We recently sat down with Zoe Brown, Associate Director of Delivery at Ventro. Zoe joined Ventro in July 2023 as a Regional Project Manager based in the Southwest before being promoted in January 2025 to Associate Director of Delivery for the national team.
How has your role changed from when you first started?
The role has expanded so much. I now lead a team of five Project Managers, covering projects from Scotland all the way down to the Southwest. Every day is different—very challenging but equally rewarding. We have a fantastic team delivering projects like door installations and compartmentation. From day to day, I could be doing anything from attending client meetings and visiting sites to supporting the team and making sure we deliver high-quality work.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Definitely getting into the technical aspects—learning about different manufacturers and installation processes. I actually enjoy the challenges we face on-site because it means working closely with the team to find solutions and keep projects moving forward. Good client feedback is always a boost for me, the team, and Ventro as a whole. I love being on-site, inspecting doors, signing off work, and getting into the nitty-gritty of things. Meeting lots of different clients is something I really enjoy too.
What does a typical day on-site look like for you?
A typical day on-site, especially day one, is always busy. It’s all about setting up—receiving deliveries of welfare cabins, storage containers, skips, and all the materials we need. New site teams and managers arrive, so there are inductions and health and safety protocols to follow. When I’m on-site for a random visit, I usually catch up with the site and project managers, do a walk-around audit of the doors and compartmentation works, and make sure everything is reported accurately in our RiskBase system. It’s all about capturing every detail correctly for our clients.
How does an office day usually go for you?
Office days are usually a mix of catching up with my team and speaking to people at head office, including purchasing, QS, and ops teams. I spend a lot of time on Teams calls helping resolve any issues and making sure everything is recorded and reported properly. If we have new projects starting, I might be involved in pre-start meetings too. No two days are the same!
How has your role evolved from being a Project Manager?
The biggest difference is managing Project Managers rather than directly running projects myself. Now, my focus is on supporting my team to succeed—mentoring them, sharing our processes, and helping them understand what good looks like for us. It’s been challenging, especially since my team is new to Ventro, but I really enjoy the mentoring aspect and seeing people grow in their roles.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
It’s a tricky one. There are already a lot of women in construction and building safety, but certain areas, like carpentry, are still male-dominated. I think the skills you gain are definitely transferable, which helps bring more women into roles like mine. It might also help if we promoted these roles more actively on platforms or forums dedicated to women in the industry.
What advice do you have for young people considering a career in construction?
Fire safety has grown massively in recent years due to changes in legislation, which means there are loads of opportunities out there—whether through apprenticeships, surveying, or practical roles like installing fire doors. It’s a sector that often goes unnoticed, but once you’re in, you see how many paths there are.
What unique challenges do women face in the industry?
There’s sometimes a preconceived idea of women working in fire safety roles. I’ve definitely felt that at times, but I think it’s all about getting stuck in—being on-site, showing that you know your stuff, and proving that you’re not just there to give orders. Building that trust and respect with the team is really important.
How can support for women in the industry be improved?
There are already so many opportunities for learning and development, both for men and women. At Ventro, we have a really diverse team and everyone gets the same opportunities. If more companies adopted that approach, I think we’d naturally see more women in technical roles.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
For me, it’s about empowerment and recognising that women have the strengths and skills to do the same jobs as men. It’s also a day to celebrate the achievements of women—whether that’s in their careers, motherhood, or any other area of life.
Do you have a favourite memory of working at Ventro?
There are a few that stand out, but one of my favourites has to be my first project. It was a really challenging one—working in a residential building for visually and hearing-impaired residents. We had to adapt everything from our communications to our working methods to make sure they were comfortable and informed. The positive feedback we received from the residents and the client was incredibly rewarding.
Why would you recommend Ventro as a place to work?
Ventro has been amazing for my career. The opportunities for growth and the collaborative approach are fantastic. The team is so supportive—everyone is approachable and willing to share their knowledge. The company is growing fast, which means there are always new projects and challenges to get stuck into. It’s an exciting place to work with a really strong team culture.
See the full video interview here.
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The theme of #IWD2025 is Accelerate Action. The theme surrounds a "worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources, and activity that positively impact women's advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation."
We thought that the best person at Ventro to showcase was our very own Zoe Brown, starting off as a Project Manager and progressing up to Associate Director of Delivery. Thank you Zoe, for all you do!
