Women In Construction: More Please!

I dashed up to London last night from deepest Essex to attend the CIOB’s Construction Manager of the Year Awards. And a very pleasant evening it was too!

As a ‘Judge’ for this year’s awards (love that term, so much more powerful and important than adjudicator!) that were held at the cavernous and regal Grosvenor House, I was very kindly invited to the VIP Reception Bovis Lend Lease were holding.

Its funny you know, I moved on from Bovis some years ago, but whenever I meet up with their people, it feels like I never left! A bit like a lapsed ‘Catholic’; I no longer attend the ‘church’, but I retain the ‘faith’! It was good to meet up with old mates like Mark Bryan, whose lanky presence loomed over all and sundry, whilst he delighted in teasing me unmercifully about my appearance in a ‘Monkey Suit’. Chatted to Director, John Howells, about his and several other Senior Bovis people’s quite amazing length of tenure at the old ‘Fee’ contractor. Caught up too with Christine Walmsley and Linda Raffe, two wonderful people from the brilliant marketing support team at Bovis Lend Lease, who always make you feel like you are quite the most important person in the room. Yeah, all in all a marvellous start to the evening.

Bovis Lend Lease is, and I have no doubt will always be, a fascinating paradoxical mix of austerity and serenity. As an old ‘subbie’ I knew once said, “Bovis are a bit like Hannibal Lecter; really charming but possess a bite like a crocodile!”

So, onto the Awards. Close on 1000 people had gathered in the ‘Great Room’ and, as ever, it made an impressive sight. The food was, well, OK, but not what you might call delicious. I don’t think Gordon Ramsey was presiding over its preparation. What was impressive though, was Guest Presenter Gabby Logan. As her Dad, Ex-Welsh International Soccer Star Terry Yorath, would have said, Gabby played a ‘blinder’. She linked each section of the ceremony perfectly, had a nice line in chat and banter, whilst helping each and every medallist appear like an Oscar winner whilst on stage.

Gabby made only one bad ‘Pass’ all night, when she chided the predominantly male audience for not wolf-whistling with gusto when Construction Manger magazine Editor, Kristina Smith, strolled elegantly on to the stage to make an award. Marvellous isn’t? At long last the chaps are acting with a bit of respect and decorum towards their female colleagues and then they get rebuked for not acting as though they were at an old fashioned ‘stag-night’!

Gabby was ‘right-on-the-ball’ though with her observation of how sad a sight it was that not one woman was amongst the vast array of finalists of these prestigious awards.

We need more women in the construction industry to readdress this serious imbalance.

Granted, there are marvellous women in the industry, such as Pakeray’s quite superb Director Clare Murdoch, and the CIOB’s very own unsung heroines of these Awards, Rosemary Elder and Judy Parker. The thing is, there is a serious dearth of women working on projects. The law was changed in 1974 to allow jobs to be undertaken without a bias towards one sex. Yet in the 32 years that have elapsed since, we have hardly had a rush of females wanting to project manage a construction site. Why is this? Please can we really do something about it, rather than keep on prevaricating and making bland assumptions that it is still too blokey an environment for women to be comfortable within it.

That aside, a good time was had by all and I for one cannot wait for next year’s event. It is a marvellous celebration of a fantastic industry.

I won’t bore you with the details here of who won what, as you can log onto http://www.cmya.co.uk/winners2006/winners06homepage.jsp to read a detailed account of the nine category winners and the full run down of the finalists. But I will make a special mention for the medal winners of the Fit Out Category that I had the pleasure of Judging. The Silver Medal went to the amiable and extremely capable Graham Ward for his sterling efforts at Euromoney in the city of London. The Gold Medal was awarded to Noel Sheehan of Ellmer Construction for his quite outstanding performance at the BBC Studios in Portland Place. Also, commiserations to ‘Fit Out Finalists’ Adam Bentley and Richard Petrie, who I met and spoke with on the night. Unfortunately they went away empty-handed. Hard lines guys, better luck next year. You never know, you could get to share the plaudits with the first woman medal winner at the CMYA…

Sat 28 October

MBA’s In Construction: More Please!

I was representing the Open University Business School today at the ‘MBA Fair’ in the QEII building, Westminster. It was good fun and I got to meet lots of bright, enthusiastic people, all seeking out the most appropriate MBA course to suit their specific needs and wants. Rather unfortunately I did not come across any construction professionals. I do hope that it was just a quirk of fate that I did not actually bump into any Project or Cost Managers myself and that they were there in their droves.

I sincerely hope so, because as an industry we can ill afford not to be developing the strategic and creative thinking skills of our project leaders as the work load increases in complexity in terms of financial packaging and organisational structuring.

Tues 24 October

QS’ In Constructing Excellence: More Please!

On a really lovely evening in Canary Wharf, I joined the throng who had gathered at Cabot Hall for the launch of the Thames Gateway Constructing Excellence Club. Close to 300 people filed in to hear the speeches and network with the great and good of the construction industry. Those present were all blown away by one particular statesmen like speech, delivered with aplomb by Foreman Roberts Director of Continuous Improvement, Roy Casey. Extolling the virtues, and his very own personal successes, of Networking and Knowledge sharing within the London Constructing Excellence Club community, Roy was positive and persuasive in his message. His passion for improving performance and seeking more innovation in our industry was palpable.

The speech wrapped up a really interesting and thoroughly entertaining evening. The only downside to it came to mind whilst travelling back home. I reflected upon just how few Cost Consultants are making an impression within ‘CE’. There are a few for sure. Cyril Sweett’s David Hucker does a superb job as the London Club’s Treasurer. But I would be more heartened if the odd QS or two were to step up to the proverbial plate, ala Roy Casey, and deliver a passionate, searing speech on why CE and its vision of a UK construction industry that realises maximum value to all clients, end users and stakeholders and exceed their expectations through the consistent delivery of world-class products and services, is so vitally important.

So come you cost consultants sitting quitely at the back of the ‘CE Class’, whilst the noisey boys from design and contracting hog the limelight. Let’s hear what you have got to say, because as sure as Bills of quants are Bills of Quants, it will be well worth hearing.

And finally…

You can make more friends in 2 months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in 2 years by trying to get people interested in you.
Dale Carnegie