Q & A: CLAY BRICK ASSOCIATION and encouraging procurement policies that give womenled SMMEs a fair shot at supplying into the sector.
The second issue is perception. Leadership allows you to challenge the idea that certain roles are“ not for women”. On a brick plant, that means women running kilns, leading labs, managing logistics, and overseeing manufacturing operations, not just working in HR or administration. When those roles are visible and supported, it shifts what students, graduates, and career changers believe is possible.
What has shaped your leadership style? I spent time in manufacturing operations before moving into the association environment. You learn quickly that policy and strategy don’ t mean much if they can’ t be executed when it counts.
The construction cycle is volatile. I’ ve led through periods where volumes dropped drastically and hard calls had to be made on staffing and capacity. Those periods force you to be direct, transparent, and focused on what you can control. I’ ve learned that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about creating clarity, keeping communication open, and making sure people understand the“ why” behind decisions.
The clay brick sector includes large manufacturers, family-owned operations, and smaller players. Each has different resources and priorities. Effective leadership is not about imposing a single view. It’ s about finding common ground on quality, compliance, and market reputation, and then building consensus.
I lead by listening first, then aligning people around what protects the whole sector. Taken together, those experiences have made me a pragmatic, consultative leader. I focus on standards, data, and delivery, and what improves the industry for everyone in it.
How do you position gender diversity not just as fairness, but as a competitive edge? Clients, especially government and large developers, are increasingly looking at transformation and local empowerment in procurement. If your membership and leadership reflect that, you’ re not just compliant – you’ re credible. It becomes easier to win work, form partnerships, and participate in housing and infrastructure programmes. The way I position it to members is simple: this isn’ t about meeting a social target. It is about having the best people in the right roles and removing the friction that stops them from contributing. When you do that, quality goes up, costs come down, and the sector becomes more competitive against alternative materials and imports. Fairness is the floor. Competitive advantage is the ceiling.
What steps should companies and associations take to ensure women leaders play a key role in shaping the industry’ s future? If you want women leaders to shape the future, you have to move beyond statements and build inclusion into the way you operate.
First, fix the pipeline at the entry point. If young women never see themselves on the plant floor, they won’ t end up leading it. They need to be exposed to a range of opportunities.
Second, make safety and facilities non-negotiable. You can’ t retain women in operational roles if the basics aren’ t right. That means proper PPE designed for women, separate facilities, and zero tolerance for harassment. It sounds basic, but in older plants these are still gaps. Fixing them removes daily barriers that push people out.
Third, build mentorship and sponsorship into KPIs. Mentorship is helpful, but sponsorship is what gets people promoted. Senior leaders should be responsible for actively advocating for high-potential women in succession planning and project assignments. It must be measured. If it’ s not tracked, it doesn’ t happen consistently.
No single company can shift an entire sector on its own. As an association, we can set standards for training, share best practices, and create forums where women in operations and leadership can build networks across companies. That cross-pollination is how you change culture faster than company by company.
The outcome isn’ t just more women in leadership. It’ s better decision-making, stronger skills retention, and an industry that can attract the next generation. If companies treat this as a talent and competitiveness issue rather than compliance, the future shapes itself. �
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