Company news
Lucy Weaver joins TopHat as group HR director in the hopes of spearheading company growth and tripling its workforce to over 750 staff by the end of 2023.
Previously, Weaver worked as Halma Plc and Unipart Rail director.
She wants to recruit more women and people from other underrepresented groups into construction so that the industry represents a wider section of society.
By 2025, TopHat is aiming to build 3,500 factory-built houses and apartments per year.
Prior to her role at Halma Plc, Weaver worked at Unipart Rail. She was responsible for managing 900 employees across 14 sites across the UK.
With 18 years of experience in manufacturing and logistics, she is well placed to help TopHat reach its growth ambitions.
At both Unipart and Halma, Weaver developed and implemented schemes which put talent management, staff development and retention at the top of the agenda – from widening apprenticeships schemes within the rail industry, to implementing diverse graduate, management, and leadership schemes to accelerate succession.
Operational excellence and engagement are at the heart of Weaver’s work ethos – she will be driving lean and digital training through the TopHat development programs at all levels.
She will lead the HR agenda and focus on recruiting new talent to expand the company so that it can achieves its aims to deliver up to 3,500 factory-built houses and apartments a year by 2025.
Diversity in the workplace
As a woman in the industry, Weaver is already well aware of underrepresentation and so has made it her focus to find new staff in marginalised demographics.
TopHat welcomes this recruitment drive and fully supports Weaver’s ambitions to break down stereotypes typically associated with the male-dominated sector by welcoming a high percentage of women to the team.
Women make up over 50 percent of the UK population, but only comprise 11 percent of the UK’s construction workforce.
TopHat wants to change this. By 2023, the housing firm wants women to account for 40 percent percent of its workforce, making it the top-rated construction firm for gender balance.
The need for more workers
The Construction Industry Training Board states that the housing industry will need over 216,000 new workers by 2025 to meet growing demand.
TopHat plans to tackle this problem by offering a variety of opportunities and shift patterns to encourage individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds who may want flexible or part-time roles.
It will also put out internal learning platforms so that new employees can develop skills across a range of construction and manufacturing profiles – including lean, digital, engineering and construction.
"Lucy’s appointment comes at a time when we’re really accelerating the growth of the business as we continue to increase our pipeline of developments across the UK.
Jordan Rosenhaus, chief executive at TopHat
As we look to progress with a long-term strategic vision of growth, TopHat will benefit from Lucy’s industry and commercial experience that will help us to continue revolutionising housing delivery across the UK.”
