Celebrating International Women’s Day with Anjana Raj

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March, Anjana Raj, Company Social Value Manager, outlines how she unearthed her passion for social value, her route into the construction industry, and her work culturing greater equity in construction.

"If you had asked my 18-year-old self about working in construction, I’d have said no chance!", Anjana’s recollection of her perspective on the construction industry is a sentiment amongst many young people, and especially young women, but it’s an approach she’s looking to dispel through her work in social value. 

Anjana leads a team working across the UK as Company Social Value Manager, working alongside her counterparts in sustainability to futureproof Sir Robert McAlpine’s approach, to ensure the maximum social value benefit in the course of a project. 

Passionate about driving meaningful change, Anjana champions programmes that create employment and skills opportunities, support local businesses, and foster long-term community wellbeing. Her work is grounded in a belief that construction can be a powerful force for social and environmental good, aligning closely with our commitment to Sustainable Engineering Excellence. 

As part of this role, Anjana leads in social impact activities, going into schools and talking to students all the way from primary school to university to illuminate the benefits of a career in construction. While she is often explaining apprenticeships or T-Level placements, her own route into construction is not so straightforward.

"My background was in IT, but I came to work on grassroots projects for the Department for Work and Pensions in the North East." This work provided a view into the child poverty too often occurring in the region, which was understandably a "real eye-opener, to see poverty in the places where you live and work. I knew I wanted to help create change, not just observe it." The work impelled her to seek out social value roles, looking to offer the greatest improvement to the region. 

Anjana first came across SRM while working in these roles. "I was selected to spearhead programmes in the course of the regeneration of Gateshead, working with the social value team at Sir Robert McAlpine to set up placements and local job opportunities across the town." When the opportunity emerged to join the team, it was a natural next step. "I’ve been here 10 years now, and it’s been brilliant!"

From initially working at the grassroots, Anjana still applies the same principles in her work in construction, speaking to students in disadvantaged areas at the earliest possible opportunity to ensure nobody is left behind. "It’s about making sure that those opportunities and access can reach the people that it otherwise wouldn’t." Indeed, Anjana is guided by three main principles: equity, representation, and education, in the course of her work in social value. 

For many young people, the opportunities that construction affords are not always evident, with many believing the industry is not much more than working on site. It’s a misconception that Anjana works hard to address. "We put these hoardings up around a site to keep people safe, but they also block visibility. In a sense, we want those eyes looking in at what construction truly can be." 

Anjana herself had her perceptions challenged when she first went on site, "I was surprised to see women on site, be it quantity surveyors, document controllers, or site engineers." She senses that same surprise in the young women she works with in the course of her mentoring sessions in Sunderland, speaking to girls who might otherwise go under the radar, and acting as an effective ‘big sister’ at the outset of their career journeys. 

"When you first meet that cohort, there’s often a lack of confidence there, but it’s about making them more self-aware and realising their potential." Anjana is now on her fifth cohort, having started working with the school 3 years ago, and the results are plain to see: "by the end of the six months, they’re presenting to their peers, standing taller in every sense, with a much clearer sense of their potential, as they look ahead to their career options." 

The presence of role models could not be more crucial, and it speaks to the representation aspect of Anjana’s philosophy – "if they can’t see it, then they can’t be it," as she emphatically outlines. Part of this effort is her work with PlanBEE, first in the North East, now also in Manchester and London. When Anjana first started working with them, there was often only one woman in the group, but the cohort has now progressed to an equally split group, "progress that speaks for itself." 

Indeed, stepping into that position of role model has been particularly rewarding for Anjana: "it’s a way for me to give back as well in my career, since first working in IT, I’ve always worked in male dominated fields, and often been the only woman in the building." It’s a case of providing the effective representation of what construction can be to reach that equity. Without that educational aspect, and the provision of role models, that realisation may not necessarily take place, which is why the social value work in this space is so fundamental. 

From her own perspective, Anjana’s mum was a foundational role model, "she’s the strongest person I know, and a great role model for me in handling situations." Within social value, there have also been key role models, "I worked with this female manager, who was truly amazing, and really brought out the kindness and humility that was to come out of the work we were trying to achieve."

So as Anjana looks ahead to the next ten years of social value in the industry, what more can be done to progress inclusion in construction? "It’s really that holistic approach that’s required, not only empowering women to progress within the industry, but providing those role models with more education and engagement to get them in the door in the first place."

The work doesn’t stop with ideas in this pursuit though, and Anjana works hard to ensure that the social value achieved on a project is not siloed. "Knowledge sharing is key. Our team is fantastic in the work they do, and we ensure that community projects can be delivered across the country, so that a social value project in London can have positive echoes in the North East."

By setting out a blueprint across the country, the maximum benefit can be enjoyed by generation after generation, with social value driven as an inclusive empowerment of communities, not just a tick box exercise. 

Anjana sees how social value changes lives. The impact is not just in fiscal terms but in regard to people entering the industry and their onward journey. "We worked with one young man who was utterly driven by his admiration for his mum, who worked multiple jobs. He worked hard for his place on a T Level placement for 9 weeks, and earned that PlanBEE spot and tranformed his future." 

Another example stands out to Anjana, demonstrating the benefit of the educational aspect of her social value work across the generations. One young woman wanted to work in construction management, while her parents wanted her to focus on going to university. She went so far as to bring her parents along to a careers fair to speak to Anjana and advocate for her choice: "it was case of explaining to them that she is still having that equivalent to university education, just not in the traditional sense." She started her work placement in construction soon afterwards. 

As we mark International Women’s Day 2026, the industry can reflect on the progress that has been made in terms of access and inclusion into construction, but the job is far from done. As we work towards true equity, representation and education right from the grassroots is crucial, and the benefit will be felt culturally, economically, and socially for years to come.