Clare Rodgers Becomes First Female Leader of Laing Specialist Business

Engineering and construction company Laing O'Rourke has appointed Clare Rodgers as the new business unit leader of its specialist subsidiary, Expanded Geotechnical. With the appointment, Clare becomes the first woman to lead one of the company's specialist businesses, marking a significant milestone in Laing O'Rourke's efforts to strengthen diversity in its leadership team.

Clare joins Expanded Geotechnical from Select Plant Hire, another specialist subsidiary of the Laing O'Rourke Group, where he was the leading lifting solutions provider. Her time at Select Plant Hire was invaluable in contributing to the development of commercial strategies and growth of a number of product lines throughout the business. She had a wealth of leadership, business development, and commercial operations experience, making her an ideal candidate for the job.

She replaces Ronan O'Rourke who has been appointed clients and markets director for Laing O'Rourke's Europe Hub. The leadership change follows a period of strengthening in the specialist businesses and the company's further market penetration in the key infrastructure and construction markets.

Key Highlights:

• Clare Rodgers becomes the first woman to lead a Laing O'Rourke specialist business
• She brings strong leadership and commercial experience to the role
• Her priorities include safety, collaboration, and workforce development

Prior to joining Laing O'Rourke in November 2021, Clare was sales director at Bennetts Tower Cranes, where she accumulated many years' experience in the lifting and construction equipment industry. In addition, she has a Master of Business Management (MBA) from the University of East London, which further enriches her industry knowledge with a heavy academic background.

Peter Lyons, managing director of Laing O'Rourke's Europe Hub, hailed Clares' commercial leadership, and her success in delivering growth in the specialist businesses of the company. In his time at Select Plant Hire, he said her skills, backed by her passion for people and safety, had contributed to the growth of several products and services.

Clares' commercial ability was outstanding, and he had established a culture of employee wellbeing and operational excellence, Lyons said. Expanding on this, he said that her leadership and forward-thinking approach towards continuous improvement is ideal for the next phase of growth for Expanded Geotechnical.

Speaking about her feeler, Clare stated that she will be dedicated to supporting the firm's employees whilst guaranteeing that safety and teamwork are set at a high benchmark. She stressed that people are at the core of any successful business and workforce development is one of her priorities.

My heart is in the process of learning much about what is needed for our people to get to work every day. Rodgers responded, "Our people are our business.

Her leadership strategy will be to ensure there is a safe working environment, improve team working and invest in staff to ensure the business continues to provide high quality specialist engineering solutions.

Clares' joining is one of the most significant hires for Laing O'Rourke and the construction sector as a whole is still struggling to create a more level playing field for women in leadership roles. The promotion of her to the role of Senior Vice President underscores the company's acknowledgment of expertise and experience, as well as their dedication to developing an inclusive leadership team to meet the challenges of innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth in the specialist businesses.