Women in Fenestration Network debuts with industry backing

Women have long been underrepresented within the fenestration industry, and industry veteran Sarah Ball thought the time was right to tackle the issues head on.

Women in Fenestration Network was launched and the inaugural Professional Development Day held on 25 June in Bristol.

The WFN Professional Development Day proved there’s a demand for a woman only network. Despite it being the hottest day of the year, 75 women came together across the complete supply chain to listen to an exceptional line up of women speakers from the industry plus keynote speaker former England Rugby Captain Catherine Spencer.

All the speakers welcomed the many questions from the floor, and the openness and honesty in both the questions and answers was remarkable.

Before the day, WFN carried out its first Women in Fenestration Industry Survey to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing women working across the sector.

The findings helped shape the content of the event and highlighted confidence, imposter syndrome, mentoring and career development as some of the key topics women wanted to discuss.

Those themes became some of the most powerful conversations of the day, with delegates continuing discussions long after the final session had finished.

After the event LinkedIn feeds were dominated in the industry by posts from women who attended the day, and liked and shared by both men and women in the industry.

Sarah Ball, Founder of WFN said: “None of this would have happened without the support from our incredible sponsors – Access Marketing, Aluminium Fire Systems, DoBetter Businesses, Emplas, FIT Show, Glass & Glazing Federation, Glass News and Fire Door Journal, REHAU, The Residence Collection and Yale.

“Women left with practical tools, new professional connections, greater confidence and a clear sense that they were part of something much bigger than a single event.

“Sioned Yates was integral in delivering this event and taking WFN into the future we will be working together to deliver an ambitious package of events, training and the mentoring programme. We are excited to be working together to champion women, develop future leaders, support career progression and deliver professional development by supporting women in the industry.

“This wasn’t simply about delivering one event. It was about proving that women across our industry want opportunities to connect, develop and support one another.

“The response exceeded anything we could have hoped for, and it’s only the beginning.”

The future looks bright. WFN launched new membership scheme for both corporate and individuals, and the mentoring programme with exceptional take up already.

Sioned added: ” One of the biggest highlights for me was seeing the conversations continue throughout the day. People weren’t rushing off, they were introducing one another, talking about mentoring and already planning how they could stay involved.

“We’ve also been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from across the wider industry. Businesses have already signed up as Founding Corporate Members, individuals are joining as Founding Members, and we’ve received so many messages asking how they can become involved.

“One thing that has particularly stood out has been the incredible encouragement we’ve received from the wider industry, business leaders and supporters across the industry. It reinforces our belief that supporting women and building a stronger industry is something everyone can be part of.”

Future WFN events including a practical training of how to fit windows taking place on 21 July with Building our Skills at the training centre in Barnsley, and the bi-monthly Lunch and Learn programme will kick off with a session in London in September.

For more information https://www.womeninfenestration.co.uk/