Breaking Barriers in the Structural Timber Industry

In 1910 German parliamentarian Clara Zetkin travelled to the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. It was there she proposed the idea of an International Women’s Day (IWD) to a roomful of 100 delegates. Clara’s motion passed unanimously and the concept of a global focal point for female emancipation was born. Within 12 months the inaugural IWD saw some 30,000 women take part in street demonstrations across Europe.

Today there remain huge challenges when it comes to ensuring businesses worldwide can benefit fully from the talents of a genuinely diverse workforce. Analysis by the London School of Economics reveals women comprise only 28 percent of the global STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) workforce. Women represent just 30 percent of the STEM workforce in the UK, 18 percent in the United States, and 17 percent across the Eurozone.

Fortunately, a growing number of pioneering female leaders are excelling at the highest echelons of STEM companies. The UK’s structural timber industry is a perfect example. Leading female members of the Structural Timber Association include Sarah Mathieson.

In 2017, Sarah took the top job at Fleming Homes having studied at Massachusetts’s Babson College – one of the world’s foremost colleges for entrepreneurship studies.

Part of Sarah’s role involves representing the company at major exhibitions where new customers consider the options available as they seek to build the house of their dreams. This often involves talking to couples. Sarah reflected:

“So often in these kinds of interactions, I see the male salesperson speaking only to the male customer, completely leaving out the female customer who is going to be integral to the purchasing decision. This is so self-defeating for businesses looking to provide excellent customer service, and so I always try to make the conversation a truly collaborative experience regardless of the gender of those involved”.

Sarah added:

“Our business thrives on providing a truly welcoming experience for every customer. We simply cannot afford for women to feel anything less than fully included in such a significant purchasing decision”.

The Fleming Homes MD believes too that while culture is gradually improving in boardrooms, there remains a lot of work to do right across the economy. She said:

“I recall one instance a few years ago where our banking partner invited myself and a male colleague to discuss switching our bank account. Throughout the meeting, the bank manager spoke only to my male colleague. I felt totally disengaged, and predictably, we decided to bank with a rival who was more prepared to engage in a modern way with us as customers”.

Instances of outright sexism may be on the decline, Sarah believes, but there is a still a lot more to do. She highlights the instrumental role of mentors in inspiring women to reach the highest level of companies.

“I have been hugely inspired by Colette Grant (co-founder of Grant Property) over the past 10 years. Colette has been a source of guidance in many areas and has also been a great mentor, which is something I’ve valued massively.

In this spirit, my advice to women would be to build your network. Connections can be extremely important as can building great relationships. Join a peer group where you can share your challenges, learn from others, and increase your confidence. Mentors can be extremely beneficial for your development too. Seek one out to help you navigate the challenges you will inevitably face”.

Barbara Massie is Business Development Director of Aberdeenshire-based Kirkwood Timber Frame. With over 20 years of experience in the construction industry and five years as a director, Barbara began her career as a trainee estimator and has since excelled in various roles, spanning project management, sales, estimating, operations, logistics, and customer care.

Barbara spent the formative years of her career in Norway  – a country the World Economic Forum rates as the third highest-performing place for female empowerment on earth. She believes the rest of the world could benefit from an economy rooted in the ethos of the Scandinavian model. She said:

“What I really respected about the business culture in Norway was that there was virtually zero distinction between the role and status of men and women. And because of that I felt really supported as I worked my way up in an industry that has traditionally been dominated by men”.

Barbara added:

“The Norwegian business culture prioritises a healthy work-life balance  – one where it easier to achieve a harmonious balance between work and family. In Norway you can bring your children to work, and you are not made to feel guilty about keeping all parts of your life on the right track.

A business cannot be successful unless it embraces a diverse range of voices. You need a proper mix of talented staff who have real empathy for each other.”

Barbara believes the future for women in structural timber is bright. She said:

“With more automation and safer conditions, we are seeing the industry as a place where women can increasingly play a role from the C-suite to entry-level positions”.

Wendy Thomson is an Associate Structural Engineer at Clancy Consulting. A NHBC Timber Frame Certifier, Wendy has been designing timber kits since 2009. Most of this work has been directly with timber kit manufacturers. Wendy’s design experience includes housing, multi-storey flatted developments, hotels, care homes and educational buildings.

Clancy’s specialist timber frame engineering and timber kit design, led from its Glasgow office, also celebrates its commitment to modern methods of construction.

Wendy wanted to be an engineer for as long as she can remember:

“I come from a family passionate about building things. My sister is an architect, and my dad worked in construction. And so, it was perhaps the natural choice for me to pursue technological studies at 17”.

The engineer believes that inspiring girls to study STEM subjects is at the heart of finding a solution to the chronic under-representation of women in the top jobs in her industry. Currently just 35 percent of female students choose STEM subjects post GCSE, with this decreasing to 25 percent of females choosing to study them at university. Wendy said:

“As a business we go into schools and it is great to see how the kids get excited when you make science engaging for them. That is how we are going to create the right conditions to develop the engineers of the future”.

Britain’s female leaders are helping to drive the structural timber industry to new heights in 2025 and beyond. To find out more about a career in the industry visit structuraltimber.co.uk

This article, based on an interview by the Structural Timber Association, highlights three inspiring female leaders—Sarah Mathieson, Barbara Massie, and Wendy Thomson—who are breaking barriers in the structural timber industry, in celebration of International Women’s Day 2025.