How I got to where I am today

In 2019, when completing my Master’s degree (MSc) from University of Oxford, I decided it was time to search for a new challenge - using my experience from working on major construction projects, and knowledge gained from my new qualification. It was then I came across details of an opportunity in BAM Nuttall’s Planning department.

Right from the very minute the interview process started, I developed a good impression of the business. I was offered the role of Senior Planner and from there my journey continued with BAM Nuttall. Now, in my second year in the role, I can definitely vouch that the company does provide a very caring environment for its employees. Colleagues look out to support each other and are willing to guide / help whenever needed.

Challenges I faced

I’ve faced many challenges throughout my career, especially in my last ten years working in major projects. To start with, just being a woman in this industry, and working on large-scaled, complex projects – where the sites and offices are male-dominated – means you might be one of a kind, or one of few in the team. Secondly, I didn’t have an engineering degree, but graduated in Law and Business.

Focus on strengths

Everyone thought I was being irrational. To enter the construction industry through this unusual route was a risky experiment. My background appeared to many as a difficult challenge. To prove these mindsets wrong, I chose to focus on my strengths. I’m never afraid of challenging the cliché and mega projects have always fascinated me – this is what I wanted to do. I didn’t let the noise of other’s opinions suppress my dreams, or challenge my commitment to succeed, and I’ve made my way up the ladder with dedication and hard work.

Having worked on major projects in the industry for about a decade, I upskilled myself by getting a Master’s degree in Major Programme Management, from the University of Oxford. A key to my success is my belief in continuously upgrading our knowledge and skills.

Celebrate success and feel proud

It’s a dream to get an achievement of that level AND I am the only British-Pakistani female who has ever studied that course. I’m also in less than 0.1% female Pakistani students of Oxford’s MMPM programme. An achievement that makes me incredibly proud.

Why I #ChooseToChallenge

It is sad to see that even in this era, women comprise of just 10% of people working in construction. Even worse is that women in operational site roles make up just one in every 100 employees. I believe that no human is superior to another just because of their gender, colour, abilities or appearances.

At school, the lessons are the same for everyone, whether you’re or a boy or girl, no matter your background. We take the same exam paper and are marked on exactly the same criteria. So, when we enter professional life, why should male employees be considered any better than, or different to females?

This question has always intrigued me, and I encourage women to continue to challenge and prove they are just as capable. Everyone should follow their passion regardless of what degree you hold, your background or gender!

Role-models; allies and mentors

There will always be people and situations which shake our confidence and make us question what we can achieve. But there are also people who see the good in us, encourage us and push us to explore our potential. My advice to all women - please look for the second type of person.

My mother raised me as a single parent as my father passed away at a very early age. She is a strong person and has transferred great strength and values to my character such as always supporting others, especially when they are at their weakest. She always tells me that no problem is bigger than our inner strength and we never lose until we give up; a life lesson that has helped me to stand steady at every difficult time in my life.

I am lucky to have been surrounded by colleagues who support me and act as allies at BAM Nuttall. BAM has provided me an ‘inclusive’ environment where I am noticed and heard as equal to my male colleagues. My manager, seniors, mentors and peers, have been very supportive since I joined the company.

Within a relatively short space of time with the company, I was given training so I could upskill and perform my role as efficiently as possible and now I deliver training to my teams. This interest in my achievements and growth boosts so much positive energy in me that I see no boundary to my career.

These values and my personal inclination to help others have made me a staunch supporter of equality. Perhaps due to these qualities, and my outspoken personality, I was offered to become an ambassador for BAM’s Minority Ethnic network. It gives me immense peace if I can play a part in improving even a single person’s life. Through this group, I have met with like-minded people from diverse backgrounds. We share mutual interests and discuss interesting life experiences which motivate us to bring improvement around us. Our meetings are attended by senior management, sometimes our CEO, and it’s great to work for a company in which we know that weight and support is behind us.

Last but not the least, there have been excellent women leaders in history and the number is growing manifolds in the present. Women Prime Ministers, Economists, leaders in Medical and Legal fields. When a woman can be CEO sitting in a big corporate organisation, then why can’t another woman construct that building?

Final word

Women have a long way to go to achieve equality in the workplace – and wider society - but it is definitely not impossible. Explore every single opportunity that comes your way. Success should never be measured on the outcome. Instead, it should be measured by the efforts we put in. If we have given 100% and things didn’t work out our way, we should not get demotivated but take it as a learning lesson and move on to the next venture. If I, being a woman, coming from an ethnic background, and facing all the disadvantages that can come with that, can progress to this stage of career, any other woman can. Celebrate #IWD.