Barratt Homes senior manager Jennifer Winyard is preparing to take over as national chair of Women in Property at the beginning of next month, vowing to continue to support those at the start of their careers.
Winyard, who is a senior strategic land and planning manager at Barratt Homes Yorkshire West, will take up the post for one year from 1 March, stepping up from national vice-chair. She has a 17-year affiliation with the group, which is a national influencing and networking membership organisation for the property and construction industry.
Outgoing national chair Chithra Marsh, who is an associate director at Buttress Architects, will support Winyard in her role alongside Emma Richman, director of operations at Peaks & Plains Housing Trust, who becomes the national vice-chair.
Winyard said in WIP’s monthly newsletter that she wants to continue to focus on student awards and mentoring in her region while serving as national chair. She added in a statement: "There is still more to do to encourage more people, particularly girls and young women, to make it their future too. I want to help change mindsets and unlock the potential they offer.
"Encouraging girls to consider a career in property and construction has been a major focus for me, throughout my professional life. My lived experience of this industry highlights the fantastic scope it offers across all sectors."
Women in Property encourages girls and young women to consider a career in property and construction through school outreach projects and the National Student Awards. Along with its goal to increase the number of women working in property and construction, it also advocates that a "diverse culture provides a healthier, happier, more sustainable working and social environment".
It has a direct line to government thinking as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women in Work. Issues that the APPG is influencing include Women Returners, Making the Industrial Strategy Work for Women and How to Recruit Women for the 21st Century.
David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments, added: "Jennifer’s appointment as chair of Women in Property reflects her determination to attract more women into the sector, and then to provide the mentorship that enables them to succeed across a wide variety of roles. She will bring boundless energy and insight to this new role, which will benefit the wider property and construction sector."