Sweco’s Diaa Bahopia to lay foundations for transformation as a member of the 2024 New London Agenda (NLA) Expert Panel on Work
We are delighted that, following her selection onto the NLA’s Wellbeing steering group last year, Diaa Bahopia has now been named as a New London Agenda Expert Panellist for Work. Alongside her peers, Diaa will help to lead industry conversation on design, development and construction in London and respond to new policies or enquiries as they arise.
The New London Agenda is a multi-year project that will develop a vision for London, alongside practical policy outcomes setting out how the built environment sector can deliver London’s needs. It will be used as a tool to influence City Hall in adopting this vision and ultimately shape the evolution of the next London Plan. Along with other respected peers from the industry Diaa will sit on the Expert Panel for Work to share thought-leadership on the reality of affordable workspaces, how developers can support collaboration via soft infrastructure and how social value can be embedded to assist companies reaching their commitments.
What are the NLA Expert Panels?
The NLA Expert Panels consist of industry experts who provide guidance on programming topics, offer thought-leadership on design, development, and construction in London, and react to new policies and inquiries. Initiated in spring 2020, there are now fifteen panels, most of which have been active for over a year and have experienced a refresh in membership. Their influence on the NLA’s work formulation and dissemination is significant.
The first meeting of the fourth cycle of the NLA Expert Panel on Work will include a review of the previous cycle, an introduction to the New London Agenda and the upcoming cycle, and a welcome to new panel members.
2024 agenda for the NLA Work Panel
In the upcoming year, the panels will advise on the NLA’s Work Programme by identifying key lines of inquiry and best practices, contribute thought-leadership on important issues for London, and respond to relevant consultations and policies. Their insights will be shared with the NLA network. Diaa and her fellow panellists will…
- Advise on the development of the NLA’s Work Programme, through identifying key ‘lines of enquiry’, ideas and examples of best practice. Our year-round programme includes events, international knowledge sharing, articles, viewpoints, interviews and research, and the Panel will advise on key topics of focus to help shape these outputs over the year.
- Share thought-leadership on the key issues for London. Reports from each Panel meeting will be shared with the NLA network, together with any selected viewpoints from Panel members
- Respond to relevant consultations, policies or enquiries, where appropriate, acting as a unique cross-disciplinary London voice
In today’s world, the transformation of our work extends beyond mere methodologies—it reshapes the very spaces we inhabit and the qualities we seek within them. Workplace design is progressively shifting its emphasis from the overt and tangible to the more nuanced elements that cultivate collaboration, wellbeing, and social value, ultimately fostering a holistic ecosystem.
I am thrilled about the opportunity to collaborate with an exceptional group of professionals. Together, we will steer the conversation towards integrating ‘Social Sustainability’ into the workplace through thoughtful design and informed policy-making.
Diaa Bahopia Senior Sustainability Consultant for Wellbeing and Social Value at Sweco UK & Ireland
Diaa is an experienced sustainability professional with expertise and passion in delivery of ‘Holistically Healthy’ buildings. She has a background in Psychology, Yoga, with a master’s degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management, including a dissertation investigating the WELL Building Standard in the UK context.
She leads wellbeing and social value in her current role, supporting projects to achieve the highest health and wellbeing credentials with minimal design and cost implications. She recently delivered the first WELL Shell and Core Platinum project in London. Diaa’s expertise includes the WELL building standard, Fitwel, Health Impact Assessments, Post Occupancy Evaluations, Establishing Sustainability Strategies and Social Value.