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International
Women’s Day 2023

Jeanette Hennerley

What is your role at MWHT and what does it involve?

I am a Quantity Surveyor on the Advance Plus Framework for United Utilities AMP 7 capital delivery scheme.  My role involves cost management across a number of sites within the Framework, Procurement and Subcontractor engagement, and preparation of monthly cost reports to Senior Management.

Can you describe a typical day?

A typical day varies from week to week depending on where we are in the monthly reporting period.  Tasks can range from raising subcontract orders to attending team meetings with the Project Delivery Team, preparing monthly forecasts and Cost Value Reconciliation (CVR) reports, and even processing payments to the supply chain! There is never one week which is the same as the previous one!

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To me, International Women’s Day is a symbol that women are equally as valued and capable of successful careers, not just in Construction but in employment as a whole.  It is exciting to see more and more women coming into the Construction industry each year!

What women inspire or have inspired you in your life?

My two daughters inspire me every day to set a good example and to show them that it is possible to manage a career and a family by working hard and having the belief that you can do anything if you put the work in!

How can we work toward embracing equity in our industry?

I think it is important to understand that a degree of flexibility is required in the workplace, particularly as a lot of women in the industry are also juggling hectic home lives and families as well as trying to progress in their careers, the support of the employer is vital in ensuring that this can be achieved and a good work/life balance can be upheld.

What action has an ally taken that has made an impact on your development (personally or professionally)?

For me, it was the action of a previous female colleague which set me off on my career path as a Quantity Surveyor, she recognised qualities which I possessed that she felt would stand me in good stead and championed me within the business to be put under her mentorship and onto a full training and development scheme (including day release at university to obtain formal qualification) to become a Quantity Surveyor – without this I could well be on a very different path to the one which I now walk!

Embrace Equity.

International Women’s Day recognises the strength, resilience and accomplishment of women.

This year’s theme is Embracing Equity.  Equity goes beyond equal opportunities and recognises that people start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.

We are playing our part in celebrating some of the amazing women in our business, starting 8th March we are running a week-long awareness campaign on social media. Discover what International Women’s Day means to them and the women who have inspired them.

So give equity a huge embrace.

Image source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Keeping it in the family

Fellow RSK Group company Copper Consultancy asked both men and women across male-dominated industries such as infrastructure, energy and construction to tell them what equity meant to them. How does it differ from equality and how are people embracing equity in their roles, scheme, project and business?

Be part of something special; help shape a better world

At MWH Treatment our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are critical to our success now and in the future.

We are a high-performing business, number one in the Design & Build UK Water Industry, and at the forefront of many technological advances within the digital environment, this is all due to the dedication and commitment of our people.