Is the cliché true that the construction industry is still a “man’s world”? What does that mean today for women who work in the industry? What specific challenges and barriers do they face, and how can we address them to achieve a better gender balance? We put these questions to Sarai Bervoets, Chief Commercial Officer and member of the executive board at Group Jansen.

Cliché or fact?

With one in five employees being women, Group Jansen is consciously building a women-friendly work environment. CCO Sarai Bervoets and CEO Nadia Jansen form a unique all-female executive duo. “Men are part of the executive team too, you know,” says the Chief Commercial Officer with a wink. “But there’s a grain of truth in those clichés. When I first set foot on a construction site as a project manager, I was often the only woman on the construction team. More than once, my male colleagues assumed I was the assistant project manager. I didn’t feel the urge to immediately prove that I was ‘the boss.’ I learned to turn that to my advantage. When people underestimate you, you can surprise them all the more with your professional expertise. And as a civil engineer and architect, I can certainly hold my own. Man or woman, worker or executive: in the end, it makes no difference. Mutual respect is what counts. And that is precisely a value we hold in high regard at Group Jansen.”

Female figureheads

Sarai Bervoets began her career as an architect and designer and worked her way up through the roles of project manager and project director to the top of the commercial management team. Her own career path certainly seems to prove that there are opportunities for women to advance in the construction industry.

“Good leadership qualities are not exclusively tied to gender,” she believes. “Any construction company that wants to weather economic fluctuations needs, first and foremost, a solid business model. That is definitely where our CEO, Nadia Jansen, shines: she’s a top entrepreneur with vision. This is how Group Jansen remains future-proof thanks to a unique mix of vertical integration, diversification, and a clear focus on technological niches.”

Any construction company that wants to weather economic fluctuations needs, first and foremost, a solid business model.

Sarai Bervoets, Chief Commercial Officer of Group Jansen

Pioneering with Limburg Pride

“With 650 employees and 12 physical locations in the Netherlands and abroad, Group Jansen continues to build on its Limburg success story. An entrepreneurial mindset focused on growth and forward thinking is something that characterizes both of us. Innovation is essential to this. The acquisition of Sumi is a recent example of how Group Jansen puts that ambition into practice. Sumi, now renamed Jansen Smart Solutions, focuses on a comprehensive approach using BMS, EMS, and renewable energy to make buildings smarter and save energy. After all, a truly sustainable building requires technologies that communicate with one another.”

Advocate for Industrialized Construction

Sarai Bervoets regularly participates in panel discussions and debates on the implementation of AI, BIM, and digital construction site monitoring. “The transition to intelligent prefabrication is indeed my pet project,” she says. “Producing as much as possible off-site means less waste on-site. By shifting as much of the construction process as possible to a smart, controlled factory environment, we take the traditional pressure and chaos off the construction sites. The result is a much more efficient supply chain and more precise execution. This aligns perfectly with the extensive digitization and industrialization that Group Jansen is committed to.”

“Thanks to our R&D department, in-house design unit, and BIM team, we bring a unique approach to ‘design and build’ within Group Jansen. This makes us ‘Makers,’ ‘Builders,’ and ‘Sustainers’ all at once. Creativity has always been a personal driving force for me (there’s that typically feminine touch again), and today that translates into designing and manufacturing products that create ‘added value’ in the market. And, of course, into stunning design-and-build projects.”

Golden Tip

In closing, Bervoets would like to share a message with talented women: “Don’t let the negative stereotypes surrounding work in the construction industry deter you. The reality is often much more nuanced. If you go for it, a fascinating world awaits you.”

Text: Els Goethals (Louwers Mediagroep). Image: Group Jansen.