This weekend, Balfour Beatty celebrated International Women’s Day, sharing ten inspiring stories from across the Group exploring the diverse range of opportunities available within the construction and infrastructure industry.
Balfour Beatty believes that a business that is reflective of the society it serves, is better placed to deliver for its stakeholders. The ten inspiring stories not only reflect on the individual journey of each employee but also highlight how the company has evolved to become more inclusive and accessible for women.
Jo Volk, Director of Talent and Development said, “At Balfour Beatty, we are determined to create a new ‘business as usual’ and ensure the industry appeals to the best and brightest regardless of gender. We need to work hard to ensure that we are attracting, recruiting and retaining talented women into the full range of roles on offer across all levels of our business.
“By profiling the women who work for us, we wanted to show what a rewarding and fulfilling career can look like in our industry. These amazing women are role models for future generations and sharing their career progression and development is vital – we want to showcase the range of expertise, the diverse people and the incredibly broad range of career options in the construction industry; and International Women’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this.”
As part of its commitment to gender equality and in line with its Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, Balfour Beatty has implemented a number of initiatives including its Gender Equality Network which sees employees work together to share best practice, arrange collaborative networking events and share experiences. Furthermore, to support female career development, Balfour Beatty launched the “Empower” training programme.
Since its launch in 2016, “Empower” has provided over 200 Balfour Beatty women with access to vital learning and networking opportunities; with those involved celebrating the positive impact the programme has had on their careers.
To read more from Balfour Beatty’s influential women, click here.
ENDS
Media enquiries to:
Megan Wood
Balfour Beatty
+44 (0)207 963 2150
megan.wood@balfourbeatty.com
www.balfourbeatty.com | follow us @balfourbeatty
All non-media related enquiries should be directed to +44 (0)20 7216 6800 or info@balfourbeatty.com
Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty (balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
- Our main geographies are the UK, US and Hong Kong. Over the last 110 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
- Balfour Beatty is committed to creating an environment where all our employees can be themselves at work and perform at their best. With a number of major infrastructure projects in the pipeline, Balfour Beatty aims to meet current and future skills demand by attracting and retaining the best available talent and is committed to removing the barriers to minority groups across the industry to widen the talent pool.
- Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty’s Group Chief Executive, is the board level sponsor for Diversity and Inclusion. Leo has established a Steering Committee to govern strategic diversity and inclusion activities and track progress against the three-year plan
- Balfour Beatty’s three-year UK D&I action plan focuses on Communication, Culture, Creating Opportunities, Communities/Supply Chain and Governance and has been cascaded into local business plans with bespoke targets, helping to build a strong culture of fairness, inclusion and respect across the organisation. Balfour Beatty also sit on the CITB Fairness, Inclusion and Respect Steering Committee.
- Balfour Beatty is committed to equal opportunity having launched its employee led Affinity Networks in 2016. The four networks – LGBT+, Multi-Cultural, Ability and Gender Equality provide a platform for underrepresented employee groups to bring their unique perspective to the development of Balfour Beatty’s working culture and create a fair and inclusive workplace. As an employer of choice, Balfour Beatty recruits regardless of gender, ethnicity and social background to ensure it reflects the society in which it operates.
- Balfour Beatty has recently been recognised by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association Inspiring Change Awards for its initiatives to promote a diverse and inclusive culture in the workplace.
- Balfour Beatty aims to provide employees with a safe, rewarding and inspiring place to work and develop their careers. In December 2019, Balfour Beatty secured the top spot in the Heavy Construction category in the 2019 awards for Britain’s Most Admired Companies; the longest running annual survey of corporate reputation in the UK.
