To mark Women In Construction Week, we are highlighting the achievements of our female-led Homes and Development Team which delivers new, affordable and private sale housing across Sunderland.
The team is overseen by Homes and Development Director, Joanne Gordon, who is responsible for the delivery of our affordable homes plan and the sale and development of private homes through Gentoo Homes.
Since 2007, our profit for purpose private housing building arm, Gentoo Homes, have built more than 3500 new homes across the North East. Gentoo Homes generates a surplus which is then reinvested back into Gentoo’s housing services to support the delivery of affordable rented homes across the city. They currently have seven developments and sold 189 new homes in 2022-23.
The Development team was established in 2019 to deliver Gentoo’s multi-million-pound investment in building affordable homes in Sunderland. Two years after the team was created, they were crowned Development Team of the Year at the Inside Housing Development Awards.
The Development team was recognised for creating a whole new range of house types and getting 160 homes under construction within one year. Since then, the Development Team have successfully delivered more than 250 affordable homes across Sunderland, providing affordable housing for hundreds of customers.
They currently oversee work on five different sites, comprising around 400 units. And all are keen to underline the important contribution of women in the industry and encourage others to consider career options in this field.
Joanne Gordon, Homes and Development Director at Gentoo said: “It’s really important that we have diversity in the construction industry to ensure we approach projects with a variety of ideas and influence from both men and women.
“It’s amazing that Gentoo recognise the value women bring to the organisation and I’m looking forward to working with the team to deliver new developments over the next few years.”
Ali Johnson, Head of Land and Development at Gentoo, added: “For any women considering working in construction, I would say ‘go for it’. No day will be the same, every day is different, you are always continually learning. If you want a real challenge and are ambitious and want to make a difference, it’s definitely an industry I would advise people to consider.”
As well as women in our construction sector, Gentoo is led by female Chief Executive Officer, Louise Bassett, working alongside Gentoo Chair, Emily Cox MBE. In addition, more than half of Gentoo’s Senior Leadership Team are female.
Louise Bassett, Chief Executive Officer at Gentoo said: “At Gentoo, we value equality, diversity and inclusion. Our workforce is made up of dedicated people who work together to deliver services for our 60,000 customers. I am inspired by the great ideas that come from diversity of thought and people working together for our customers. We aim to create an environment where colleagues can be themselves at work and be their highest potential self.”
Running from March 3-9, Women in Construction Week celebrates and promotes the role of women in the construction industry.
This week also sees International Women’s Day celebrated on Friday, March 8, which shines a light on women’s achievements and to promote equality and diversity. This year’s theme is #InspireInclusion, a campaign to create environments that are diverse, equitable and inclusive.
