Women in Construction award shortlists Ipswich businesswoman

Clare Yelland-Friel has been announced as a finalist for the Women in Construction and Engineering Awards 2024 (WICE), which are designed to recognise women working within these fields across Europe.

This year, WICE received over 400 nominations which have been shortlisted down to 190 finalists.

Mrs Yelland-Friel has been shortlisted in the Business Development Category alongside eight other women.

She started her company, Friel Consulting, which provides services to the construction industry, in 2018, after leaving her job as a business development manager for a local groundworks contractor.

Since then, she has launched Construction Anglia, an online news hub which shares positive stories from across the East Anglian construction industry.

She has also founded Suffolk Property Drinks and Essex Property Drinks, which are free, informal networking events which have become a popular staple in the construction calendar.  

Mrs Yelland-Friel started her own company in 2018. Image: Warren Page (Image: Warren Page)Mrs Yelland-Friel said that she couldn't have been shortlisted for the award without the hard work of her team. Image: Clare Yelland-Friel (Image: Clare Yelland-Friel)

“When I started Friel it was a huge risk for me,” said Mrs Yelland-Friel.

“At the time, I was a single parent to my son and daughter, with sole responsibility for covering the mortgage.

“I didn’t have any financial backing – in fact, all I had was an idea and my last month's salary from my previous role.

“I am absolutely blown away by the position myself and my business are in now. I am so excited to see what the future holds, I couldn’t do it without my incredible team!”

On April 25, Mrs Yelland-Friel will be making the journey to London for her finalist interview.

The awards ceremony will take place on May 23, at which point she will find out if she has won her category.