Land Director at Miller Homes West Midlands paves the way for women in construction

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March and is a global day that aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, in addition to calling for gender equality and women's rights.

Nicola Colley, land director at Miller Homes West Midlands, joined the award-winning housebuilder in 2018 and was promoted in 2022 from her previous role as senior land manager. Nicola has a degree in Business Studies and joined a graduate scheme at an aggregates company before getting into the world of construction.

Passionate about encouraging other women into the sector, Nicola believes that, although women currently only make up around 14% of construction industry professionals, this number is only set to rise with more women entering senior roles and more opportunities for the taking.

Nicola explains why she believes it’s important to highlight these roles and continue to create, and showcase opportunities for the next generation: 

“Construction has traditionally been very site-orientated and that has typically been a man’s world. These days, there are so many opportunities for women within construction but it’s a real lack of awareness about the roles available that really hampers their progression.

“When I was at school, we were never made aware of the full extent of opportunities available within construction. If we can start speaking to younger people about the variety of opportunities it helps give them a better chance at choosing a career best suited to them, and opening their eyes to industries that they may have never considered.”

When it comes to climbing the ladder, Nicola believes that expanding your network and celebrating the successes of other women is key.

She continues: “Social media continues to be a very important platform within our industry, especially for women. When I announced my promotion on LinkedIn I got so many messages of congratulations and support, it was a real eye opener to see the power the platform can have in highlighting women’s success in what may be considered a non-traditional female role.

“Women need to continue to support each other both online and in the workplace so we can be champions for women in different roles, celebrate each other when we enjoy success and offer advice and guidance when something may not be going our way. I really believe LinkedIn is a great network for support and celebrating success, as well as building relationships with new people that, in turn, will help raise awareness of women in slightly more unusual roles.”

Nicola shares her advice for any women looking to get into a career in construction, with her take on which skills are fundamental:

“Patience and resilience! Working in land, you learn quite quickly that often deals don’t go your way and working on these deals often takes a long time. There are a lot of factors at play when you are searching for new land and progressing the deal to the point of purchase, so you need to learn to be patient and not feel too disheartened when there are the inevitable disappointments.

“You need to be able to work calmly under pressure and enjoy the challenge, and really enjoy the feeling of getting the ‘win’, as that will be what keeps you coming back for more.

“Ultimately, you are delivering land on which new homes will be created, where families and first time buyers alike are going to create somewhere special to live, so keep the end goal in mind. Even when the pressure is building and there are new problems evolving on a deal, if you keep the end-goal in sight you will enjoy the success at the end even more.”