A love letter to the women at Buildbuilt

March 8th (today) is the day that we celebrate women all around the world. BuiltBuilt is a diversified team made up of both men and women with different skill-sets, values, experiences, but somehow, we work and blend well. 

Back in the day, it is typical within the construction industry to see men on site, men leading the charge to build things, and men getting into rooms to solve complicated problems. And the inverse is to see women behind drawing boards, material libraries, picking out paint colors from a color catalogue, choosing the softest fabric for upholstery, and the best wall-covering that will suit the project’s aesthetic needs. 

Today at Buildbuilt, we want to celebrate the mix-bag of champions that have charged on and proved against all odds that whether you prefer to put on pants or a skirt, we can all be great designers and/or project managers. 

As the self-proclaimed leader of BuildBuilt, I am trying, daily, to find creative ways to form an environment that is sustainable for work for both men and women; Men and women with different life purposes but a shared corporate mission.

I am fully aware of the stigma and the expectations surrounding the industry. Women are deemed a little more in tune with the aesthetics of a physical space. Furthermore, and scientifically proven, men are more susceptible to being colour-blind compared to women because the genes responsible for this lies within the X chromosomes (sad!). *Biologically, men do have some inherent advantages to make good designers, but this is not the point of this article.


The stigma continues - In the field of project management in construction, one would think that the alpha male should dominate this area of work. However, time and again we witness the passionate ladies at Buildbuilt pulling their weight, going beyond their obligated duties. They are winning testimonies and praise from project stakeholders frequently. Even the rough and tough builders respect their style of leadership and mental fortitude. 

Just to list a few outstanding characteristics I’ve noticed in our experienced female project managers- 

  • generally higher level of emotional intelligence when dealing with people problems 

  • empathy / relational 

  • meticulous and organized 

  • patient and slow to anger (calm)

  • a huge sense of responsibility and loyalty

  • nurturing 

Companies spend a great deal of time and money to train managers to possess these types of soft skills. It seems that women have a natural advantage in these key areas of work that bring about success to any company, big or small. 

Hailing from larger organizations before Buildbuilt, I have retrospectively observed that even reputable MNCs have deprived talented women from key roles within the company. This article is a reminder to myself to continue to push the boundaries for all types of people, to create fair opportunities that focus on strengths, and to mend weaknesses.  

Also, might I add that being a father of three, I can testify that women have a higher threshold for pain. I’ve been in the birthing theatre three times with my wife (who did not administer epidural on her last natural birth). Women can take pain. And sometimes, running a successful project is a painful thing.

A note to all the men who are applying to work with us: time to step up your game.

nicholas hu