Bristan Group’s Progress Report: Elevating Women in the Workforce

Bristan Group, one of our Strategic Partners, has shared their Progress Report which highlights the work they have done to increase efforts around DE&I and elevating women in the workforce.

At Bristan Group, we have significantly increased our efforts around DE&I in recent years and since joining the CIC in Oct 2023 we have particularly focused on the role of women in the business in line with the Coalition’s initial efforts to increase gender equality across the industry.

So, what did we do?

To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th we hosted a virtual coffee chat for every female team member in our business including an in-person session with our female warehouse team – a total of 180 people took time out to attend these really impactful and powerful gatherings —full of laughter, tears, and bonding. We shared ideas on fostering inclusion, belonging, and empowerment. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, leading us to commit to quarterly catch-ups facilitated by Jen Cassidy and her direct reports. These sessions are about more than just talking; they’re about creating real, lasting change.

Looking beyond our own business, Jen Cassidy took the co-chair position alongside Maxine Frost of the Highbourne Group to launch the CIC Elevate – Women’s Network. This coalition of 41 member businesses is dedicated to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the construction industry. Together, we’re pooling our ideas and resources to not only support women but also other underrepresented groups. The goal? To build an industry that mirrors the diverse communities it serves, operating under the powerful belief that 1+1=3. We were delighted with the attendance, engagement and feedback from the first session and are looking forward to the next date in September when we hope even more coalition members will join us.

Our commitment to gender equity is reflected in our workforce statistics. Over 50% of Bristan Group’s employees are women, including 43% of our Executive team, 48% of our Senior Managers, and 40% of our recent promotions. We’re proud of our robust maternity policies, which thanks to the CIC we have been able to benchmark against industry standards to ensure we’re leading the way in supporting our female colleagues. We are also very excited to be launching a menopause policy this year.

We are also delighted that on January 1, 2025, Jen Cassidy will become Bristan Group’s first-ever female CEO. Her leadership marks a significant milestone in our journey towards gender equity. Jen’s promotion isn’t just a win for her; it’s a win for every woman in our company and our industry.

At Bristan Group, we are more determined than ever to ensure that everyone at Bristan Group feels included, relevant, and empowered and as we move into planning for 2025 and beyond we are committed to replicating our efforts around gender to more underrepresented groups and diverse communities across our organisation. We’re ready to lead the charge towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive future for everyone in the construction industry.

If you want to be part of the solution to build a better construction industry, please get in touch here.