Inspiring Women

Sandi Rhys Jones is president of the Chartered Institute of Building Having launched the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB’s) #PPEthatfits campaign last summer, it was really encouraging to hear the subject raised in Parliament by Labour MP Emma Hardy recently. “Women’s bodies, including our feet, aren’t simply smaller versions of…

Sue Hunter is a director at Bentley I joined the construction industry in the late 90s, and it was clear from the outset that there was more onus on women to prove themselves in terms of skills and competence, whereas male peers were treated with an immediate level of trust…

Kate Morement is head of risk and compliance at Assent I took a very non-traditional route into the world of construction. Having begun my working life as a shelf-stacker with a supermarket chain and rising through the management ranks before I realised that retail wasn’t for me, I took a…

Lorraine Williamson is a senior associate at Rider Levett Bucknall Having loved to draw at school, and with no career guidance, I decided to be an architect. However, upon realising the disparity between artistic and technical drawing, I realised this was not for me. “Emboldening women to go for promotions…

The Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture (JV) working on HS2 has announced the launch of a women’s only training course to mark International Women’s Day. The course, called Introduction to Construction, is designed to equip women with the skills and accreditation they need to start a new career in the…

Job flexibility is the “single biggest barrier” for women in the construction industry, a non-profit lead has told a parliament select committee. Jacqui Wordsworth, business development director at Women into Construction, a not-for-profit that promotes gender equality in the sector, said that women struggle to find jobs in construction that…

Beth Bundonis is regional managing director at Lovell Partnerships This week is Women in Construction Week. Dating back to 1953, it has maintained a singular goal: to strengthen and amplify the success of women in the construction industry. Since it was first established, there’s no question that the industry has…

Jayne Little is founder and chief executive of Skills 4 Many of us have heard the analogy of diversity and inclusion being likened to a party: “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” But who will ask? To succeed in attracting and retaining diverse…

Katie Pinder is the emerging talent lead at Mace In all walks of life, a truly inclusive and diverse environment can see immeasurable benefits, such as new perspectives and skillsets. Historically, the construction industry’s workforce has been dominated by men. However, a noticeable shift is occurring in the UK construction…

 Katy Harris is director of preconstruction for property services at Seddon As we stood at the midpoint of 2023, the construction industry celebrated a notable milestone: 15.8 per cent of its workforce were women, a rise from 12.8 per cent pre-pandemic. This progress, though modest, is a beacon of change…