Encouraging women into the industry
As a traditionally male-dominated industry, we are fortunate to have 540 talented women working in a wide range of roles across our business.
We recognise that every one of these women – from production workers and drivers through to engineers and managers – contributes to the success of the company.
One of these is Lauren Kinch, who joined Hanson just two years ago as an asphalt plant operator at our Craig yr Hesg site in south Wales.
“Some were a bit apprehensive about a woman starting here,” said Lauren, 27 who was encouraged to apply for the role by her brother, area production supervisor Dan.
“But after the first few weeks of seeing me out shovelling in the rain and cleaning the plant, they realised I was here to work.”
Despite having no previous industry experience, Lauren’s hard work and can-do attitude have gained the respect of her male co-workers and she has quickly progressed through the ranks to become a production manager for our Hinkley Point C project team.
“My current role is really exciting and combines large scale aggregate supply, concrete production and the opportunity to work on a major project to construct the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK,” added Lauren, who has also held roles as plant supervisor and district operations manager for asphalt.
“It takes a certain type of person to work here, but I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of my career so far and hope to keep moving and learning. There are plenty of opportunities to progress and it would be great to see more women, like myself, who are willing to break the mould and get involved in the industry.”
As part of its commitment towards a diverse, engaged and motivated team, Hanson is now a corporate member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) – a national campaign which aims to increase the participation, inclusion and success of women in science, technology and engineering.
HR director Clare Mayo says: “We advocate equal opportunities for all of our employees and will be working closely with WISE to ensure that women in industries like ours, where they are in the minority, have the same opportunities to progress their careers as their male colleagues. We are excited to see our talent pool expanding each year as more skilled women, like Lauren, join us and we value the achievements they bring to the company.”