Sir Robert McAlpine is on a mission to create change. A mission to make the UK’s construction sector more diverse and inclusive. Traditionally the construction industry is known as a male-driven sector that falls short on inclusivity.
We recently spoke to Nadeem Mirza, Head of Resourcing at Sir Robert McAlpine to find out what they are doing to create change for all.
Please tell us a little about yourself and Sir Robert McAlpine
My name is Nadeem Mirza and I am the Head of Resourcing at Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. Sir Robert McAlpine is a family-owned tier-one building and civil engineering company that was established in 1869. We have worked on some of Britain’s most iconic buildings and projects, including the Olympic Stadium, Big Ben, O2 Arena, and the Emirates Stadium. We focus on engineering excellence and building Britain’s future heritage.
I have been with the company for one and a half years now and what strikes you straight away is that we are a family-run organization. From the top-down, everyone plays a vital role in taking this company forward. Sir Robert McAlpine operates like an FTSE company but within a family environment and this is the key to our joint success.
What is your D&I mission for 2020 and beyond?
At the heart of Sir Robert McAlpine is our family roots and this resonates across our inclusive workforce. Our vision is to create a business where everyone can thrive; where people are respected and treated fairly. Everyone can make a positive change regardless of their sex, race, or religion. Ultimately our mission doesn’t change, to be a fully inclusive construction company with an open-door policy to all.
Can you share some best practice examples?
Sir Robert McAlpine’s board is equally split by gender. Female board members also champion and run our females in construction, mentoring program. A program designed to empower and support all females across the business, to break down the gender divide in construction. To continue our work towards a more diverse workforce Sir Robert McAlpine not only cherry-picks top universities. We work closely with all universities across the country to make sure we are able to attract and discover a wider pool of talent.
Comments regarding being accessible across your online landscape?
To discover and attract a wider pool of talent, and to unearth great people with unique skill sets, we needed to make sure our digital landscape was an environment where anyone could come and engage easily. In line with our commitment to lead on inclusion and inspire industry-wide change, we now provide barrier-free access to our websites for people with a range of accessibility issues, including visual impairments, dyslexia, color blindness, and other forms of neurodiversity, as well as those who speak English as a second language.
Concluding company message
At Sir Robert McAlpine we want to inspire change across the construction industry through a genuine and honest commitment to inclusion that is embedded at every level of the organization and promote the diversity of the communities we work in.
Guest Blog with Nadeem Mirza, Head of Resourcing, Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
