We’re pleased to announce that Zara Barrow has been appointed as Group Construction Director. As one of the UK’s largest housebuilders, we’re dedicated to giving people a better way to live, and our Construction teams are instrumental in delivering our premium quality homes.
Zara joined us in 2013 as an Assistant Site Manager, before starting in a Group role in 2019 as Group Construction Coordinator. Now as Group Construction Director, Zara is responsible for supporting the construction teams across each of our divisions and ensuring that we’re providing a quality product for our customers in an efficient and safe way.
With our latest apprenticeship report showing that more women than ever are considering construction as a possible career path, we caught up with Zara to talk about her new role, what makes us stand out and how best to encourage more women to take up a career in construction.
Zara, congratulations on your recent promotion! Tell us a little about your career to date?
ZB: When I was looking for a job after university, I came across a construction graduate programme and simply thought it looked interesting! My rotations involved me spending two months in every department, but I discovered that I most enjoyed being out on site – I loved being able to see things move and progress and found so much joy in seeing customers move into their new home.
I joined Redrow nine years ago and have progressed from being on site, to working for Group. When I started working in Group Construction it was a fairly new department, and I’ve loved seeing it evolve.
As a growing and important team within Redrow there is always plenty to do! What are your three priorities in your new role?
ZB: Firstly, a significant part of my role is continuing to focus on best practice and improvements in quality. Construction operates across 14 divisions, so ensuring we’re all reducing variation in how we approach the process of building our homes is key to success.
My second priority is to ensure communication is smooth across each of these divisions and with other Group functions, to ensure our construction teams feel a part of the Redrow family and receive all of the relevant up to date information.
Finally, it is about resourcing. I sit on the ED&I working party at Redrow, which works to ensure opportunities in construction are open and available to all, and that we’re bringing diverse talent into the business to fill the skills gap.
What do you think makes Redrow stand out amongst its competitors?
ZB: Well firstly, we build a lovely house! I’m proud of what Redrow builds, and our Heritage Collection in particular pairs attention to detail with the architecture and design that people don’t usually see in a new build home. However, this attention to detail isn’t just in the build – our customers are always front of mind and our customer journey is on a par with some of the world’s best retailers and service providers.
We’ve seen in our latest insights that more women than ever are considering a career in construction – what do you think would help get them there?
ZB: Education is key here, to make sure that women are aware of the opportunities and the potential a career in construction can bring. Role models are important too and having women who can be advocates for the industry – seeing someone you can relate to in a senior role can make a huge difference in people’s perception of an industry or role.
Finally, what’s your best piece of advice for someone just starting their career in construction?
ZB: Excuse the pun, but no one starts a career in construction with all the tools they need. It’s an industry dependent on hands-on experience to build knowledge – so just get stuck in, ask loads of questions and don’t be afraid to not know something.
