A new podcast is trying to start new conversations around the experience of women in construction. Construction Wave sits down with the podcast’s founders to discuss “kick-ass” stories, dysfunctional families and how the Hard Hat Heroines podcast began.
Hard Hat Heroines is a new podcast started by industry veterans Sarah Crawley and Eve Lameks.
Eve is a former quantity surveyor with a background of work for large main contractors such as Mace and for Multiplex on projects up to £400 million.
She and husband Ricky started their company the Tender Trainers in 2019, which teaches subcontractors how to put a tender for work.
Sarah started out as a construction manager, specialising in M&E fit out before starting SymTerra in 2021.
SymTerra, aimed at improving communication for on-site project teams, is recognised by Bloomberg in the top 25 UK startups and used by more than 170 different businesses.
The pair began the podcast as a way to tell stories that they felt were not receiving enough attention in the industry.
Eve said: “We don’t hear enough about the kind of kick-ass things that women are doing and or enough about the cool projects we’re all involved in in the industry.”
The podcast sees the hosts inviting a guest on to discuss their time in the industry, talking through projects and anecdotes and bringing in photos from their experiences to show the human side of the industry.
Sarah added: “A lot of the time you are crying with laughter around some of the stuff that’s happened.”
For Eve and Sarah, revealing the human side is fundamental to getting people excited about construction and getting people into the industry.
Sarah continues: “It’s people who deliver projects, not businesses.
“We often just talk about the main contractor, but it can be hundreds or thousands of different businesses that have all worked on it.
“And then within that all of those businesses made up of people coming together a attempting the impossible.
“We know there’s a huge labour shortage, well, You need inspiration.”
In their first episode Eve describes project teams as “dysfunctional families”, explaining, “that’s the part we love, all the banter, all the funny relationships and connections you have with people.”
Sarah Added: “No day is the same, there is so much scope and variance.
“I also think in a world that’s increasingly more online and more digital, there is something very rewarding about being like, I did this and when you walk past something you’ve helped create, you’ve left a legacy.”
The Hard Hat Heroines podcast aired its first episode on the 10th of September and will release fortnightly.
If you have a story you’d like to share you can contact Construction Wave reporter Miles Rebeiro: miles@wavenews.co.uk or follow Eve and Sarah on LinkedIn.
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If you have a tip or story idea that fits with our publication, please contact the news reporter miles@wavenews.co.uk
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