Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, has become one of the first major construction companies to join Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.
The programme, run by the gay equality charity, helps employers to develop inclusive workplace cultures for their lesbian, gay and bisexual staff in order to ensure that all staff can perform to their full potential. Balfour Beatty joins businesses as diverse as The Royal Navy, National Grid, Network Rail and Ernst & Young, amongst over 650 major employer members of the scheme.
Paul Raby, Chief HR Officer at Balfour Beatty commented:
“By supporting and developing our lesbian, gay and bisexual staff through the Diversity Champions programme we’re sending out a powerful message both to our existing and potential employees.
“We’re proud to join the programme and look forward to developing our work around sexual orientation.”
Chris Edwards, Client Group Manager at Stonewall said:
“By publically demonstrating its commitment to sexual orientation equality, Balfour Beatty is sending a powerful signal to lesbian, gay and bisexual people across the UK that it is an inclusive and progressive employer. I’m delighted to be working with Balfour Beatty through our Diversity Champions Programme. By doing so, we are helping to drive positive change across the construction sector.”
Together with joining the Diversity Champions programme, Balfour Beatty’s first network for LGBT employees is being established to help make the organisation a more inclusive place to work.
Matthew Flood, General Counsel of Balfour Beatty’s Support Services Division, is the Group’s most senior openly gay employee. In 2013 Matthew was recognised by the Financial Times as number 40 on the Top 50 OUTstanding in Business List, a list of leaders from across the corporate world of LGBT individuals who stood up to be counted and acted as inspirational role models for other employees.
Matthew said:
“When you are free to be yourself, you are much more authentic. So many LGBT individuals waste a lot of time and emotional effort keeping their sexuality a secret from their colleagues that it actually impacts on their work. Failure to make the working environment an inclusive place means we don’t get the most out of our employees. It is up to senior leaders to make people feel it’s OK to be themselves.
“These are challenging times, and we need people around us who can see the world with different eyes, and tackle problems in different ways, particularly in the infrastructure world where the LGBT community has traditionally been under represented.”
For more information read our full diversity statement
Media enquiries to:
James Merrylees
Media & PR Manager Balfour Beatty Services Division
Mob:+44 (0)7967 689032
email: james.merrylees@bbusl.com
Follow: @BB_services
Notes to Editors:
1. Balfour Beatty is an international infrastructure group that delivers world class services essential to the development, creation and care of infrastructure assets; from finance and development, through design and project management to construction and maintenance.
Our businesses draw on more than 100 years of experience to deliver the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise to our clients principally in the UK and the USA, with developing businesses in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, South Africa and South East Asia.
With proven expertise in delivering infrastructure critical to support communities and society today and in the future, our key market sectors focus on infrastructure - transportation (roads, rail and aviation), power and energy, water, and complex buildings (both commercial and social).
Balfour Beatty employs 40,000 people around the world.
2. Balfour Beatty’s Services division works across power, gas and water installation and maintenance, street lighting and road management to develop, manage and maintain our vital infrastructure and public spaces.
Modern economies, societies and communities rely on these essential services being delivered safely, sustainably and with minimum disruption to everyday life.
Employing over 6000 in the UK and worldwide, we partner with major utility providers, asset owners and local authorities, working behind the scenes to support clients in meeting their challenges and ambitions in the modern world.
