IN THE RUN UP to International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, Russell Roof Tiles (RRT) is showing its support for women in manufacturing and encouraging more women to join the construction industry.

Over the past five years, the roof tile manufacturer has increased its female workforce by 57 per cent. Women are featured across the business, both as new recruits and longer standing members of the team. The firm’s Finance Director Araminta Chesters alongside Caroline Westwood, Customer Service Supervisor, Vicky Gibbs, Purchase Ledger have all recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. Their newest recruit is Aleks Calka, Service & Support Administrator at RRT in Burton.

To support the significant uptake of women joining the team, the company – that employs 150 people across its three sites in Burton and Lochmaben has invested in additional facilities to ensure its sites are welcoming to all employees. Over the past two years the company has invested nearly £35,000 on new dedicated facilities sites with separate showering, changing, and toilet facilities for women within the business.

In total, women now make up 15 per cent of RRT, and over 120 years of combined service.

Supporting Women in Manufacturing

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles

Russell Roof Tiles says it has always been passionate about encouraging women to enter the industry and to pursue a career in engineering and manufacturing. RRT says supporting and investing in the whole team (through training) to help them develop their career is at the core of the company’s values.

RRT Managing Director, Andrew Hayward, said: “We understand we need to make the construction industry more appealing to women and want to encourage and support them to enter the industry. Which is why we’re so keen to have great facilities in place for them, alongside the whole team, and ensure that having a family, or requiring flexible hours, should not hold them back from joining our team.”

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