In this episode Ishreen speaks with Kate Jansen, the Director of Organisational Design and Learning at Wilmot Dixon, a top 10 family-owned construction company in the UK. Kate discusses her career journey, starting from her early days as an apprentice to her current role where she has played a pivotal role in achieving gender balance within the male-dominated construction industry. She shares her experiences of facing challenges as a woman in leadership positions within the construction sector and discusses the significant milestone Wilmot Dixon reached in 2023 with 15.8% female representation in the workforce. KEY TAKEAWAYS The construction industry has historically struggled with gender balance, but progress is being made towards achieving equal representation. Setting ambitious goals, such as aiming for 50-50 gender equality in every role, can drive meaningful change and push organizations to work towards a more inclusive environment. Women in male-dominated industries like construction often face stereotypes, biases, and discrimination, making it crucial to actively work towards creating a more supportive and inclusive workplace. Creating a support network of senior women within the organization can be instrumental in driving change and breaking down barriers for other women to advance into leadership roles. Having the strategic leaders of the organization fully support diversity and inclusion goals is essential for driving meaningful change and creating a culture of equality and belonging. BEST MOMENTS "I think the big turning point was probably only about five years ago, four or five years ago, when the business came forward and set a big audacious goal." "It wasn't an ambition that was wholeheartedly embraced. And even I questioned it a little bit at the start." "What we did, we took the seven, as it was, senior women in the business and we got together and I said, right, what are we going to do here to really make a change?" "You want to create success through connection and belonging, and you're unsure about how to make it happen."   VALUABLE RESOURCES Privilege Survey  https://intelligentlinking261447.typeform.com/to/SNkQvD0v Website: https://belongingpioneers.com/privilege-research-and-podcast Email: [email protected] Useful links: https://linktr.ee/BelongingPioneers ABOUT THE HOSTS Ishreen Bradley, a Strategic Pioneer, excels in guiding Professional Leaders through complex challenges with clarity, confidence, and courage. She focuses on cultivating inclusive cultures and authentic leadership, offering senior leaders advice, consultancy, training, and coaching. Kami Nuttall, a workplace culture expert with over 20 years of experience, delves into governance, risk management, and the human experience in organizations. Trained by the Anti-Discrimination Foundation and a qualified hypnotherapist, she's passionate about fostering psychologically safe, inclusive workplace cultures. Kami champions accountability, believing organizations should prioritize both employees and customers, creating environments grounded in inclusivity and trust. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaminuttall-cultureguru-cultureauditor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishreenbradley/ Privilege, Eruption, Culture, Diversity, inclusion, Equity, diverse, cultural, impact, power: https://privilege-eruption.com