Big Interview 27
Carol Massay has spent much of her 30-year career changing perceptions. As a woman working in a traditionally male-dominated construction industry, she has had to fight harder than her male counterparts to be recognised and respected.
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ut recognised and respected she is, having worked her way up the career ladder and transformed a construction software specialist into a thriving, awardwinning company. Since Carol took over the reins at Borehamwood-based EasyBuild UK, the company has doubled staff numbers, increased revenues and become a much slicker, more efficient operation. New systems have been put in place, marketing campaigns have attracted new customers, and people with the right skills have been recruited into key positions. This year, seven new customers came on board before the coronavirus hit UK shores, and although there was an understandable lull in business during March and April, activity has picked up once again. The plan now is to grow the company’s presence across London and the South East, as well as further field in the North of England and Scotland. It’s an ambitious target in what undoubtedly will be a volatile post-COVID, post-Brexit trading environment, but taking on tough challenges seems to be in Carol’s DNA. She says: “As a woman, I enjoyed the challenge of trying to make my way in the construction industry. I’ve always just concentrated on the job in hand, rather than other people’s opinions on me or on how things should be done. Even when I took on the job at EasyBuild, I read one or two comments on social media basically suggesting that I might fail. That made me more determined to succeed.” She has done just that. EasyBuild is now one of the most recognised providers of ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to the construction industry. The awardwinning software addresses all of the operational needs of a modern construction business, covering finance, commercial, project management and compliance. It is customisable with easy-to-use applications providing all trades within the industry – including main contractors, civil engineers, demolition, interior fit-out, roofing and cladding, joinery, rail and utilities – with the tools needed to manage projects in a timely and efficient manner. Carol says: “Previously, it was mainly the larger construction firms that had adopted the software, whereas smaller players tended to stick with tried and trusted methods. This is
now changing; more SMEs are realising the value that this type of software can bring to their business. It helps the industry to identify and manage risk on construction projects and track spend against the whole lifecycle of the project on a day-to-day basis.” These insights have been gleaned during a 30-year career in the industry, which started when Carol took a job as an office junior, collecting large tenders for construction firm Laing Management and copying and binding them ready for submission. She studied accountancy at night school and joined Barratt Homes in the company’s busy accounts department, managing cost on various projects. She then got the opportunity to work for an established Irish contractor as financial controller, managing project cost reporting, before joining Causeway Technologies where she helped several top 100 contractors implement financial and cost management software into their businesses. Carol enjoyed the nomadic experience of travelling around the country, building and nurturing client relationships, before she was promoted to head of services, responsible for customer support and professional services teams based in offices around the UK. In January 2011 she was promoted again, this time to the position of strategic relationship manager, a role which showcased her aptitude for understanding customers and unearthing opportunities to upsell to clients. “I was the most successful sales person in the business yet I didn’t have a sales background,” she recalls. After leaving Causeway in 2015, the opportunity to apply for the CEO position at EasyBuild arose and she took it with both hands. “I’d never been a CEO before but I understood construction software and the art of managing people,” she says. “I thought, why not give it a go?” Five years on, she’s glad she did. She’s keen to encourage other aspiring females into the industry and has set a goal of touring schools and colleges to talk to girls about the benefits of a career in construction. “If I can do it, they can,” she says with conviction. “It’s great to see companies offering opportunities to young women through apprenticeships and work placements. The industry would benefit from more diversity and I think that companies are starting to recognise this.”
THE INSIDE TRACK: Carol Massay Favourite food: Jamaican traditional fried chicken, rice and peas, coleslaw and avocado salad. I’m also partial to chicken caesar salad and ackee and saltfish with breadfruit. Favourite tipple: Gin and tonic and a good quality brand of champagne Favourite holiday? Definitely Jamaica, with Mexico and Cyprus not too far behind. Describe your family life? I’m married to Ray and have two children: a son, Courtney, 28, and daughter Cherrise, 23. I’m a hardworking grandma to two beautiful grandsons, Jessiah-Ocean and Reuben. How do you spend your downtime? Spending time with my grandsons and husband, going for bike rides and holidays, gardening and growing my own vegetables. What are your key strengths as a manager? Being able to build relationships with staff and customers, communicating and my desire to keep up-to-date with developments in the sector (e.g. by joining discussion groups). And your limitations? Sometimes I take on too much rather than delegating to others. Best thing about doing business in the borough? Meeting a wide range of business leaders, sharing their business experiences and seeing how we can help each other. Famous person you’d most like to spend dinner with? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Megan). Most interesting fact about yourself? Although I’m from an ethnic origin and work in a male-dominated sector, I’ve never allowed this to distract me from what I want to achieve.
July 2020
