International Women's Day 2020

‘Olu is Commercial Director at Connect Plus Services. She has been with Balfour Beatty for 12 years.

Can you tell us a bit about your career?

I got into quantity surveying through my dad. I see myself as having grown up in the industry – my, dad, granddad, uncles, they were all either engineers, builders or town planners. I was always intrigued when I looked at my dad’s structural designs and then saw the end proofs in the form of iconic buildings, bridges and structures. When it came to choosing a career it was an obvious decision for me. The construction industry is one that will never stop developing. Continuous development and expansion of the built environment is key to any country’s economy.

I kicked off my studies in Quantity Surveying in Nigeria, obtaining a Higher National Diploma and worked for a year in the Building and Civil Engineering sector. I returned to the UK to obtain a Master’s degree and to continue my career. My first job in the UK construction industry was with Amey Rail Ltd. I then worked at Network Rail for a couple of years before I got head hunted by Balfour Beatty’s Rail business.

I spent 9 years in the Rail business working on a few projects such as the Electronification Unit Project, Track Alliance and then Track Partnership. After a total of 15 years within the Rail Sector, I decided that I wanted to explore other sectors, so I came across to Balfour Beatty Major Projects/Highways.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

It’s a big brand with a good reputation and lot of opportunities to offer. I’d been doing what I was doing for some time and I like a challenge, so it probably wasn’t stretching enough for me. Balfour Beatty was going to give me the opportunity to spread my wings and give me the experience I needed to become a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, so I made the change.

I became a Chartered Quantity Surveyor a year after joining Balfour Beatty through the exposure and support that I received.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

I was looking for another opportunity. I had become Head of Commercial and done that for three years. I reckoned that I was ready to take on a Commercial Director role. I enquired and my Commercial Director at the time opined that I was ready to move up the career ladder, supported me and set up some conversations for me. I went for the project and business that sounded the most different, challenging and enticing to me.

Although the move was internal, I went through a three-stage interview and it was frankly a pretty gruelling interview process – the toughest I’ve done. But I enjoyed it. And I like knowing that I got the role on the back of Senior Executives making the decision that I merited the role. I’ve had comments that ‘women are getting roles to fill in quotas so that companies appear to be diverse’. Good to know I am qualified for the job. The only way to stop that kind of comment is to break down the current system where some people are able to come into a role after a chat or a recommendation and to make sure that everyone is put through a proper process.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

I have always had ‘someone’s hand on my shoulder’.  I can categorically say that my move up the career ladder and progress to date has been helped by having very good and committed mentors.

I have always had a mentor, as far back as 2010. At one point, the HR Director in Rail was my mentor – I looked up to her. She didn’t have the commercial background, but it made her advice very useful, because she came at it from a different angle. I also benefit from mentoring sessions with  Balfour Beatty’s Rail Commercial Director as his constant advice and support has been extremely useful and helped in my career development. Before I formally joined Highways, I approached the Major Projects Commercial Director and asked him to mentor me. I was delighted that he accepted despite his hectic work schedule and again, his advice and support has been invaluable in helping build on my experience, commercial skills and resilience.  And currently I have an incredible coach, who gives me encouragement and valued advice.

When I’m facing challenges or need advice, I’ve really relied on them and I’ve drawn time and time again on the priceless advice they have given me.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Having the opportunity to develop others is important to me. My team is quite balanced in terms of diversity, although there’s still work to do. And I like the fact that people are encouraged by seeing that.

My role is to ensure that the customer’s objectives are met, the business stays profitable and sustainable and that risks are effectively managed. I help lead the strategic direction of the business and manage the clients’ expectations. I enjoy all of it, really.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

I think that being able to deal with ‘a million and one’ things at the same time is a really big challenge. I have so many ‘plates’ spinning at once, and I’m really aware that things could go badly wrong if I drop an important ‘plate’! That’s where the network of mentors and having a good team around you is really important to help deal with the challenges. As well as the ability to compartmentalise things and deal with those within my circle of influence and delegate others both upwards and downwards!

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

Diversity is extremely important to me; it’s been proven that the most dynamic teams are the most diverse ones!

Diversity in the industry has got better. Within Balfour Beatty I think that the really strong focus on diversity in the past 3-5 years has been a breath of fresh air. But within the industry as a whole, I would say it could definitely move quicker.

It’s really important to target schools. To get in there with your outreach and to target people young and in a way which captures their imagination and shows them the possibilities. You need to have the pipeline for the roles or you won’t improve diversity. The pool is still too small.

I’m quite excited about the Future Leaders Programme I’ve been involved in. It gave me the opportunity to work with a charity - Construction Youth Trust (CYT) - that target schools with children from less privileged backgrounds or all girls’ schools and go in there and give them that sense of excitement and possibility. Construction is amazing! These links are really important and I’m glad that we’re doing more of it going forward. We want lasting and sustainable change.

Are you involved in improving diversity e.g. mentoring, belong to an Affinity Network?

I am involved in mentoring seven incredible individuals from diverse backgrounds.  I continually give advice and support to women in the industry, sharing my stories, journey and tools I use daily to deal with the challenges that come with working within the construction industry.  

I have volunteered to work with the CYT by attending career days and delivering talks to young girls in schools.  And I plan to get more involved in the affinity networks – I want to do stuff that has an impact.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Stop fretting! Build some resilience so you can weather the storms. Don’t take too much to heart. Relax, work hard and play harder!  

Carol is Balfour Beatty’s Finance Director for Scotland and Ireland. She works in our UK Construction Services business as a senior manager, and has been at Balfour Beatty for seven years.

Can you introduce yourself?

I studied Accountancy at university in Edinburgh and then worked in auditing. It was when I went to Babcock International that I first became interested in this sector. I worked in various roles over my 12 years there and was Head of Finance in the engineering division for my last 6 years. I came to realise though, that I really enjoy getting out on projects and seeing structures rising out of the ground. I love being part of an operational business.

I was approached by a head-hunter at a point when I was at a crossroads in my career. I had two children and I was ready for a change which would take me to the next level. There are a lot of similarities between the two companies in terms of complexity of organisation and structure and my skills were transferrable. I did a level transfer and it paid off - I was promoted to Finance Director after a year. I’m part of the Scotland and Ireland management team for the UK Construction Services business and I really enjoy the role.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

I liked the variety and scale of projects that Balfour Beatty work on. When I was researching the company, I also liked the focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which has something that has grown even more in the time that I’ve been here.

What motivates and inspires me is always learning new things. Also, how passionate the teams I work with are about what they are building. It’s nice to be part of something so positive.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

I’ve had a few informal mentors. The Managing Director I worked with at my last company was a big influence. His advice was around the importance of getting involved, pushing yourself forward and being interested in everything to build your skills and networks and to give yourself options, which is something I have tried to take on board throughout my career.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I enjoy the variety the role offers. I don’t believe Finance has boundaries – it has a place in every element of the business. The core of the role is ensuring that we’re protecting the business, that governance and internal controls are in place, making sure projects are on track, overseeing budgets and costs. The elements I especially enjoy is the strategic piece, ensuring we’re working on the right jobs, bidding at the right prices, overseeing risk and CSR. I really enjoy going out on our sites, understanding the challenges faced and seeing the progress made, reviewing projects in terms of things such as finance, quality, safety, and relationships with the customer.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

 Taking the leap from one company to another was a big challenge. It’s always a leap of faith, not knowing the systems, people or the culture, which plays a big part. With two children, the stakes can be quite high when you change jobs. It was important to me that I found somewhere that helped me strike the balance, so that was a big part of the conversations I had with Balfour Beatty before I took the role. I’ve never looked back.

Demonstrating flexibility is really important, not just for those of us with children, but for anyone with other commitments. Flexibility works both ways and we get the best out of ourselves and our teams if we try and understand and accommodate both individual and business needs. I encourage that in my team and I encourage them to be vocal about it – it’s about getting the job done, not where you are.  

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

I think inclusion needs to be at the core of what we do. I really believe that results and outcomes are better with diverse teams. You bring different things to the table when you come at things from various perspectives.

I’m really interested in how industry can get into schools and influence choices at the right times and I’m interested in what those right times are – we engage from late primary onwards. I think I’m a closet engineer: I’d love to have been an engineer, but I don’t remember it being an option or having heard about it. We need to make sure it’s on the radar.  

Having said that, I’ve worked in male-dominated industries for the past 20 years. It’s never been an issue. I think I’m in this role because I’m good at what I do, and I’m valued for that.

Are you involved in improving diversity e.g. mentoring, belong to an Affinity Network.

I’ve been involved in the Gender Equality affinity network for a couple of years. I think Balfour Beatty is doing amazing things in that area. And it has the support of the executive committee and senior management, which is really important.

I’ve also mentored a couple of women across the business. Leo (Quinn) speaks about how important it is to have your hand on someone’s shoulder, to be bringing the next generation along. I think that’s really valuable: to be able to give someone a hand up.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be interested in everything, everything is experience. Also grow your network as wide as you can, you never know how the people you meet might help shape your future.

Louise is Balfour Beatty’s Group Head of Communications and our first female Executive Committee member. She is responsible for employee communications, marketing communications and brand, public affairs and policy, media relations and reputation management.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

I’ve been at Balfour Beatty for 15 years. I came from a PR agency background and started at Balfour Beatty in a really junior position in the Group press office.

A lot has changed since then – for the better. I felt it was a very corporate environment. Really hierarchical. And the comms team was quite siloed and spread across lots of different locations around the country. We didn’t always work very well together.

I’ve worked in a number of different roles since then and worked my way up the business.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

It wasn’t really the sector I was interested in per se – albeit I now love the sector and all of its complexities. Having worked in an agency, I wanted to move in-house. Balfour Beatty was a big company and a visible brand.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

I was offered it. I was pushing the envelope when I was the Head of Media, working on things I wasn’t necessarily responsible for, going the extra mile. I think that made me visible.

How did you feel when you started this role – being the only woman at the table?

I don’t really look at it like that. I don’t think of it as being the only woman. I’m there because of my skills and experience and I feel that I’m valued because of those. I just happen to be a woman.

When I took up the role, I already knew the business and the culture inside out, and I knew what the role involved, so I wasn’t nervous. Moving from the functional role to the Executive Committee was a challenge, that step up. There was a lot for me to get my teeth into.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you take the next step up?

The person who ran the team when I joined Balfour Beatty was a big influence. He was very charismatic and was really keen on progressing young people within the function. He pushed me to explore things outside of the function and to gain experiences beyond my specific role.

Beyond that, I took it upon myself to build up informal mentoring relationships with people I thought I could learn from. I found that more valuable than a formal mentoring approach, because I think you seek out people who have values and approaches which you find inspiring.

I also went on the Future Leaders programme a few years ago. That was a really positive experience. It exposed me to lots of different people and perspectives from around the Group. It was my first experience of the changes that have been made across the company to nurture people. In fact, I think if you are starting in the business now, you almost wouldn’t recognise it as the same company. I got some of the opportunities I was offered because I worked hard and was in the right place at the right time, but there wasn’t anywhere near the focus there is now on bringing people on.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I would say the variety of the role.  And being able to influence operational decisions that impact reputation – that’s when you really know that the Communications team has a voice that is being listened to.

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry?

I’m a big believer in diversity. When you have people around the table with different backgrounds and views, you get a better outcome, which ultimately improves the business. I think it’s really disappointing when people see diversity as a tick box exercise without seeing the benefits. It doesn’t work if you don’t buy into it. And people can feel it if they’re just being brought in to tick a box.

Are you involved in improving diversity in the business?

I’m mentoring two women this year and being reverse mentored by a colleague who is gender non-binary. I’m finding both experiences really valuable and really interesting. I wasn’t expecting some of the insights I’ve been given.

In a sentence, what advice would you give your younger self?

Most people you meet in your career will want you to succeed and thrive; don’t waste time worrying about those that don’t.

Jwerea is Operations Manager in Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction Services (UKCS) business in the North and Midlands region, currently working on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

I joined Balfour Beatty in 2010 following a sandwich-year placement. I started off as a graduate engineer in the Midlands and spent five years working my way up through various roles, from graduate engineer to section engineer and so on, working on a variety of civils projects. I went through a long period of being either the only woman, or the youngest person in the room – usually both!

I transferred to Balfour Beatty Living Places as a project manager working in the design and build team heading up numerous schemes in Herefordshire, taking concept design through to delivery. During this role I went on to a secondment working as the then MD, Amanda’s Associate. This was a bit of a change of focus as it involved supporting her with strategic projects with the Board and budget reports and so on. It helped me gain my first insight into how things operate at board level. During this role, there was an opening within the business transformation team in the UK Construction Services, where I applied and was successful in joining. Here I worked with the transformation team on various projects, helping to implement and drive changes within the UKCS business. By November 2018 I was ready to go back into an operational role as Operations Manager, and I’m currently running a legacy project. So I’ve had a taste of lots of different roles in the past 10 years!

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

Even back then, the brand name was really good. Amongst those of us studying engineering, Balfour Beatty was one of those businesses you just had to go and work for at some point. It was high-profile, had an international footprint, and its graduate scheme was really good. I also formed some good relationships on-site in my sandwich year, which persuaded me to not look elsewhere.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

The role that I got with Amanda, the former MD, followed a period of her being my mentor before I joined Balfour Beatty Living Places. That was part of one of the early gender diversity initiatives we did. She’s very confident, but also really down to earth. She would personally go and talk to everyone working in the business, which was a breath of fresh air at the time – the business used to be hierarchical. She really guided me and she also gave me that great opportunity. I learnt a lot from her.

I’m now being mentored by Dean Banks, Chief Executive of the UK Construction Services business which I work for. I have worked under Dean’s leadership and watched us improve the business financially, operationally and now culturally. His advice has continued to encourage me to ensure that I’m always learning, pushing myself, progressing and developing my skill set. He encouraged me to go outside the business, to look at different sites, different industries, to get experience wherever I can. He’s a big believer in diversity of experience meaning that everyone brings something different to the table.

I did have challenges on-site when I started. You could see people listening when the men spoke and almost glossing over the women, or forgetting they were there. You felt you had to prove yourself before you got that respect. Looking back now, I don’t think it was sexism per se, just that they just weren’t used to it. I’m not making excuses for it, because why would I? But women were so rare.

My approach has been just to be good and try to excel at my job, and to normalise it to make things easier for other women coming behind me. When I look at the graduates and the younger women coming through on-site now, I can see the changes. There are so many more women on-site.

There was no PPE (personal protective equipment) that fitted when I started. The men’s stuff didn’t fit, but about a year after I started, they did start developing that. It’s so basic, but there just wasn’t a demand for it. It was weird at first – it felt like it wasn’t a world designed for women. It makes sense really that if you want women to come and work somewhere, you need to make sure you have what they need. I would get the best boots though, as I wasn’t limited by the catalogue, so there were some up sides!

A lot has improved a lot over the past 10 years, where now there is greater presence of women on-site and it’s beginning to be considered a norm. There is still a long way to go, but the changes are visible.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I love the different challenges. The variety really keeps me going. The job has such a range of different responsibilities, from managing the client, managing the team, making sure we’re working to a programme and in-budget, to finding a way through to resolve problems. We are always encouraged to be innovative and do things differently.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

When I was a graduate, the first project I was on involved a 100-hour possession to lift a railway bridge into place. It was very pressured in terms of time and accuracy. Failure just wasn’t an option as it results in huge fines. The pressure really hit me. I was so aware that we couldn’t get it wrong. The support was there from others, but I really heaped the pressure on myself as if the whole thing was entirely my responsibility. I really learnt a lot from that experience. 

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

100%. It is hugely important to me. I feel really strongly that people shouldn’t be stereotyped into certain roles due to their gender, or for any other reason. I had a lot of challenges on a personal level in terms of people telling me not to go into construction and engineering because it wasn’t a place for women. We need to make sure we’re helping the younger generation to follow their passion and removing barriers to them doing so, rather than discouraging them. The industry needs those different viewpoints.

When I was a graduate, I was the only woman on the project. The lead used to take me, pretty much the least experienced person in the team, into meetings with the customer. I asked him why and he said that he wanted to get that different perspective, but also that simply by having me in there, it changed the ethos of the meeting. I found that really interesting, and of course it was all really good exposure for me in terms of my own development.

Are you involved in improving diversity e.g. mentoring, belong to an Affinity Network.

I’ve been one of the co-chairs of the Gender Equality network since it started. We’ve had a lot of traction and some really positive things have happened at Balfour Beatty in that space over the past few years. It’s been very rewarding seeing that happen and I have to say that it feels like a very different workplace even from when I joined 10 years ago.

I do think that, because people are so focussed on diversity, they can make the wrong decisions sometimes. For example, promoting someone just because they’re a woman isn’t the right thing to do in my view. They have to be good at the job or it isn’t going to work out. There are other ways of doing things if you think outside the box.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Not to take people’s stereotyping behaviour so personally or to let it knock your confidence. To understand that you can’t change everyone’s views. And also, that if they can’t appreciate you for your talents and skills, then that’s their problem not yours – you don’t need to change.

Chloe is currently a Business Development Director on the Connect Plus Services contract and is part of the Senior Leadership Team. She is changing roles in the next few weeks to become Head of On Track Machines in Balfour Beatty’s Rail business.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

I came to Balfour Beatty by accident over 10 years ago. My background is actually in education. I was a fast-track secondary school teacher, which means I was on course to become a head teacher. But I did temp work at Balfour Beatty while I was studying for my Masters and training to be a teacher and I loved it.  When they needed someone to lead a project in their training team, I went for it. I knew I could always return to teaching if needed, but loved the dynamic nature of working in business and have never looked back!

Since then I’ve been very fortunate to have worked in many different parts of Balfour Beatty in a variety of roles, developing a huge range of skills from each experience. A couple of times I have been the first woman to be in a role or particular leadership team, which did bring its own challenges and responsibilities.

Is that an unusual route into the sector?

I’ve had some people say it is, but to me, there are some really transferrable skills between teaching and business leadership. Teaching is all about transformation: aiming to inspire and help shape young people. Teacher training is an excellent way to cut your teeth in terms of leadership. Standing in front of 30 teenage boys who would rather be somewhere else gave me some really important skills.

I’ve also remained interested in how you get the best out of people. One thing that’s helped to shape my approach is a Neuro Linguistic Programming business practitioner qualification I did over the course of a year. And I’m also a qualified yoga teacher. To me, these two things help me stay grounded and authentic. Getting the best out of others and supporting them in being themselves are really important to me.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

I’ve had some really great advice and support from loads of people as I’ve progressed in my career. And I’ve been on a number of development courses. I haven’t had any formal mentoring. It’s more that I’ve sought out advice or followed up on things that I’ve found interesting, but I’ve always felt that people are looking out for me here and wanting me to succeed.  

What’s the best thing about your job?

I love the fact that what we do matters. Everyone engages with roads and railways, bridges and buildings. You’re able to have a positive impact on people’s everyday life – and you can see the difference you’re making. I find that really fulfilling.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

The move from being a functional leader to an operational lead was a massive change for me. Although I knew about management, I had never been directly responsible for delivering for a customer, profit and loss, and safety. But it was the most fulfilling and enjoyable move I’ve made in my career to date.

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

It’s important to me in that I’m passionate about helping people to be the best they can be and helping them get to the next level. It doesn’t matter who they are or what their background is. I’m not focussed on a specific underrepresented group.

The focus on diversity has grown massively at Balfour Beatty over the past five years. There’s been a shift in terms of seeking diversity of thinking and experience, which is really positive. I benefit from a more inclusive approach to flexible working now that I have a child. After maternity leave, I worked 3 days a week for the first 6 months, although I’ve moved to 4 days a week now. This flexibility has been key to enabling me to progress my career as a parent.

Do you belong to an Affinity Network, or mentor others?

I am a big believer in mentoring and supporting others. I was a finalist in the Best Female Mentor category at the 2019 Women in Construction and Engineering Awards (WICE) last year, which I’m proud of.

Generally, I think people could look out for each other a bit more. There’s power in networks. No one can do everything on their own.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would say: “choose your battles wisely” – and use your energy where you can have the most impact.

Sarah has been in leading Procurement roles at Balfour Beatty for 12 years, working on some of our biggest projects. She is currently Head of Procurement working as a key part of the delivery team for our joint venture’s HS2 Main Civils contract.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

My first job was a summer job with Tarmac. My dad had always worked in construction so I grew up with an interest in the industry. I went on to join the trainee programme and they sponsored me through a Civil Engineering degree. One of the things they did at Tarmac was to offer a series of 6-month placements. I totally surprised myself by really embracing the stint I did in Commercial and Procurement, and that’s where I’ve stayed.

Whilst at Carillion, I’d worked with Balfour Beatty in joint Venture on the East London Line where I was heading up the procurement team. I wanted to carry on working on those sort of projects. So I got in touch with the people I’d worked with at Balfour Beatty and moved into a role leading procurement at Blackfriars Station in 2008.

I’ve been really happy here. I’ve done a couple of different roles, and I’ve had two children. That was a bit of a learning curve. It’s one thing having a career, but making that fit with having a family can be challenging. And that goes for men as well as women – my husband and I split it 50/50 but it’s still a huge challenge.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

I think it was two things. Firstly, the focus on building big construction jobs really appealed to me. Other companies have diversified, but Balfour Beatty still has that focus on being a solid construction company. And I also got a sense from working closely with their staff on the East London Line scheme that Balfour Beatty looks after its people. They all spoke so positively about working here.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

It was more luck than judgement, really. I’ve always chased the big, iconic, career defining jobs. I worked on the bids for Hinkley and Blackfriars, for example. And HS2 is certainly big and iconic. I got offered the opportunity through our Major Projects work-winning team and never looked back.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

There’s always that one person that stands out – for me it was the person who gave me my first break at Tarmac. He was a big advocate of women in construction. He taught me a lot in terms of not pigeon-holing yourself, and growing your skillset beyond what’s right in front of you, to give yourself more options.

At Balfour Beatty, I’ve had a mentor in a personal, coaching capacity who I’ve found invaluable. I struggled to find my feet after maternity leave with my second son – my confidence took a big hit. I felt that I wasn’t up to it anymore. She helped me turn that on its head. She was really coaching and supportive and helped me regain that confidence.

What’s the best thing about your job?

That’s a difficult one. The best thing is probably the diversity of the role – no two days are the same. I’ve never sat there and thought “oh, not this again”. It’s also really fast-paced. That’s the bit that excites me. Getting the deal over the line: getting the job moving.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

A job like this is always going to be a challenge, but my key challenge recently has been how I build a high-performing team that really delivers. I have 30 people around me and I’m building the team more or less from scratch. It’s a really diverse group, with people from all backgrounds and in a range of disciplines, from procurement, quantity surveyors and engineers. I have to make sure, not just that we deliver the project, but that I’m taking them along with me and that they are ok in themselves.

Someone once said to me: “Don’t expect that everyone’s going to be the same as you. Don’t expect the same level of output of everyone. People work differently.”  That’s really stuck with me. Expecting everyone to work in the same way as you, that’s when you create pressure. That’s when things start to fail. It doesn’t mean that not everyone can be involved. You have to find the right place for each person to add value. You don’t always get it right unfortunately, and then you have to learn from that.

The other challenge is life. Work is so busy and then I’m juggling it with family, getting into the office after the school run, getting home in time to feed the kids. It can be complicated. 

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

Of course. It should be important to everyone. I feel immensely lucky. Hand on heart, I have never felt as though being a woman is something that’s held me back. When I doubt myself, it’s not because I don’t feel good enough because I’m female. It’s because I’m the kind of person who has moments of doubt.

I’ve been here 12 years and I’ve never seen anything other than people supporting their colleagues, be they female, male or any other background.

There are those experiences that stay with you. Early in my career, going back 24 years, there was me and one other woman on the site I first worked on. We had no PPE (personal protective equipment) that fitted, so we had to roll the sleeves up on the jackets and I had to scour the shops around one of the sites for a belt, as the trousers kept falling down. One day they brought the client round and he said, totally unsolicited: “Two things will hold you back. One is that you’re a woman, and the other is your accent.” (I’m from the Midlands…) I don’t even remember his name, but I remember thinking I was going to prove him wrong. Up until that point, no one had ever said anything like that to me. Looking back now It just seems bizarre but I was 19 years old and that sort of behaviour just got accepted.

When I look back at that, I just think how the industry has changed. I didn’t know to question that at the time – that’s just how the industry was. But those sort of behaviours are just not acceptable now and they are challenged. The industry isn’t perfect – we aren’t there yet. But those people are the minority now. The industry has come a lot further than people give it credit for.

Are you involved in improving diversity?

I get quite cross when people are negative about the industry. There is so much going on to improve diversity, and so much support. I’ve seen it change massively in the past 24 years. I’m involved in some of the work we’re doing on how flexible working can be made more accommodating, especially on-site. I think that’s an area that’s ripe for change.

For me, the key thing is whether people have the right set of behaviours. There is a shortage of people in the industry who have both the right attitude and who know how to deliver. We shouldn’t be shutting the door because they don’t have the exact skills or because of background or gender. You can learn anything if you have the aptitude for it.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I don’t want to sound really corny, but if I could go back to my 19-year old self, I would say: “Don’t try and be something that you’re not. Be yourself.” I’ve ignored my gut on occasions over the years and those decisions have come back to bite me. You need to believe in yourself – if you think you’re right, you have to stand behind that.

Some of the apprentices and graduates coming through the ranks now are really impressive. They’re very confident. They have so much self-belief – I’m in awe of them. I wish I could have been more like that.

Eileen is Project Director and Package Director in Balfour Beatty’s Highways business. She has been at Balfour Beatty for five years.

Can you tell us about your career so far? 

I’ve been in the industry for over 25 years. I did a degree in Quantity Surveying and got my first proper job in the industry at Morgan Sindall (it was called Miller Civil Engineering then). When I was about 38, I was promoted to Commercial Manager – I was the first female Commercial Manager they had had in my sector, which was a big deal at the time.

Bearing in mind that this was a long time ago now, things got more difficult when I had my children. When I was on maternity leave, I wasn’t sure whether there would be a job for me when I came back. The industry just didn’t seem to know what to do with women once they had children. It was a very different time.

In the last 5 years, everything’s fallen into place for me career-wise. I moved to Balfour Beatty and they’ve promoted me several times in that time. They also gave me the chance to move from being Senior Commercial Manager to Project Director, which is quite a jump across silos. Traditionally, a Project Director has always been operational, with an engineering background. What I like about Balfour Beatty is that they look at the whole role and then at your skills more broadly, and things like your ability to manage a team and relationships.

I’m very proud to be doing my current role. But to be honest, I could have done this job much earlier if the industry had been ready for it. Of course you can’t just go the other way and put women into all the top jobs. You need the right person for the role. They have to be able to do it. But women weren’t really given that fair crack at it before.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

To be honest, I didn’t initially want to move. I’m very loyal and I’d been at Morgan Sindall for 20 years. I wasn’t unhappy or anything. But Balfour Beatty made it clear they wanted me and that they were prepared to put in a lot of effort to making sure I was happy here. I do not have a single regret, looking back.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

I worked hard. I put the effort into building relationships and trust. I’ve also had an incredible amount of support from my managers and colleagues in Highways. But like anyone who does well as work it’s the team of very talented and dedicated people around me that have triggered success.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

The starting point is always my dad. Although he started off by telling me to not even think about working in construction. But obviously I defied him and did it anyway. He’s always mentored me, and we still talk everything through.

There’s also a colleague who didn’t set out to mentor me, but who’s always gone out of his way for me. He’s always supported me and he was actually the one who recommended me to Balfour Beatty in the first place. It’s nice to feel that someone has my back. I owe him a lot.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I don’t know, that’s a tricky one. I love that it’s different every day. The basics are fairly set in stone, but the challenges and new information the interaction with different people, all those things bring something new to every day. You never do anything by yourself – you’re always part of the team.

There are also problems that you suddenly hit – and you have the challenge of having to sort it out. Whatever the opposite of boring is, that’s my job. The excitement is addictive. And every day, something makes me laugh.

I love people. Construction attracts really dedicated, incredibly smart people. I’m not technical by background and I find some of the stuff we build absolutely gobsmacking. The things these people can do blows me away.

It’s up to me to make sure that the visions and goals of the business are relayed, that we live by them and that we give the customer the best service possible. I spend a lot of time removing blockers so people can do their jobs. And keeping a huge focus on health and safety. It’s a big responsibility.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

In my younger years, it was definitely trying to do a good job and bring up little kids at the same time. There was a lot of guilt. And it was really emotionally draining, feeling like I wasn’t doing either thing as well as I’d like to. The whole time you’re really aware that you can’t go back and sort it out if you make the wrong choices.

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

I think it’s sad that it’s still unusual to have women in the top jobs. I’m sometimes bemused that people keep pointing out that I’m a woman. To me, I’m not the female Project Director, I’m just the Project Director. The day when we don’t have to mention these things, that’s the day we’re looking for.

Many girls and other minority groups have always picked other sectors and other jobs. We have to sort that out, because they’re missing out on a great career, but the sector is missing out on them too.

It’s astounding the amount of work that’s going into diversity now, and into making sure that people are treated fairly. It’s about time too. We’re pinpointing talented women earlier and helping them to progress. I can see the change in the business.

One thing I do find myself thinking is that I love being on-site in hi-vis. It’s brilliant. I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t want to do it. We need to almost bottle that so people can get a taste of it. Don’t get me wrong - I love clothes and having my nails done. I don’t want to look like a boy. But you can be more than one thing as a person. We just need to capture the right people.

Are you involved in improving diversity e.g. mentoring, belong to an Affinity Network.

I sit on Highways England’s Supplier Diversity Forum representing Balfour Beatty. That does some really important work, and there are very few other operational people on there. I also reverse mentor a CEO and I’m being reverse mentored by someone from a minority background, which is brilliant. I mentor several women and I have one-off and mentoring chats and coffees with people. It’s something I naturally like to do. I think mentoring is really important.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’d say so much! Be easier on yourself. I was always scared of failing, so I felt like I had to overachieve to prove myself – maybe I did. I worked ridiculous hours when my kids were young. So looking back I’d say: “You’re good at what you do – believe in yourself.”

Sabina is Sales Director at Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Balfour Beatty’s mechanical and electrical engineering business. She joined Balfour Beatty in January 2019.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

I am driven, and when I was younger, impatient to a fault. I have always been very clear on what I want to achieve. I couldn’t claim I’m on the path I initially set out on, but I am not in the least disappointed.

At school I had an aptitude for maths and science, and I chose to study Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. I have always been intrigued by how things work but I was also attracted by financial security.

The course was intense, but I went on to work as a Mechanical Engineer for an Oil and Gas company, before changing tack and going to work in investment for a couple of years. All told, I’ve spent most of my career on and around chemical process facilities.  

It was a circuitous route to Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick (BBK), but I learnt a lot on the journey.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

I got a phone call from one of the HR recruiters who had seen my profile on LinkedIn. My initial reaction was that I didn’t have a background in Sales. Yet following further conversations, with them explaining the business and the role, it became clear that my experience mapped nicely against what was required. That made me realise that I can do this. Reflecting, I now realise I had been in auto-pilot and was not enjoying my role then. My introduction was perhaps by chance but the more I learned of the Balfour Beatty journey I was gripped and wanted to join the team, and the energy.  

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

I don’t know what drives me to be honest. My mother was very determined, always pushing me and supporting me, particularly in sport. I was an athlete when I was younger, and if I am honest that is where I saw my future until into my 20s.

I think sport is where I get that determination to succeed, but I can’t single out a single mentor or experience which moved me forward.

What’s the best thing about your job?

It’s very fast-paced and there are a lot of highs. I interact with lots of different people which I really enjoy, from customers to operations.  

BBK operates across a range of sectors. My job is to help position the business to ensure that it’s aligned to both its internal, Balfour Beatty, customers, and to our external customers, many of which operate in highly regulated sectors. Of course we want to make sure we’re seen as market-leaders in M&E. I also look after the Design team. I really believe that embedding Design within Work Winning will allow us to raise the bar. The whole package is just really interesting.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

I had no building services experience before I joined BBK, so that was a bit daunting when I was coming into the role. A bigger challenge once I actually started the job was stepping back from the detail and keeping all the different plates spinning. I like to be across all the detail and to know everything, so it was hard for me to step back from that detail.

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

Whether in construction or investment, I’ve always been in the minority because I’m a woman, although in terms of women in the Work Winning team, there is better representation than in previous places I’ve worked. I want the right person for the job irrespective of gender – if we’re parachuting people in who aren’t right then ultimately, we’re going to end up undermining what we want to achieve. But we do need to draw more women into the industry, across all roles by better targeting universities and school-level STEM support and more generally raising awareness of all the roles on offer in the industry.

Construction can provide a fantastic career path and I don’t think that’s widely enough communicated in ways or places that will reach women or people whose support network have no experience of working in construction. We need a charm offensive.

Are you involved in improving diversity e.g. mentoring, belong to an Affinity Network.

I’m not actively involved at the moment, although I was previously part of a STEM network. I do get involved, for example, we have two female students coming in next week, but it’s on an ad hoc basis at the moment.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Give it time. Young people put a lot of pressure on themselves to move forward and bring value. I probably put a lot of stress on myself that I didn’t need to, so I would tell myself to live in the now and enjoy what you’re experiencing now.

Suzy is Head of On Track Plant at Balfour Beatty and has been at Balfour Beatty for three years.

Can you tell us about your career so far? 

I’m an accountant by trade. I’ve worked in a range of different sectors, from car manufacturing, financial services and even a stint at Selfridges, to the construction of off shore wind farms, so I’ve had quite a varied career.

I started out in a small practice in Bristol and soon realised that I wanted to be in industry.  From quite early in my career I have worked on projects and have always enjoyed the variety.

When the job as Finance Manager for Track Partnership in Rail came up, I found that I really enjoyed that kind of environment. I really enjoy construction and feel at home here.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

The fact that they have that nationwide footprint was a big factor. My husband is in the RAF – he moves about, so I’ve had to leave jobs because of that. If my husband is posted again, it’s likely that there will be other opportunities within the company. It also has such a good reputation and the things you can do area so varied in that you don’t just have to stay in the same job. There are so many opportunities if you want to take them.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

I was lucky enough to get a promotion into the Head of Finance role. But I made it known that I would like to move into operations side. My bosses were brilliant and helped me with contacts and with fact-finding. And then this great opportunity came up. What’s been nice is that everyone’s been so supportive in my team and my line-management. Even moving into the new role, I’ve been coached into it – I feel like they’re setting me up to succeed.

The new role is really something for me to get my teeth into. We supply machinery to aid the renewal of the railways from Kirow Cranes that can lift a lot to Drain Trains that clear out drains along the network (and lots of other kit in between).  We aim to supply our projects in Rail with the kit, but also have a lot of contracts with external customers such as Network Rail. We have a large team that make this a success. My aim is to ensure that the team have everything they need to make this happen, develop the relationships with customers and deal with any issues that may occur.  I’m very lucky to have such a fantastic team.

It’s a sales driven environment, which adds extra pressure in order to make sure we meet our targets. It is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week role as there is always something out on the railway.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, support you or give you an excellent piece of advice that helped you move forward / upward?

There hasn’t been just a single person who’s mentored me - I’ve always had brilliant advice from a range of people, but something which got me thinking was the Women in Business course Balfour Beatty put me on, which is now called Empower. The push to plot yourself a course for the next five years and being made to write down the role you wanted to work towards was quite impactful. I came out of the course feeling really empowered.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The people. Being part of a great team. In Finance I’ve had a brilliant team work around me and I’ve tried to give them opportunities. We’ve had some bumpy times in terms of projects ending and redundancies, but we have always managed to worked it through together and taken other opportunities within the company. We have a laugh every day and we get the job done. There’s a lot to be said about the people that you work with.

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Honestly, managing a family and a full-time job and staying sane at the same time. I am ambitious. I have a lot of pride in what I do, but I want to be a good parent. There are difficult moments sometimes when you’re trying to juggle everything.

Thankfully I work with a lot of people who have kids the same age and the same pressures – men and women. We have a lot of rants and laughs. Having people around you that you can talk to is really important.

What’s your view on diversity in the construction industry? Is it important to you?

The majority of the people I deal with at work are white men. I think there definitely needs to be more women and people from different backgrounds across the industry, diversity in the broadest sense. It enriches everything we do.

The diversity in the Track Partnership is amazing, but then it’s in the centre of London, which makes it easier given the diversity of the talent pool. In some areas of the country it is genuinely more difficult. But London Underground is really proactive about diversity and people come from a huge range of backgrounds. It’s a great environment.

Are you involved in improving diversity?

I have been – I was involved in the Rail Diversity and Inclusion group, but given my fine balance between workload and family, time is limited to be honest.

Diversity is a really difficult one. The people who should be talking about it are the ones who are almost scared of talking about it. There’s a fear sometimes that they’ll be called racist or sexist. We need to create a safe environment where people can talk about this openly or we won’t break down those barriers.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Never take no for an answer. Follow your dreams and where your heart is pulling you, because that makes it easier to find that place where you’ll fit. Understand that you’re going to go through quite a few jobs or career paths before you find somewhere you’re comfortable, but don’t be afraid to do that. And don’t be afraid of change.

Julia is a Senior Estimator working on HS2 as part of the Balfour Beatty VINCI joint venture team.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

I’ve been at Balfour Beatty for about 20 years, in a couple of different roles. I was always interested in science and engineering when I was growing up. I studied Civil Engineering with German at university, partly because I was fascinated by the construction process, but also because I liked the idea of creating something lasting.

About 13 years ago, I switched roles and became an estimator, which basically means that I work with a team to put together a detailed proposal for what the scheme we’re working on will cost.

What first attracted you to Balfour Beatty?

I always knew that I wanted to join a major contractor, and I found Balfour Beatty’s international footprint really exciting. We had a tunnelling joint venture in Switzerland at the time, which piqued my interest, particularly as it meant that I could use my German.

It’s a very different place from when I joined the business. Even when I moved to the Head Office role 13 years ago, it was very male-dominated and there weren’t that many younger people around – it was quite daunting going in there as a young woman. But it’s a much more diverse team now, and so much the better.

How have you ended up in the role you are in now?

When I came back to the UK, I worked as an engineer on-site. I came to a point where I was looking for a different kind of challenge, one that used my technical expertise more. Also, I’d been living in temporary accommodation near one scheme or another for quite a few years and I wanted to put down some roots. And, to be blunt, working on-site can still be quite a challenging environment sometimes, which is something we’re trying to change.

I thought I was going to have to look at a career outside of construction and was considering leaving to do an MBA when the Chief Estimator, someone I had met in Switzerland, suggested that I think about a role as an estimator. I wasn’t aware that this was an option, or even of the range of different careers that were possible outside of site. But I had a couple of meetings with them and I began with a secondment to the Commercial team on the A3 Hindhead road scheme, which is where I got some initial pricing experience before joining the Work Winning team properly about three years later. I haven’t looked back. Becoming an estimator set my career on a really different trajectory.

Have you ever had anyone mentor you, or done something that helped you take the next step up?

Beyond the person who encouraged me to become an estimator, the other event which has really transformed my career was my Line Manager nominating me to go on the Women in Business course a few years ago, which has now become Balfour Beatty’s Empower scheme. This course had a massive impact on me. It changed my mindset and opened my eyes to a whole lot of possibilities that I hadn’t considered before.

I used to shy away from the spotlight and doing presentations and that kind of thing. I always had to wait until I was 100% confident that I could do something before I would consider it. This course made me challenge that. Since the course, I’ve deliberately taken on things that have meant that I’ve become more visible within the business. I’ve put my hand up for things I never thought I would do. It was a real game-changer for me. 

What’s the best thing about your job?

I really enjoy the variety and the fact that it can be quite challenging. As an estimator you have to cover a lot of bases. You need to build really solid relationships with lots of different people, and it’s also really technical. You can learn about things as diverse as viaducts, tunnels, earthworks and power stations within a relatively short timeframe – I find the fact that it’s so wide-ranging really stimulating.

It can be quite a pressured environment, so there’s a lot of camaraderie and a real sense of achievement when the tender goes in. I also like the fact that you can have a real impact in the business outside your day job on areas that you’re interested in, such as digital technology and diversity.  

What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Working on HS2. The sheer scale and complexity of it has meant that we’ve had to innovate and find a way of doing things differently so we can look at it in the detail needed, in the time available, marrying up all the conflicting objectives – but in a way which means that we can properly stand behind our price.

Are you involved in improving diversity in the business or the industry?

Retaining women in the business is a real passion for me, because of all the female colleagues I’ve known that have left the industry over the years. After the Women in Business course, I applied to be a reverse mentor; I’m also one of the organisers of the Inspiring Women conference and I’m project managing the work streams that flow from that.

People leave for all sorts of reasons, but we lose a lot of talented female engineers and quantity surveyors because culture change is taking a lot longer to reach those who are working on-site. And if you’re site-based, it can become a really difficult balance once you start having a family.

I’m part of a team that are looking at ways to be more imaginative about how to make that work. How we can push that really positive culture change and work-life balance, to keep these amazing women in the industry.

What advice you would give your younger self?

I would say: don’t turn down opportunities because you’re waiting until you feel a bit more confident. If there’s something you’re interested in or passionate about, go for it. When you grab those opportunities, that’s when the confidence comes.