Page 26 - A4 Journal 2019

The Company

Ladies Take Over the City

The recent Worshipful Company of Constructors’ “Ladies Take Over the City” event was a resounding success. The occasion
marked a high-profile celebration of women leading the construction sector with the aim of empowering more women to
aspire for leadership positions in the industry. This flagship event took place on the 23 September 2019 in Canary Wharf at
their stunning Level 39 venue with its panoramic views of the city. It received keen industry interest and an impressive
attendance by women and men from all areas of the industry.
The event, which was master-minded by Freeman Diana Chrouch (diana@constructorscompany.org.uk), was a collaboration
between the Constructors and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and featured a line-up of
prominent women in the sector. The key note speaker, Sue Kershaw (managing director of the Major Projects Advisory and
UK Head of Infrastructure Management at KPMG) gave a rousing speech. In it she charted her own journey to success and
shared her personal tips for building confidence among women aiming for leadership positions.
The “Ladies Take Over the City” initiative is part of a drive to encourage more women to join the Constructors’ by raising
awareness about the company’s important role in representing the construction industry and supporting the work of the City
of London.
Mike Parrett, the Master of the Worshipful Company of Constructors, led the speakers and reiterated his support for both the
promotion of more women into leadership positions and increasing diversity levels across the sector. Indeed, during his year
as Master, Mike has supported several strategies to increase the diversity of the membership of the Constructors and was
instrumental in the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Group to drive this initiative.
Since its creation in 1976, the Worshipful Company of Constructors has had three female Masters. These include Past Master
Victoria Russell who attended the event. She outlined the important and influential role that women can play in the sector by
taking up membership of the Worshipful Company of Constructors and thereafter advancing their careers through the
Company as a gateway to leadership positions in both the City of London and the Industry more widely.
This aspirational message was keenly supported by chair of NAWIC, Cristina Lanz Azcarate, who has been a long-time
advocate for change. NAWIC is also behind the iconic “Images of Women in Construction” photography project to inspire
women and girls to take up and advance careers in the sector. The event was Kindly sponsored by leading diversity
advocates, City construction law firm Mayer Brown, whose senior partner, Sally Davies, gave a passionate talk about the firm’s
hands-on commitment to diversity.

CLIC Sargent

Clic Sargent was awarded £10k at our recent Sir Christopher Wren Banquet towards the refurbishment of Paul’s House under
the Home from Home scheme. Kate Lee, the Chief Executive has now written to thank the Company for their donation:
“I want to give my sincere and heartfelt thanks to you all for your generous £10,000 donation to our Paul’s
House refurbishment project. Every penny will be spent on helping children and young people with cancer
and their families have a place to stay together for many years to come.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer in the UK they are treated in specialist centres in cities like London, so
families often have to travel hundreds of miles for many months while their child is undergoing treatment.
At a time when parents should only have to focus on their child’s treatment, they’re worrying about the
logistics and costs of travel to hospital, and where they’re going to stay to be close to their child.
CLIC Sargent’s Homes from Home are a haven for families and entirely funded by kind donations like yours. The Homes are
completely free to stay and a ‘slipper walk’ away from specialist treatment hospitals, helping families avoid the extra financial
burdens of travel, accommodation and food costs and crucially to stay together.
After ten years of continuous service to hundreds of families receiving cancer treatment at UCLH and Great Ormond Street
Hospitals in London, we have to temporarily close our Home from Home Paul’s House in London for vital refurbishment. This
work; caused both by the age of the building and years of wear and tear, cannot be avoided and it is becoming increasingly
important and time sensitive to get it back to its best. This comes as we know the demand for Paul’s House will only increase
with new specialist treatments like London’s first Proton Beam Therapy Centre opening next year, which means more families
travelling to the capital.
Families love Paul’s House and often tell us they simply don’t know what they would have done without it, but we know it’s
not perfect. Originally two houses on Huntley Street in central London the building has 16 bedrooms including 4 accessible
rooms serviced by a lift, shared kitchens, bathrooms and living spaces. We need to do major work to the roof and insulation,
to ensure that we can maintain the extremely high hygiene levels needed for children on cancer treatment to safely stay with
the rest of their family.
But we have to fundraise for every penny of the costs of these necessary works and thanks to the donation from the
Worshipful Company of Constructors, CLIC Sargent can make the most of this time and more improvements to Paul’s House
like redecorating bedrooms and kitchens, to support families for many years to come.
Your generosity will make such an incredible difference. I would also like to personally thank Mike Parrett, the Master of the
Worshipful Company of Constructors for his kindness donating 50% of the proceeds of his upcoming book to CLIC Sargent. I
look forward to welcoming members of the Worshipful Company to Paul’s House in the near future. “

Page 26 | The Journal of the Worshipful Company of Constructors | Autumn 2019