Synergy News & Blog: News
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2023 with Daiana Grudinska
International Women’s Day is a celebration of women’s rights and their achievements across the world. Through collective activism, the day encourages everyone to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination towards women and draw attention to bias.
At Synergy we have many inspiring women making their mark in the construction industry.
We met up with Daiana Grudinska, an Assistant Building Surveyor in the Guildford office, who joined in March 2022 and is also celebrating her one year Synergy anniversary! She gave us an insight into her story and what International Women’s Day means to her.
Tell us a bit about what you do at Synergy?
I am an Assistant Building Surveyor, who works on a variety of schools projects. I survey the existing conditions, provide designs write specifications, tender the works, prepare contract documents and manage the works on site until completion.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
As building surveyors, we oversee our projects from inception through to completion, a lot of the time whilst the buildings are still in use. It’s a multi-faceted role, where you face different challenges and learn about a range of disciplines. I really enjoy the variety of becoming a designer, project manager, quantity surveyor and more! No single day is ever the same!
How did you get into Building Surveying?
I came from an architectural background and used to work as a CAD Technologist for a local council. I was given the opportunity to be more involved with projects, by attending design meetings and construction sites to improve on my technical experience. Naturally, I progressed into managing my own projects and it became apparent that I should pursue a career in Building Surveying.
What advice would you give to women in the construction industry?
Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know something and ask questions. We provide expert advice in many areas and even with years of experience there’s always more to learn in the ever-changing industry. The key is to know where to find the information and ask for help when needed.
What does international women’s day mean to you?
The 8th March is a big public holiday in most Slavic countries and is celebrated with flowers and small gifts to women. It originated as a way to celebrate women’s rights and equality, but now it is so much more than that. It acknowledges how much women do in today’s society. Modern women no longer stay at home, waiting for their husbands to provide. We are the providers ourselves, and in many cases, we still raise children and manage household chores whilst doing a full days work. So during this day, men show their appreciation by taking on these roles so women can enjoy their time with their girlfriends!
This day is not only important to me because of my heritage, but because a woman working in construction would be unheard of just a few decades ago. Construction is one of the most male dominated industries and seeing so many strong women breaking stereotypes is incredibly empowering and must be celebrated.
