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Agents of Change: Making Construction Better for Everyone
New York Build is excited that the 2026 edition took place during International Women’s Month. To stay in the spirit of celebrating women in the industry, we are spotlighting Faye Allen, one of the speakers at New York Build 2026.
In this interview, Faye highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and supporting others in the industry.
About Faye Allen:
Faye is a highly experienced Chartered Quantity Surveyor with three decades of experience in the construction industry. She supports a variety of construction and engineering clients to avoid, mitigate and resolve disputes and is regularly involved in dispute resolution processes both domestically and internationally. Her clients, both contractors and client organisations, benefit from her breadth of experience having worked for various contractors and consultants across a wide range of sectors. Faye is experienced in providing expert evidence and witness evidence in high value/high profile disputes and has given expert evidence and been cross examined by leading counsel in the Technology and Construction Court. Faye is also author of the book "Building Women - How Everyone in Construction Can Win’ a Call for Change to Tackle Systemic Issues Affecting Women and Men in the Construction and Built Environment.
1. Please can you tell us a little more about your role and what a typical day would look like for you?
“I’m a Chartered Quantity surveyor with over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry. For the first 20 years of my career I worked for various contractors as a quantity surveyor and commercial manager running large and varied teams on multimillion-pound projects from inception to completion. I have worked in numerous sectors including residential (housing, university accommodation & flats/apartments), commercial, large scale mixed-use developments, education, hotels, healthcare, power plants, shipbuilding, aviation, rail and sports stadiums I still regularly undertake independent advisory work on live projects.
I moved into disputes working as quantum expert around 12 years ago and my quantum work includes building, engineering and oil and gas disputes nationally and internationally.
Some days I may be writing an expert report on a dispute involving fire remedials, defects or cladding for an adjudication and other days I will be working with an opposing expert on a Joint Statement for litigation or prepping a report for arbitration. Other times I may be advising clients who may be concerned about a dispute or advising on a live project. Around all this I am also Rimkus Managing director for Quantum in EMEA so am running and growing a team of experts in the business, budgeting, monitoring, recruiting and mentoring the team and working with other parts of the business. Basically, no day is the same!”
2. What makes you excited to get up in the morning and do what you do?
“Life! Life is short so you need to enjoy the work and the people you work with. I find being involved in something with so much potential for growth is challenging and fun, but I also know that its not all about work and that balance is important.”
3. Your book just won Women in Business - Goody Business Book Awards – Congratulations! Who were you writing this book for, and how will it help them?
“Thank you. I was very surprised, but it made 4 years of research and writing around a full-time job worthwhile!
My mission for the book was originally just about helping women and improving retention, but as I researched it, it became more and more obvious it’s about everyone and that’s where the strapline came from.
The book is like a tool – it has a lot of research and information backing up various things good and bad but more importantly it has lived experiences and stories to bring the research to life, finally it has tools we can all use every day to improve the culture and make it so that everyone in construction can win!”
4. Looking back over the years, which project or role had the biggest impact on your professional growth?
“I think moving into Expert work was a scary jump as it was a full change from working on site all the time or working in a consulting role across multiple sites. It has given me the ability to spot issues, improve my writing skills (expert reports for litigation etc have to be precise) and also allowed me to undertake more leadership and growth which I have found both challenging and enjoyable.”
5. You’ve been on various panels and spoken publicly about diversity and culture, including the panel “Breaking the Concrete Ceiling: Women Leading the Industry” at New York Build. What’s one key message you always try to leave the audience with?
“Every single one of us can make a difference every day! It doesn’t matter your gender you can make a difference by speaking out, supporting and working to improve things for everyone around you.”
6. Are there topics or projects you haven’t yet explored that you’re excited to dive into next?
“Currently I am really enjoying growing the team at Rimkus in EMEA but when I get some time, I want to look at some of the other aspects of allyship I mention in the book specifically in respect of women. I have heard from a number of women who have read the book about women who are not supportive of others. There are various reasons for this, but I would really like to educate and help these women change so that we have women supporting each other wherever possible. I know there will always be some people we may not be able to reach but with such a small pool its even more important we look after each other.”
We extend our thanks to Faye Allen for sharing her thoughts.
What you can do
From Faye’s words, it is clear that every one of us is an agent of change, and that we have the power to support others.
Join Faye Allen in the mission for change by signing up to be an ambassador at New York Build 2027 (March 2-3, 2027) or Chicago Build 2026 (October 28 – 29, 2026).
Find out more about Faye Allen’s award-winning book 'Building Women: How Everyone in Construction Can Win' here.
About Chicago Build
Chicago Build Expo is the largest construction & design show in the Midwest, bringing together contractors, architects, developers, engineers, housebuilders, government representatives, and industry professionals for two days of networking, knowledge sharing, and business opportunities. The event features 30,000+ attendees, 350+ exhibitors and 450+ top-level speakers. This year, we're taking on a brand-new hall and launching 3 new zones including an AI & Digital Zone, Fire Safety & Security Zone, and a HVACR Zone powered by InstallerSHOW.
Dates: October 28 – 29, 2026
Venue: Hall F2, West Building, Level 3, McCormick Place, 2301 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
Get involved: www.chicagobuildexpo.com
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