Jen Cassidy is the Chief Commercial Officer at Bristan Group. She has over 20 years of experience, primarily within manufacturing organisations.
Jen is responsible for driving the strategic direction of the company and championing the Bristan Operating System (BOS), which ensures everyone is on the same page and driven by the same vision, working towards the same goals.
Jen is passionate about creating change and tackling gender inequality in the industry and within her workplace. “One of the reasons I wanted Bristan Group to become a Strategic Partner of the CIC was because I truly believe that we are better together,” and looking to the future of the industry Jen says, “We can accelerate the progress of the wider industry to create somewhere that everyone can bring their true selves to work.”
“I’m particularly excited about the opportunity for larger businesses to use their teams’ experience and skillsets to support smaller organisations in raising awareness of cultural and equality issues and events, and sharing resources to help create more inclusive processes and policies.”
“It’s also a wonderful opportunity for us all to learn from each other and share best practice. We have several examples already of ideas that have been taken forward as a result of discussions between us and other members.”
Along with building a better future for construction, Jen is a role model for creating networks and mentoring opportunities within the sector. “As a female who has spent most of my life working in male-dominated industries, I’m passionate about supporting other women to progress their careers and to have the confidence to take any opportunity that comes their way.”
“When I started my career there were very few female role models in senior roles, although I was lucky enough to work for the CIC’s own Angela Rushforth while at Plumb Center. I think it is so important for people starting out to see others they can identify with achieving success.”
“I’m also a huge advocate of mentoring, having both benefited from this myself and also having mentored a number of female colleagues over the years, encouraging them to believe in themselves and put themselves forward for bigger roles and opportunities. I am incredibly proud of the successful careers they have built.”
Jen believes that building an inclusive built environment is the way forward for the industry. “From a business perspective, I believe an inclusive environment is critical to allow us to recruit and retain the best people, to ensure they feel able to be themselves and confidently share their perspectives to build a group of highly engaged colleagues. This is essential to support the delivery of our ambitious plans to create long term and sustainable competitive advantage for the business.”
