Katy Dowding
Managing Director, Skanska Facilities Services
Receiving her Winner’s Trophy from The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman Fiona Woolf CBE
It really is a great honour to receive this award and to be recognised by such an inspiring group of women. “I am a strong supporter of women in business, particularly in the facilities and construction sectors. I hope this award encourages fellow women in my industry to be brave – to be yourself, develop your skills and grab those opportunities when they come along. Thank you to all of those people who have helped me over the years.
Personal Profile
Within Skanska, as Managing Director of Skanska’s Facilities Services operation, Katy manages a business with 600 employees and turnover of £70 million. It operates mostly in the defence, healthcare, education and commercial sectors.
She is only the second woman to hold a Managing Director role in Skanska UK and the first for the facilities business. A strong advocate for women in construction, Katy has been chair for the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) – an elected position – for the last eight years. During this period, the number of NAWIC memberships has increased year on year.
Previously with Tarmac for 15 years, Katy has been with Skanska for more than a decade. During this time, she has worked in a variety of roles, covering operational, business improvement and commercial disciplines.
One of the brains behind Skanska’s 2015 Business Plan, Katy has helped to chart the future development of Skanska UK. She is one of five women to sit on Skanska UK’s Senior Management Team, which comprises the 20 most senior people within Skanska UK. In the past, in the role of commercial manager, Katy played a key role in the successful delivery of a number of high-profile public private initiatives. These include the £352 million refurbishment of the Ministry of Defence’s headquarters in Whitehall and the £1 billion redevelopment of St Bartholomew and The Royal London hospitals in London.
She has featured on Sky television discussing the economy and, in particular, the construction industry in the UK. Katy’s love of all things equestrian has been a constant theme throughout her life and she shares her passion for the outdoors with her husband and two step children.
