1st October 2021

Sir Robert McAlpine and ParalympicsGB - United for inclusion

During National Inclusion Week, Paul Hamer, Chief Executive of Sir Robert McAlpine, and Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB, reflect on the world class performance of the ParalympicsGB team in Tokyo.

On the occasion of this year’s National Inclusion Week, which explores the theme #UnitedForInclusion, Paul Hamer, Chief Executive of Sir Robert McAlpine, has hailed the world class performance of ParalympicsGB at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo as an important reminder for the construction industry to unite in driving more diversity.

As part of its commitment to inclusion and inspiring industry wide change, Sir Robert McAlpine became a partner of ParalympicsGB to support the athletes on their training journey to Tokyo 2020. The company cited the many values and ethos they have in common for the move: the search for excellence, performance, resilience and creating an environment where everyone can perform at their best.

Paul Hamer said: “It is testament to ParalympicsGB that our Paralympic athletes have ranked second overall as a nation and won medals across more disciplines than any country before in such challenging circumstances.

“ParalympicsGB has yet again demonstrated on the global stage what resilience, determination and the support of an outstanding team can achieve. Through their efforts, challenges and triumphs, our Paralympians have been worthy incarnations of the values and ethos that we hold dear within SRM.  

“I am immensely proud of our partnership with ParalympicsGB and very grateful to all those athletes who have shared their valuable experience with our people. I know that their stories have inspired us to be the best at what we do, challenged us to embrace more diversity, and spurred us on to foster a truly inclusive culture where everyone can unlock their true potential. 

“As we celebrate inclusion in all its forms this week, we must work together, as an industry, to attract a more diverse workforce. As ParalympicsGB have shown so powerfully, disability should not be a barrier to a brilliant career. We expect that the current shift towards flexible working, which we have been championing, can be one of the catalysts for greater diversity in construction, attracting talent from all backgrounds and abilities.”  

Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB, said: “We know the history-making performances of ParalympicsGB athletes at Tokyo 2020 can have a real impact on breaking down barriers and challenging perceptions of disability in wider society.

“Our Impossible to Ignore campaign is all about celebrating the inspirational performances of these talented athletes at Tokyo 2020 while recognising that the challenges faced by disabled people in wider society can still, unfortunately, limit opportunities to achieve their full potential.

“Sir Robert McAlpine embodies the spirit of ParalympicsGB in seeing the value of recruiting people from all sectors of society and the huge array of benefits of having as diverse workforce as possible and we are proud to have them as a partner.”

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