Willmott Dixon appoints new board members

Willmott Dixon is adding two directors to its main board next month, significantly altering its gender balance .

Willmott Dixon chief sustainability officer Julia Barrett is being promoted to the board on 1st January as director responsible for sustainability and non-financial compliance. She has been with the company for 10 years, guiding the company’s sustainability strategy. Alongside sustainability, her board remit will also health, safety and environment issues.

Joining the Willmott Dixon board as a non-executive director on the same date is Juliette Stacey, who was chief executive of Mabey for five years until 2019 and before that was chief operating officer of estate agents Savills. Her appointment is part of Willmott Dixon’s succession planning, with Christopher Sheridan retiring as a non-executive director in May 2023 after 25 years. Willmott Dixon currently has eight people on its board, of whom two (25%) are women. In January that ratio will go up to 40% and in May to 44%

Group chief executive Rick Willmott said: “Julia’s promotion is recognition for her work shaping our sustainability strategy and driving forward our zero-carbon commitments, which has seen a 68% reduction in carbon emissions (relative to turnover) since 2010.

“Likewise, Juliette, who will chair our audit committee when Christopher steps down, brings a wealth of experience from senior positions both within and outside our industry and her financial and technical knowledge will greatly complement our existing depth of experience.”