Allison Homes encourages women to join the construction industry this International Women’s Day
This International Women’s Day (Saturday 8th March), we are inspiring change in the construction industry and helping women build careers in the sector.
International Women’s Day is an annual awareness campaign, celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe, all whilst advocating for gender equality. This year the theme is Accelerate Action, which is a call for increased urgency in addressing the barriers and biases that women face.
We are supporting the mission, ensuring women are aware of the career paths available to them in housebuilding, and caught up with some of our team members to hear about their first-hand experiences and how they are helping to inspire women.
Zoe Evans, Head of HR
“We have hired women into many roles across the company, both out on site and in senior head office roles, and have hired female apprentices. We are looking to support women studying T Level exams who need work experience by offering them a chance to come to Allison Homes in a variety of departments, to help them with their career decisions. Our goal is to make sure that all the roles we have within the business are visible to women at a young age, so they are aware of the opportunities.”
Georgina McCrae, Planning Director
“As a woman in the industry, at any level, it’s important to accept that you can often be one of a few, if not the only woman in the room, but to recognise you have as much right and ability to influence discussions as anybody else. I make a point of empowering younger females in those situations.
“We work with several female architects, landscape designers and engineering consultants, and have a good proportion of women in the Allison Homes land, technical, commercial, sales and production teams who feed into the planning process.
“My advice to women looking to build a successful career in construction would be to take every opportunity, don’t be afraid to fail, put yourself in daunting situations and most importantly, enjoy them.”
Sophie Kendal, Land and Partnerships Director
“The industry used to be very male dominated, but now more and more women are entering, which is amazing to see. Exposure to key roles in the industry is fundamental for young professionals starting their careers. There are a lot more Women in Property events, which is a great forum for women in all aspects of the industry.”
Victoria Pointon, Quantity Surveyor
“The industry is traditionally male dominated, but women bring a unique perspective. There was a stereotype that the industry was just men on site doing manual labour, which is incorrect. Construction covers so many other areas beyond that, from engineering to marketing. My advice to women joining the industry would be to embrace their contributions, be confident in their abilities and to not hesitate to assert themselves when needed.”
John Anderson, CEO of Allison Group
“We are a designer, manufacturer and retailer of beautiful homes so it’s very simple – statistically 50% of our buyers are women, so it follows that at the very least, 50% of the influence on all key decisions should be from the female perspective.
“38% of our team are women, which is very high by comparison to many equivalent homebuilders. By investing in an environment and culture that will encourage more women to join Allison Homes and stay with us, we will enjoy the benefits of the influence women can bring.”
Find information on starting a career with us.
Read more about International Women’s Day.
Allison Homes web article: 7th March 2025
