In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week 2022, we’re shining a light on our female employees’ stories and experiences, as well as construction as an industry where women can build a fantastic career. 

Stay tuned to our channels throughout the week and scroll down the page for more.

Laura's story

Encouraged by her best friend, Laura joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Cadets at 14. Nineteen years on she’s a volunteer Adult Flight Sergeant, leading Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, adventure training camps and more, alongside her role at ISG.

With a keen interest in sport, the cadets offered Laura a chance to get involved in activities such as climbing and cycling, while learning new skills like flying aeroplanes and gliders. The cadets also helped Laura develop her confidence, teamwork and leadership, skills she took with her into her career. With opportunities for growth and adventure that may not ordinarily be available, what’s not to love?

After ‘timing out’ as a cadet at 20, Laura became a volunteer member of staff. It’s certainly busy, particularly alongside her full-time role as a proposals coordinator for ISG, creating tender documents for new business opportunities. Laura also juggles the commitments of a young family but is determined to make it work, using the volunteer reserve days she receives in addition to her annual leave.

For Laura, encouraging young people to achieve things they didn’t think they could gives her a true sense of purpose and pride.

Read Laura's story here.

Alia's story

A born dreamer and Dubai native, Alia had first-hand experience of what the city had to offer, and knew she wanted to be part of its rapid economic rise and flourishing cityscape.

Joining ISG in 2017, Alia got the chance to do just that, finding herself at home in a world where mega-scale projects and interior fit out schemes ran at speed, and transformative places were brought to life across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Today, as part of ISG’s regional senior leadership team, Alia steers finance teams and IT operations in Singapore and Dubai, ensuring both functions fully support site operations and commercial teams, while embracing technology to keep ISG operationally efficient.

Proud to be a woman in construction, Alia has never found gender to be an issue at work. A passionate #IamRemarkable workshop facilitator, a volunteer mentor for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and community theatre performer, Alia wears many hats with pride – and ISG’s open, inclusive culture has given her the perfect platform to realise her potential, while empowering others to do the same.

There’s a theory that work and play can’t intersect. Alia is on a mission to prove it wrong. 

Read Alia's story here.

From student awards winner to ISG graduate trainee

Back in 2019, Charlotte Ripley was named as a Women in Property Midlands Student Awards winner while studying for a degree in Architectural Engineering and Design Management at the University of Loughborough.

She then applied to be a placement trainee with ISG, and gained valuable real-world experience. After completing her degree, she was successful in her application to ISG’s two-year graduate programme, and is currently working through role rotations across different areas of the business.

Find out more as Charlotte tells us about her career journey and experience in the construction industry here.

Dace's story...

Driven by a desire to push boundaries and seek out the unexplored, Dace ventured from her home in Jelgava, Latvia, to London where she made her mark as a senior project manager at a global advisory firm, working with clients including the United Nations and World Bank.

Dace had well and truly caught the travel bug, and years later found herself volunteering at a local orphanage in Columbo, Sri Lanka. Being in a place where she was needed at every turn changed her perspective profoundly, awakening a strong resolve to forge a meaningful career.

Dace has embraced this resolve since moving to Dubai, where she now works for ISG in supply chain management. She hasn’t taken long to break ground either, having successfully created a new prequalification process that has transformed ISG’s supplier selection criteria while making a real difference to standards of worker welfare in the region.

Supporting ISG’s commitment to delivering transformative places in the UAE, Dace works tirelessly to represent the very people who bring these places to life – and in turn she is helping change the lives of people across the Middle East. 

Read Dace's story here.

Diversity and inclusion at ISG

Creating a diverse, inclusive business is a key driver for us, with our ‘Reaching for balance’ diversity strategy aiming to accelerate its workforce balance at all levels, and one of the most diverse Stat Boards in the industry.

Read more about diversity and inclusion at ISG here.