Mott MacDonald, along with Arcadis, Arup, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Laing O'Rourke, Lend Lease, Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners, Skanska and WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff are taking part in the Pride in London Parade on Saturday 25 June 2016. These leading firms from the engineering and construction industries will be marching together to champion lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusion under the collective banner of #BuildingEquality.
Keith Howells, Mott MacDonald chairman and sponsor of the company’s Advance network, commented: “I am proud of the work we are doing on equality, diversity and inclusion and support our colleagues showcasing the company’s proactive approach to LGBT+ inclusion through Pride in London. It is great to see our industry collaborating to raise the profile of inspiring diverse role models and counter any unconscious bias against LGBT+ staff and the engineering profession.”
Last year was the first time an engineering or construction firm marched at Pride in London. There has been a visible increase in LGBT+ awareness and inclusion in the engineering and construction sector. Industry wide networks Off Site and InterEngineering have steadily grown and a large number of companies, including Mott MacDonald, have signed up as Stonewall Diversity Champions. For the first time ever there was an engineering and construction presence at Student Pride in February 2016, the largest LGBT+ careers fair in the UK.
Pride in London is a week-long festival, from 20-28 June, celebrating all aspects of the LGBT+ community. This makes it one of the city’s biggest one-day events, second only to the London Marathon, and one of the world’s biggest LGBT+ celebrations.
Richard Chapman-Harris, equality, diversity and inclusion manager for Mott MacDonald, said: “I am looking forward to marching in the London Pride parade with colleagues and peers from across the engineering and construction industries. By creating an inclusive environment at work I and my LGBT+ colleagues are able to be ourselves and perform at our best, providing a better service to our clients and communities.”
Mott MacDonald’s Advance network provides a framework for the integration of equality, diversity and inclusion into the company’s culture, for the benefit of all employees. The initiative is led by eight strategic committee members including Group chairman Keith Howells, managing director of Europe and Africa Mike Haigh and human resources director Tania Heap, alongside Advance chair and buildings technical director Clare Wildfire. Regional champions across five UK areas connect with six Group champions focusing on disability, gender, race and LGBT+ inclusion.
At the NCE100 awards Mott MacDonald was named diversity champion for its comprehensive, thorough and sophisticated approach, covering all aspects of diversity including disability, transgender, race and sexual orientation.