Enhancing diversity

We believe the future success of Willmott Dixon is through having a truly diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we work in. Diversity and inclusion have always been part of our DNA, embedded in our values and championed at every level of the business. In our latest employee survey, 98% of our people said they were proud to work for Willmott Dixon and felt welcome, included and respected for who they are at work. That figure drives us to keep raising the bar.

Graham Dundas, Chief Executive Officer, Willmott Dixon

Our goal: gender parity by 2030

We have set ourselves the ambitious aim of achieving gender parity across our business by 2030. Since our 2018 baseline, the proportion of women in our workforce has grown from 24% to almost 34%, more than double the wider construction industry average.

Key to this progress is attracting the next generation of leaders. 48% of our management trainees are now women, up from 27% in 2018, and we continue to target a 50/50 gender split in every annual trainee intake. At senior level, 36.4% of our main Board are women and every one of our regional Construction boards has female representation.

Developing our women into leaders

Our award-winning Women's Leadership Programme, launched in 2021, is a cornerstone of our strategy to support women into senior roles. Three cohorts have now completed the programme, with the majority of graduates promoted or progressed into new roles. Our goal is for 100 women to have undertaken the programme by 2030, a target we are on track to achieve.

We also support women returning from maternity leave through our Maternity Returners Workshops, helping to ensure a smooth and confident transition back to work.

A culture where everyone belongs

Our ambition extends well beyond gender. Affinity groups led by our own people, including Parents, Women in Operations, LGBTQ+ and REACH (Race, Ethnicity And Cultural Heritage), bring individuals and allies together to share experiences, raise awareness and help shape company policy. Our Menopause Café, for example, led directly to the company fully funding a Menopause Health Plan, giving women free access to specialist advice and personalised treatment plans.

Agile working is embedded across our offices and sites, supported by our homeworking allowance, so that our people can enjoy a healthy work/life balance regardless of role.

Our Diversity Steering Group provides leadership and direction across all of these initiatives, ensuring our approach is coordinated and impactful.

Recognised by our industry and beyond

Our commitment has been recognised widely, including:

• The Times Top 50 for Gender Equality: one of only two contractors to feature
• The Financial Times Diversity Leaders list: appearing for a fifth consecutive time, and as the highest-placed UK contractor
• The King's Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity
• Inspiring Women in Construction and Engineering awards: our Diversity Steering Group won the Excellence in Senior Leadership category
• The Black Professionals in Construction awards
• The Sunday Times Best Big Company to Work For in the UK - best placed contractor in 2025

We are proud of the progress made so far. Our annual Gender Pay Gap reports, which you can download below, set out our figures in full. There is always more to do, and we are committed to building on this momentum as we work towards 2030 and beyond.