Q: Industry events often serve as both celebration and accountability checkpoints. From your perspective, how do forums like this genuinely influence cultural change and what makes them more than just symbolic moments?

Sophie (Head of HR):
Events like this one are powerful because they create collective visibility and momentum. It’s one thing to acknowledge progress internally, but when leaders and professionals from across the industry come together, you feel the shared responsibility to do more. For me, it’s about role-modelling – letting women and underrepresented groups see leaders who look like them thriving in spaces they may not have thought possible. That visibility sparks belief and ambition and belief is what drives people to step forward.

What makes these moments meaningful rather than symbolic is the action that follows. At VINCI Energies, feedback from our Steps In Our Shoes event directly inspired the launch of Elevate. That’s how these forums move from words to change – when the conversations inform new structures, programmes or commitments.

Simon (MD):
I’d agree and I’d add that these events act as cultural signposts. When senior leaders – especially those perceived as part of the “status quo” – stand up and publicly demonstrate commitment to DEI, it changes the organisational tone. People pay attention to what leaders choose to show up for.

But the value lies in consistency. Policy can say the right things, but if leadership isn’t visible and vocal, the message won’t stick. For me, showing up at events like this is about accountability. It’s a reminder to myself and my peers that inclusion isn’t a side project – it’s central to who we are as businesses and as an industry.

Q: Elevate was born out of listening to the lived experiences of women across the business. How did those insights shape the design of the programme and in what ways do you see it addressing systemic barriers that traditional development pathways might have missed?

Sophie:
The most important insight we heard from women in our business was that while existing pathways were valuable, they weren’t tailored to their realities. Women talked about barriers to confidence, struggling to have their voices heard, to visibility and support with elevating their careers (advocation from others) and building a support network. Elevate was designed to directly respond to those gaps.

The programme provides a safe space to build skills and confidence but also creates networks across the organisation that women may not otherwise have. That peer support is invaluable. It also gives participants direct access to senior leaders as mentors and sponsors, which is crucial in industries where informal networks can determine opportunity.

The impact is starting to show – we’ve moved from 15.2% to 20.4% female representation in just three years. But beyond the numbers, I’ve seen women in Elevate step forward with new confidence, applying for leadership roles, putting themselves forward for projects and visibly influencing others around them. That’s where systemic change begins – when people see not just pathways, but proof that those pathways work. 

Q: Simon, leadership in DEI often requires balancing ambitious targets with cultural reality. How do you personally navigate embedding inclusion into the core of Omexom UK & Ireland?

Simon:
It’s true – there’s a balance to strike. Targets give you a north star, but culture determines whether you get there. At Omexom, our target is 30% of management roles held by women by 2030, but hitting a number without building a culture of belonging isn’t success in my eyes.

That’s why I put emphasis on lived experience. We’ve introduced the Sharlene Gill Scholarship for Women in Engineering to address entry barriers, reworked family-friendly policies and flexible working to make careers sustainable and invested in leadership programmes that equip managers to lead inclusive teams. These are practical steps that make inclusion visible day-to-day.

Personally, I try to keep asking: Who isn’t in the room? Whose voice isn’t being heard? Embedding inclusion means being willing to challenge the status quo and making sure that the structures we build give people genuine access to opportunities – not just a seat at the table, but the chance to shape the conversation.

Q: Cultural transformation is often described as a marathon, not a sprint. What do you see as the most persistent challenges to embedding real, sustained inclusion in organisations like VINCI Energies UK & ROI and Omexom UK and Ireland and how do you maintain momentum when progress feels incremental?

Sophie:
One challenge is ensuring inclusion doesn’t sit in a single department – like HR. It must be a shared responsibility. Change only becomes embedded when line managers and leaders see themselves as accountable for inclusion in everyday behaviours by living and breathing our values, holding themselves and others to account – whether that’s through recruitment, how they develop people, or how they lead their teams. If we live to the values and protect them at all costs, it becomes about the behaviours and nothing else and inclusion can truly follow.

Another challenge is fatigue. DEI work is not a one-off initiative – it’s a long-term cultural shift. That requires patience and persistence, but also creativity in keeping the conversation alive. Programmes like Elevate help because they create fresh energy and visible outcomes, led by our people for our people, showing that change is possible, worth continuing and it just takes a few people to come together with a shared purpose to drive meaningful change.

Simon:
For me, the challenge is that cultural change doesn’t always show immediate results. Recruitment reforms, school outreach or leadership training take time before they translate into diversity in senior roles. It can be tempting for organisations to expect quick wins, but the truth is that sustainable change is gradual.

At Omexom, we keep momentum by measuring progress, being transparent, and celebrating milestones along the way. Whether it’s increasing diversity in our apprenticeships or seeing managers embrace inclusive practices, those wins matter. They remind people that every small step is part of a bigger cultural shift.

Q: Looking ahead, what signals – whether from within your organisations or the wider industry – give you confidence that the future for women in construction and engineering will not only be more inclusive, but more equitable in terms of leadership, influence and opportunity?

Sophie:
The clearest signal for me comes from the women themselves. In our Elevate cohorts, I’ve seen extraordinary enthusiasm and determination. They’re not waiting for permission – they’re seizing opportunities and leading change from the inside. That energy is contagious, and it reassures me that the next generation of leaders will challenge old patterns and accelerate progress.

I also see growing recognition across the industry that inclusion isn’t just morally right, it’s commercially essential. That shift in mindset is critical. When businesses see DEI as integral to growth, innovation, and resilience, investment naturally follows.

Simon:
I share that optimism. For me, the biggest signal of change is how DEI has become “table stakes” for business credibility. Ten years ago, these conversations often felt optional. Today, clients, employees, and stakeholders expect it as standard. That external pressure, combined with the passion of people coming through the industry, creates an unstoppable force.

What gives me most hope, though, is seeing leaders – at all levels – embrace inclusion not as a compliance exercise but as a leadership responsibility. When that mindset takes hold, equity in leadership and opportunity stops being a vision and starts becoming a reality.

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