Women in Construction and Why It Matters: CyrusOne Hosts Inaugural Event in Madrid

At CyrusOne, we are proud of the work we do to build diverse and inclusive environments. We recently held a first-of-its-kind event in Madrid, Spain bringing together 40 women with experience in construction across four geographies including Finland, the UK, the USA, and Spain.

We were honoured to be joined by a passionate community of women with decades of collective experience in the construction industry between them. The aim of the event was to celebrate the progress we’ve made as it relates to diversity and equity in the industry and give the group the opportunity to connect and discuss their first-hand experience within an industry that has traditionally been male-dominated. We encouraged attendees to share key learnings and practices that have worked and can be implemented further across the network to continue to truly move the needle, and set up a range of dedicated talks, networking opportunities, and panel discussions.

The group was also given an exclusive tour of our first data center in Spain, MAD1. The tour gave the group a real insight into the inner workings of the ongoing facility build, and an early look at what will eventually deliver 6,000 sq m of world-class technical space within a two-story building, and a total IT load of 18 MW. We’re incredibly proud to bring this facility to the Spanish capital, with sustainability features securing a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ certification and the building offering highly resilient power and cooling. Being able to show such a large and knowledgeable group around our construction site was a real milestone moment for everyone involved.

Following the tour, we arranged a series of talks with our Senior Director, Human Resources, Gail Stapleford, our Director of Development Chris Nesbit, and our Data Center Development Manager Amparo Garcia Puente. One of the real highlights of the event was the ‘Forging Inclusive Work Cultures’ panel discussion, which addressed the recent International Women’s Day 2023 mission to embrace equity.

Gail chaired the thought-provoking interactive discussion with six inspiring women in the construction industry, all of whom are strong female leads actively working on the MAD1 project. For most, this is the first construction project they had worked on where there was even one other female on site, let alone such a strong cohort of female leads. With this, the passion, enthusiasm, and energy in the room was palpable and you could sense the levels of appreciation from everyone on the panel and in the audience. The group comprised of:

• Mariana Bonino Álvarez, Commercial Manager, CyrusOne
• Carolina Castro, Project Manager, Quark
• Paula Sánchez, Tender Director, Itercon
• Mirka Campbell, Chair of the Board of Directors, Women in Construction Finland
• Teresa Rey, Health & Safety Project Manager, JLL
• Carmen Peña Sanchez, Senior Cost Manager, Turner & Townsend

Panel Highlights: Stand-Out Quotes From Our Incredible Lineup of Women

1. We should be recognised and rewarded for our work, no matter what our gender or background”
   • One of the biggest takeaways from the event was a feeling that resonated with many of the panel and members of the audience - the notion that to be recognised and rewarded at work, women can’t just be as good as their male counterparts at their jobs - they must be exceptional - they must be better. Whether this is due to outdated attitudes, continued implicit biases in the industry, or another reason altogether, this feeling was known all too well within the group and could not be ignored.
2. “Believe in yourself and prove them wrong!”
   • The speakers shared experiences of times they were underestimated despite being the leader of their team and having all the qualifications and experience necessary to do their job. One recounted the attitude she faced from colleagues when told she would be directing them but did say that because they realized how valuable her input was after the first project, that they never questioned her again. In fact, she noted that they went on to proactively approach her for advice every time after that.
3. “People are more open-minded now than they have been in the last 10-15 years”
   • The panel agreed there is far more to be done to embrace equity in the construction industry, but that it was clear that over the course of their work history, all have seen first-hand some positive changes in their working environments compared to when they first started. They cited an increase in the number of female hires, abolishment of ‘no trousers’ rules for women at work, and generally greater open-mindedness and better cultures of respect for people from diverse backgrounds.
4. “You don’t have to be a site manager - there are so many careers in construction open to you”
   • The women raised a great point that one potential barrier to women and girls not considering a career in construction is that they are not aware of all the routes available to them, and a possible misconception that all construction jobs involve travel and being on construction sites five days a week. They agreed that to encourage more to join the industry, raising awareness of the range of roles you can do and where you’d be based is vital. From cost controlling to legal management, planning to quantity surveying, design, and more, there are many avenues available, many of which can suit those with lots of at-home caring responsibilities such as parents or those who prefer to stay closer to home during the working week.
5. “It’s important to speak up when you feel undervalued because of your gender”
   • The panel showed courage in recounting moments in their careers in which they were not treated with the same respect shown to their male counterparts. While one participant shared that she’s only had one bad experience in her 15-year career, she has been directly told she would not be listened to purely because of her gender while at work.

So what is CyrusOne doing to break down barriers?

The discussion raised a number of important considerations that all companies in the data center and construction industry should be thinking about to drive respectful workplaces in which everyone can thrive.

At CyrusOne, we recognise the incredible importance and responsibility we hold to attract, retain and support great people from a variety of backgrounds. We are committed to honouring our values of community and respect across all facets of our organisation, creating enjoyable workspaces and a strong team culture in everything we do.

As part of this commitment, we have set a goal to increase our partnerships with diverse and underrepresented suppliers, including minority-owned and women-owned businesses, and aim to expand our supply chain spend on such businesses to 20% by the end of 2024. In 2022, we made significant progress against our goals through several initiatives, including incorporating diversity reporting requirements in all requests for proposals globally.

Events such as this are a celebration of how far we’ve come and a chance to discuss progress, key learnings, and what’s gone well. However, we know there is still a long road ahead of us in achieving complete equality in the industry, and by openly talking about the challenges we face, we can address these issues head-on and work together to create positive change.

A huge thank you to Gail, Chris, Amparo, Mariana, Carolina, Paula, Mirka, Teresa, and Carmen for a thought-provoking and inspiring event, and to everyone who attended, thank you and we hope you enjoyed the day.

To learn more about our values, click here, or contact us via our website.