Julia Barrett

As the Chief Sustainability Officer, Julia leads on realising Willmott Dixon’s 'purpose beyond profit' through the Group’s sustainability strategy, Now or Never.

Willmott Dixon has been net zero in its own operations since 2012 and great sustainability performance has saved the company millions of pounds in that time.

As well as challenging the business to become zero-carbon without offsetting by 2030, Julia is passionate about creating added value for customers by delivering brilliant buildings that are net zero by design, future-climate ready and optimise user health and wellbeing. She encourages the opportunities for learning with and from supply chain partners as the business aims to deliver projects with net zero embodied carbon by 2040.

Through its Building Lives ambitions and the Willmott Dixon Foundation, the company delivers high-impact social value that meets the needs of local communities and supports people facing barriers to work into good careers.

Julia represents the sector on various industry and sustainability Groups. Under her leadership, Willmott Dixon has received three Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: Sustainable Development (2019 and 2014), Social Mobility (2018) and was crowned Sustainable Company of the Year (2016) by Construction News. On a personal note Julia was delighted to be recognised as BusinessGreen Leaders’ Sustainability Executive of the Year (2018), edie's Sustainability Leader of the Year (2021), and was named in The ENDS Power List as one of the top 100 environmental professionals in the UK (2022).

Julia is also committed to encouraging a wider diversity of people to seek a career in the construction sector; she chairs the company’s Gender Diversity Steering Group and is an Ambassador for Construction News’ Inspire Me Campaign.

An experienced sustainability professional, Julia is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Previously she was with Cambridgeshire County Council and the Environment Agency and started her career with ICI.

Julia’s key appointments