International Women’s Day: profiling our brilliant team

This International Women’s Day we’re sharing an insight into some of the women making an impact in our business.

Kristina King, Senior Contracts Engineer

What does your role involve? 

On a day-to-day basis my role involves arranging plant material and labour for each individual job that I’m working on. I’m involved at a site level daily and this includes a range of responsibilities from briefing the teams, ensuring all documentation is up to date and tracking material orders. I also work closely with our clients to keep them informed of how the project is running.

What do you enjoy about your job? 

The dynamic work environment and working alongside all of our subcontractors and clients as well as our own squads. There’s a diverse set of stakeholders and we all have an interdependency on each other to get the project over the finish line. Day to day the work is really diverse, and no day is ever the same. It can be fast paced and there’s often different challenges, whether it’s the weather or COVID-19 but having to solve such diverse problems means I’m never bored.

Can you tell us about something you are particularly proud of?

Winning the Concrete Repair Association Emerging Talent award – for me that has been the peak of my career so far. It gives young people that are new to the industry the confidence that what you do within the business is seen and rewarded both internally and externally. Winning the award has played a massive part in how I feel about my role and how rewarding it is.

How did you get into the civil engineering industry?

I went down the degree route after school although reflecting now and having seen how successful the apprenticeships are within our business, I would have maybe preferred that route. My degree gave me the platform to apply for a graduate engineer role but I’m still learning all the time – the industry is moving so fast you need to constantly be learning and able to adapt.

Why you would encourage other women to join the industry?

I personally think there isn’t enough women in the industry. I think it’s important that more young women are educated on STEM careers and made aware of the opportunities in these industries. With the complex nature of the civil engineering industry and all of its challenges, a diverse representation of all minorities is so vital. Without this, businesses can get stuck in a rut of always doing the same things but when there’s diversity, this opens up more conversations and opportunities for growth.

Alison Irwin, Quality and IT Coordinator

What does your role involve?

My role is very diverse. I manage both Quality and Health and Safety procedures and policies – making sure they’re up to date, and the teams are following the right guidelines. I also look after IT and all of our systems. Recently we’ve been implementing a lot of new systems which can be challenging at times making sure everyone is up to date, but very rewarding once we started feeling the benefits they bring.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy the variety. No day is the same and there’s always something different going on, but I like the challenge. At Mackenzie Construction, I really enjoy the family feeling in the business. Every day you go into work knowing you are supported by your colleagues and the senior management team, so you never feel like you’re on your own.

Can you tell us about something you are particularly proud of?

I’m really proud that the company entrust me to represent them at the various Quality forums I attend and contribute on their behalf. I’m also hugely proud of the role I played in achieving ISO 27001 certification and is testament to the improvements we have made in recent years. In general, the company is really embracing digital change, so I am proud of how fast we’re moving forward in that sense.

How did you get into the civil engineering industry?

I started with Mackenzie Construction straight from school as an office junior and spent many years learning on the job and building up my knowledge of the industry. In 2017 I moved over to the HSEQ team which was a real turning point in my career and has enabled me to lead the business on quality.

Why you would encourage other women to join the industry?

I would encourage other women to join the industry because although it is male dominated, it’s a good industry to get into for career growth and opportunities. It’s very diverse and it’s not set out that you have to be an engineer or work in an office – if you’re willing to put in the time and effort you can really take the path that you’re passionate about.

Nina Devaney, HR Administrator and Health and Wellbeing Committee Chair

What does your role involve? 

My role as HR Administrator covers typical HR activities like keeping employee records up to date and onboarding our new starts. Within Mackenzie Construction I also lead our Health and Wellbeing Committee. This can involve anything from coming up with the initial ideas for company events, fundraising and challenges through to organising these and communicating with the entire organisation, striving to get everyone involved.

What do you enjoy about your job? 

I’m a real people person so I enjoy the interaction with all of the staff and feeling involved with the full Mackenzie Construction team. I’m generally really positive and upbeat and having started with the company at the beginning of 2020 I’ve enjoyed bringing some fresh ideas to the business which I think has reflected in the work I’ve been doing with the Health and Wellbeing Committee.

Can you tell us about something you are particularly proud of?

I’m very proud to be in the role that I’m in and driving forward the approach to health and wellbeing. Mental health is so important, so I like being able to help and motivate others using a holistic approach and encouraging mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. This has been particularly important to me over the last year when the team have had to deal with the extra challenges around COVID-19. It makes me feel really proud that I’m helping others feel good about themselves at a difficult time.

How did you get into the civil engineering industry?

I’ve had quite a varied work background, starting out after school as a nursery nurse and then working at a call centre before my job now. Although these roles weren’t civil engineering or construction focused, they involved a lot of interaction with a huge variety of stakeholders which has really helped with the role I’m in now.

Why you would encourage other women to join the industry?

In any environment it’s good to have a diverse mix of people whether that is across gender, age or race. Women can bring a huge amount of wealth and knowledge to the industry and I’m fortunate to have experienced this at Mackenzie Construction where I’ve seen a lot of the women in the business achieving success within their roles.