Women in Construction

By Ruth Parkinson – Head of Marketing

I love working in marketing. As Head of Marketing for Optima I get to be creative every day. International Women’s Day allows me to reflect on how the business has moved forward proving how even the smallest amount of women in construction can make all the difference. My work is self-generating; I get to strategize and implement ideas generated by my team and the rest of the business. I’m lucky to have the support of a dynamic board of directors who encourage creativity and innovation.

I occasionally get the opportunity to visit our sites. Meeting our welcoming installation teams allows me context into some of the technical aspects of an install. I’m often kitted up in my PPE,  directing a photo shoot and the results speak for themselves. we are proud of our growing library of beautiful images which we love to share on our social media channels, such as Instagram. I work closely with the project managers, like Natalie McLoughlin who works for our Special Works division managing churn work etc. I also work with our sales team who are represented by some experienced women, Jenny Maggs who manages clients in the South, Samantha Sanghera in the Midlands and Andrea Glenister in the North.  My thanks to them for involving me in their projects and helping me to bring them to life for our audiences.

One of the things my team has focused on this year is Instagram and our team of designers have stretched their talents to give me some great material, so thanks to the women in Optima’s design team (and the men of course)!

With women making up only 11% of the workforce in construction, today is the day to celebrate the diversity we bring and the contribution we make!