Female leadership and leadership should be defined in the same way. This was the prevailing comment from the nominees for this year’s Building Female Leadership Award. While all the nominees said it was important women were represented at the top levels in the construction sector, they said it was also integral that all leaders were marked in the same way: by their ability to steer a team and get the best out of the people they lead. 

At a gathering in early October, the nominees, from a range of areas within the sector, showed why they had been shortlisted for the award. Each of these women has extensive experience and has broken through barriers in what they all acknowledge is a male-dominated industry. Asked why they think it is important to have women in senior leadership positions, the common answers were that it provides a visible pathway for other women entering the industry and provides a different voice at the top level. 

One nominee summed it up by saying: “We are designing and creating spaces for the general population and the general population is half female. Shouldn’t the female voice be heard?” And that is what all these women are doing: making sure women have a voice in the construction sector.

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