versatility?’ but most importantly ‘how can I use what I know to help others’?

Remember to be patient for growth but impatient for results. There is nothing wrong with being ambitious and having a strong desire for success, but there is also something to be said for investing the time to develop the breadth of skills required to deliver sustained and impactful results over time. Even if that means embracing lateral learning opportunities now, that may allow you to pivot in the future.

Always act with integrity – live by a mantra of ‘do the right thing, even when nobody is watching’.

I operate by a strong moral barometer that allows me to sleep well at night. There are enough things in life to worry about, so if you can get integrity right and have that as your absolute foundation I believe it sets you up for huge success.

What are the biggest life lessons you have learned?

Don’t waste your time worrying about what you cannot change. This is the greatest and most effective sap to energy. It’s like running up a downwards escalator (yes, I tried this once!).?It is also a major distraction.?Instead of fixating on the uncontrollable, retune your focus to what you can influence i.e. your mindset, your perception, your choice, your impact, and your purpose.

By accepting that I can’t control everything, I have become more resilient, more emotionally alert and more focused on delivering impactful results where I know I can make meaningful change.?

Afterall, true strength comes from our ability to adapt and thrive amidst life’s curve balls.

What are your thoughts on the importance of mental health and wellbeing?

Be intentional and invest in understanding the pro’s of wellbeing.

It is one thing to gain this knowledge, but for many people (myself included) the reality of applying this can be difficult. We all strive for success in our careers, but this is really hard to achieve if you are not physically and emotionally healthy.

We are all pretty good at identifying the academic and technical skills we need to gain to grow in our careers and strengthen our CVs - it might be attending courses or studying additional degrees - but we really need to turn this analytical eye on our personal wellbeing and mental health too.

Be really intentional about how you treat your body - prioritise your wellbeing and keep remembering that good health is simply the most valuable thing you have. Take the time to rest and find balance. For some people this is physical activity - maybe going to the gym or taking part in a sport, but instead it might be music that helps you unwind, or reading a book, or walking in nature. Figure out and invest in what is right for you. I see this as absolutely crucial.

Don’t beat yourself up if life gets in the way every now and again, preventing you from doing an activity that you know helps you refuel or gives you joy. But wherever possible try to find the time for the things you need and the things you love. Do remember that if your health does cross a negative line, you might never be able to be the best version of yourself again, so make this a key priority (I am certainly trying to).

How important do you think role models or mentors are?

Having a role model is an important visual aid of who you aspire to be.?Typically, we gravitate towards those who emulate the skills and capabilities we admire. This could develop into a relationship where the person is willing to share their expertise by becoming either a formal or informal mentor. Then over time, particularly once trust sets in, the relationship develops into one of sponsorship and/or advocacy.

With this in mind, having role models becomes a prerequisite for growth! I encourage you to be intentional about connecting with those who demonstrate attributes you admire and respect. Seek to learn from them.

I believe the best mentor relationships are those that evolve naturally, i.e. where there is a natural chemistry. Do reach out proactively - either within your own organisation or through networking events or platforms - and use that time to test if you have an unforced?synergy. Get to know each other and see if you are the right kind of personalities for a mentoring relationship.

Reverse mentoring is also very important - many leaders miss out on staying current, often due to a fixation on the traditional form of mentoring i.e. passing knowledge top down. They become blind to what is actually happening in the trenches today and the value of learning from those that really are at the coal face.

I think there is real value in receiving fresh, innovative perspectives and diverse insights achieved by learning from different generations in the workplace.

Learning and development is impactful when done in two dimensions. The elasticity of mindset and encouraging more junior staff to speak up and voice their opinions is crucial in a rapidly changing world. This also empowers the future generation of leaders by making them feel seen and heard at an earlier stage in their careers.

What causes are you passionate about at this stage in your career?

As I developed my career I had many moments where not many women who looked like me were in the roles I aspired to. I didn’t allow this to stop me and I wasn’t scared to be the first. Nevertheless, I respect and appreciate that representation matters.

I now make it my purpose in life to pay it forward, to be visible and to be accessible to those who need to see to believe.?My goal is simply to be the representation I wanted to see.

I love being an enabler. Although admittedly there are times when?I don’t feel like doing the work, doing the interview, writing the post or article, sitting on a panel etc…but then I remember my younger self, I remember my passion for equality, equity and justice, and that energises me to do the work required to inspire the younger generation.

I have a personal mission to ‘pay-it-forward’ and to be an even better role model, whilst continuing to learn from others.?