Faith Abudu is Founder & Managing Director of DIIC Diversity and Inclusion In Construction, a purpose-driven Community Interest Company working to reshape how the construction and built-environment sector attracts, develops and retains talent.

Through DIIC, Faith has built a growing platform that brings together contractors, professional institutions, local authorities, housing providers, universities, colleges, schools, supply chains and community organisations around a shared ambition: to build a construction industry where talent and opportunity are not limited by gender, ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, age, background or traditional routes into the sector.

Her work spans inclusive recruitment, skills and career pathways, employer engagement, education, social value, workforce development and industry collaboration.

www.diic.org.uk 

Liza Smith is a Social Value Lead at Kier Construction, with a strong focus on creating meaningful opportunities for people and communities through the built environment. Her work supports the delivery of social value through skills development, work experience, education engagement and pathways into construction, helping connect industry with current and future talent.

Liza has worked closely with DIIC Diversity and Inclusion in Construction to support inclusive work-experience initiatives designed to give young people, career changers and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds greater exposure to the breadth of careers available across construction.

A passionate advocate for collaboration between employers, education and communities, Liza believes opportunities within construction should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background or neuro conditions. Her approach focuses on removing barriers and turning social value commitments into practical opportunities that enable people to understand, access and progress within the industry.

Through her work at Kier, Liza continues to champion skills, employability, inclusive career pathways and long-term community impact, helping demonstrate how major contractors can create lasting social value.

www.kier.co.uk