VGC Group has co-hosted the second Leading Ladies Dinner at the House of Commons alongside FM Conway and O’Halloran & O’Brien, bringing together women and allies from across infrastructure, construction and business.
The event grew from an idea shared by a group of women who wanted to create more opportunities for women across their industries and help others progress.
“Why wait for the invitation? Why don’t we just build the table ourselves?”
VGC Group CEO Ciara Pryce shared these words from fellow Leading Ladies collaborator Maria Pratt during the evening.
Conversations about leadership and opportunity
Guests heard from Rt Hon Dame Penny Mordaunt and Cally Beaton, with Mims Davies MP hosting the evening.
They shared their experiences of leadership and career progression, including the importance of thinking bigger, backing yourself, and opening doors for others.
Allyship came up throughout the evening. Many of the women in the room could point to someone who had backed them at an important point in their career. Someone who encouraged them to apply for a role, advocated for them or saw their potential before they were ready to see it themselves.
The discussion also turned to what happens next. As more women progress into senior roles, they can offer that same encouragement to others coming through.
More women building careers in infrastructure
Women are building successful careers across infrastructure and construction, but more is needed so they can see a clear route into leadership.
Leading Ladies brings people together to share experiences, build relationships and help more women move forward in their careers.
That connects closely with VGC Impact and our focus on widening access to careers across infrastructure. VGC works with skilled and professional people at every stage of their careers, and we want more women to see what is possible here and have the chance to build successful careers in the industry.
Leading Ladies is a collaborative group including Ciara Pryce and Theresa Harrington from VGC, Louise O’Brien Smith from O’Halloran & O’Brien, Maria Pratt and Natasha Mealey from FM Conway, Kelly Tolhurst and Amanda Solloway.
Building bigger tables
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the House of Commons and contributed to the conversations throughout the evening.
The second Leading Ladies Dinner showed what can happen when people create opportunities for each other and bring others with them.
Here’s to building bigger tables and making room for more women to pull up a chair.
Find out more about VGC Impact and careers with VGC.
