International Women’s Day provides an important opportunity to reflect on the progress made toward gender equality and to acknowledge the significant contributions of women across all sectors. At Designer Group, we took this opportunity to celebrate the invaluable efforts of our female colleagues in the construction industry and to reaffirm our ongoing commitment to fostering a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Gold Sponsorship of CIF’s ‘Celebrating Women in Construction’ Initiative

This year, we proudly supported the Construction Industry Federation’s (CIF) ‘Celebrating Women in Construction’ initiative as a Gold Sponsor. This impactful event brought together colleagues and businesses for a dedicated week of awareness, recognition, and discussions on how to make the industry more inclusive, equal, and welcoming for women.

Throughout the week, our Group Managing Director, Paul Nicholls, shared an insightful message, encouraging us to listen, learn, and take meaningful action toward promoting gender equality. Additionally, several of our female colleagues were featured in CIF Magazine, showcasing their exceptional contributions to the industry and their unwavering dedication to construction.

Women Leading in Health & Safety

A highlight of the week was the IWD summit, where our Group EHS Manager, Clare Kelly, participated as a panelist, representing Designer Group as a leader in Health & Safety. This event brought together an extraordinary community of women across the construction sector, highlighting the diverse roles women play, celebrating their success, and discussing ongoing initiatives to continue driving change.

Many of our colleagues who attended the event returned inspired, bringing valuable insights back to Designer Group to continue advancing progress from within. Our Chief People’s Officer mentioned: “the annual CIF International Women’s Day event has grown to become a meaningful busy event. The programme this year tackled some real issues impacting women in our industry such as the pension gap and gender pay gap and the importance of financial planning; the barriers that exist for girls and young women in getting real access to understand the variety of careers available in construction, whilst at school and how we might break down those barriers and presented some inspiring stories of women who entered the industry as second careers. We all got lots of take aways from the day.”

Accelerate Action

To mark the occasion, we organised special breakfast events for our colleagues, creating an opportunity for meaningful conversations about gender equality in a relaxed and engaging setting.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our female colleagues for their dedication, resilience, and the significant contributions they make to Designer Group’s success. We encourage them to continue being voices of inspiration—speaking up, leading change, and paving the way for future generations.

By listening, learning, and taking action, we can accelerate meaningful change for both this generation and the ones to come.