An Interview with…
Christine Whittaker
Head of Legal
What is your proudest achievement in your career?
Taking up my role at 8build is genuinely a career goal come true. I have known for a long time that I wanted to move into house. I wanted to be on the front line of the construction “magic”; to expand my legal skillset to a commercial environment. So far… so good!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced (being a woman) in construction?
I don’t think this is unique to the construction industry, but often the biggest challenges have been debunking stereotypes and snap judgments that people make. Learning how to subtly prove that my place at the table has been earnt and is justified is a work in progress. I remember when I was working in my old firm’s Oman office my work phone rang at 7 pm. I was in the office and picked up the phone. A (male) client who, up until that point I had enjoyed a good relationship with, said “Oh, Christine… you are in the office. I thought you would be out having your nails done or something at this time.” I had to take a deep breath. Rather than confront him with animosity I chose to play him at his own game and said “Yes, I’m doing that too. I’m a woman you see, so I can multitask. How can I help?”.
How do you think construction can attract more female candidates?
It has to be through representation and education. Children are exposed to various damaging stereotypes from an early age and our industry is no exception. Bob the Builder (est. 1997) still draws in the young audience and quickly introduces them to the male-dominated “construction scene”. Beyond the lack of female representation in pop culture, there is also little out there to educate young women about the various opportunities within the industry; you can be a bricklayer, a civil engineer, or an architect; but you can also be a lawyer in construction, a social media guru in construction, an accountant in construction. The opportunities are endless but information about these opportunities is hard to come by.
What advice would you give to a woman entering the industry?
If you find yourself in the industry – welcome! Know you deserve your place here, and make your position and what got you here matter. Find your place and focus on your own goals; pursue them unapologetically! Align yourself to a variety of people (men and women) – those with similar circumstances to yourself, and those with entirely different circumstances: be educated and educated. There are so many amazing women in the industry and more and more they are shouting loud and proud about their achievements, challenges, and the road map that got them to where they are. Listen to their stories and share your own; there are so many societies and groups supporting women in construction and trying to expand and highlight our presence within it.
Why did you choose a career in construction?
Having decided to pursue a career as a solicitor, I did my training at a City firm with a very strong Construction department. I spent 6 months in that department and immediately felt at home there. Beyond the fact that I love contract law (which forms the base of what construction lawyers do), I just clicked with the people that I had to deal with on a day-to-day basis: our clients, the counterparties, opposing lawyers, etc. We all know that often the hardest parts of our jobs are the people we have to deal with, and to me, the construction industry seemed to generally attract people that I wanted to spend time with. I stand by that perception; I have only been disappointed a few times
An Interview with…
Kiley Berry
Health, Safety & Environment Manager
What advice would you give to a woman entering the industry?
First and foremost I would say work on developing confidence, it was one of the most important pieces of advice I was given very early on. Believe in what you can do, if you are confident and see value in using your own voice people will see that and develop the belief in it too.
How do you think construction can attract more female candidates?
Today’s workforce is more supportive of women than ever before and I have worked with many women in construction who are intelligent, resourceful, skilled, and excellent leaders, who are showing that they are just as capable as men. That said, the numbers are still too low. We need to be ensuring that our education system signposts careers in construction so that women have the opportunity to not only study it at a young age but also have the opportunity to sign up for apprenticeships.
We should celebrate our women workers success’s, continuously advertise the opportunities that this industry has to offer, and change the way we target recruiting, ensuring that we remove traditional gender-limiting roles
What personal qualities do you believe have helped you succeed?
I think learning in the very early stages of my career, to accept, that I don’t need to fit the idea of what others have of someone who works in construction i.e. a male, to actually do my job, this has enabled me to focus on honing and developing my skillset that is required to do my role.
Being a strong communicator with a quick ability to evaluate information and make decisions, has enabled me to push myself forward, so even if I am not the loudest person in the room, what I have to say is just as valuable.
What do you think is the most significant change happening in the construction industry?
There are many changes afoot that will benefit all of us in the construction industry, especially the improvement in supporting workers’ mental health which has come a long way in the last five years, there is definitely more that we can and should be doing and we all have a part to play to ensure the changes necessary become a part of the now and not just aspirations for the future.
But for me personally, it is the change in attitude towards seeing women in construction, there is still a long way to go to change the perception and stereotype of the construction industry, but women are demonstrating on a daily basis that they are just as suitably qualified for both trade and executive positions as men are.
I believe that we are slowly carving out a path to where we won’t need to highlight the women working in construction because it would have become the ‘norm’ and not something so rare that it needs to be individually raised and encouraged.
An Interview with…
Nirali Amin
Commercial Manager
How do you think construction can attract more female candidates?
To actively promote the various roles available within the industry in schools and to offer up more work experience opportunities for students. I would have loved to have been able to do my work experience in construction if I had the chance!
Why did you choose a career in construction?
My dad was very influential in helping me pick a career in construction. He always encouraged me to look into roles which were outside the “norm” of our culture and to do something that you could take anywhere in the world.
What is your proudest achievement in your career?
Becoming 8build’s first female Commercial Manager!
What advice would you give to a woman entering the industry?
I would say be true to yourself, ask plenty of questions and be confident, it’s really not as scary as it may seem!!
An Interview with…
Jessica Acton
Construction Manager
What personal qualities do you believe have helped you succeed?
I am very organised and focused on planning work out. I like to fully understand the logic and sequence of things, this allows me to accurately predict my work areas and arrange trades efficiently.
What do you think is the most important change happening in the construction industry?
Better support for flexible working and mental health, and increased use of technology to prepare for upcoming problems.
How do you think construction can attract more female candidates?
Encouraging young girls to learn a trade early on. My dad always asked for help with DIY around the house and this has allowed me to build enough confidence to pursue a career. Start with your own daughters and encourage them to explore working on things in your own house.
What is your proudest achievement in your career?
Anything I can walk past and point to, the individual things I have been a part of are the things that make me proud. We are making a lasting impact on the physical world around us and it’s worth doing!
Why did you choose a career in construction?
I had always been into STEM subjects and actually began studying a degree in Biochemistry. However I quickly found that the abstract and microscopic aspect of my studies didn’t interest me, so I left university and reapplied for Civil Engineering.
Over the many subjects I studied, I always enjoyed the construction management topics the most. So rather than applying for work as an engineer, I looked for management roles.
#WomenInConstruction #WIC2023 #InfinitePossibilities