Wednesday 8th March is International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day which aims to celebrate the social, cultural, and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day began in 1911 and, over a century on, is still about working to advance women’s equality.

It's also Women in Construction Week (WIC Week) which celebrates and promotes the role of women in the construction industry. Started in 1998 by NAWIC, WIC Week has grown and expanded over the years with activities including online events, school visits and job site tours.

So, what better time to look at how we’re working to make sure that everyone here has the opportunity to realise their potential, explore the roles of women within the Morris & Spottiswood Group, and to meet two of the latest additions to the team.

You’ll find women working across the business in areas including Quantity Surveying, Estimating, Human Resources, Finance, IT, HSQE, Business Development, Marketing, Proposals and Administration. To make sure that this continues in the future, we also have female apprentices, trainees, and graduates. And that’s not all, there are a number of women on the Board, and 30% of women across the Group are in Management positions.

Our continued success at growing the number of women across our group by 10% year on year proves our dedication to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone can thrive. Equality is a top priority for us, and we’re committed to championing the role of women both within Morris & Spottiswood and also the wider construction industry.

We know that to make a difference, we must do things differently, that’s why we’re constantly introducing new initiatives designed to drive change and make sure we’re a place where everyone can realise their true potential.

One example of this in action is our approach to recruitment and the diversification of our recruitment methods. We hold mixed panel interviews and offer hybrid and flexible working options so that your role with us doesn’t take over your life, it fits into it. We’ve also improved our family friendly policies and are committed to offering access to great training and development opportunities across the company.

Recently we welcomed two new women to the team, Stephanie Braithwaite, who joins us as our new Social Value Lead, and Sarah Rathburn who has just been appointed as a Framework Manager within our Public Sector Team.

Sarah’s role will help us explore and embrace the numerous opportunities that are out there for us to build on our already strong track record in this area. Read more here

After gaining her degree in Interior Architecture, Sarah worked in construction to gain real world, practical experience, before studying for her Masters in Project Management in the Built Environment. She then worked in various Design Management roles, mostly within the public sector and often in education, covering both pre-construction and on-site delivery on projects spanning the spectrum from early years to universities.

Her extensive experience also covers setting up processes, standardisation, ISO accreditations and heading up KPI requirements, making her perfectly placed to support our Public Services Director, Matthew Wall and help shape the future of our public sector project delivery.

Although she’s still settling in, Sarah says that she’s enjoyed a warm welcome and already feels at home, “everyone has been very friendly and helpful, and it is great to fins a role with genuine scope for flexible working”.

Sarah has worked alongside numerous females in leadership roles during her time in construction and believes that a balanced, yet diverse team, is more dynamic. But she admits that there are still a number of misconceptions about the industry and the roles for women within it. That’s one of the reasons that she’s spent time inspiring and educating the next generation via presentations to school pupils. “I talk about what the actual opportunities within the industry look like and help address the misconception that it’s just bricklaying. I explain that it’s hard work, but very rewarding and that there’s plenty of opportunities within the sector – including non-traditional roles” says Sarah.

Misconception is something we’re all working hard to change for the better.

We are delighted to have Sarah on-board! Find out more about some of the other women who shape Morris & Spottiswood here