championing sustainability: danielle Dawson's story
When Danielle was 18, she chose to study geology at university. But after one week, she decided to leave in pursuit of something more fulfilling - and the desire to buy herself a car! These priorities led Danielle to take two years out of education to work in retail before securing an apprenticeship with Holcim UK (then Aggregate Industries).
Danielle said: “I wanted to get on with my life and I didn’t want to get stuck studying something that I knew wouldn’t really benefit me in the kind of job I wanted to do. Working in retail gave me the opportunity to meet a wide range of people and gave me an insight into what the world of work really looks like.
“I then got an apprenticeship at Aggregate Industries where I stayed for three years. During that time, I completed a foundation degree in mineral products technology (with concrete technology), and then the company put me through my full honours and I was awarded a BSc in Minerals Management.”
Danielle loved her apprenticeship with Holcim and was able to keep learning - something she was passionate about from her early school days.
“The apprenticeship really allowed me to learn and do at the same time,“ Danielle said. “I was working on the factory floor of a precast concrete factory doing technical and quality testing while I completed my degree. I was probably working with around 150 other guys, both on site and in the office. It was honestly brilliant. They all really looked after me.”
During her apprenticeship, Danielle had the opportunity to visit other Holcim sites, expanding her knowledge of the business and developing her understanding of the entire business operation. But throughout everything, Danielle’s enthusiasm for sustainability never wavered.
A passion for sustainability
It's rare that people know what they want to do from a very young age, and while Danielle didn't know exactly the role she’d be best suited to, she knew what she wanted to achieve.
"When I was a little girl, I just wanted to save the world," Danielle said.
“I saw all the news about global warming and the effects it would have on animals and the planet and I wanted to make sure I made a difference, even if it was only in a small way. That’s been my motto: if I can make a small change, hopefully someone else will too and then it becomes a domino effect.”
Even in such a short space of time, Danielle notes how quickly attitudes in the industry have changed towards sustainability.
Danielle said: “When I started out in the industry, sustainability was very much a buzzword even right up until 2020 and 2021. My dissertation looked at how sustainable and circular ‘green’ concretes actually were, which gained a lot of positive attention from inside the business. That led to my role as product development manager within Holcim’s concrete products before I moved into the cement sector.”
To say Danielle has made a small difference to the sustainability of the cement industry would be a significant understatement. In her day-to-day, she is heavily involved in finding alternative materials to replace cement and works closely with Holcim Group around the world, advising on what might work best for the company’s cement practices too.
Danielle is also heavily involved in industry standards committees including the British Standards Institution (BSI) and Mineral Products Association (MPA).
Danielle said: “Cement is probably as difficult to decarbonise as aviation is. We need cement; we need to build. There’s a fact that says around the globe, we build the equivalent of one New York every month, which is pretty amazing. The question I ask myself is: how can we minimise the impact we make on the environment as much as possible when we do so?
“There’s no silver bullet to make cement sustainable, trust me; I’d love to find one. But I’m realistic in my approach. It might not be in my lifetime that we can shift the industry to an entirely sustainable framework, but there are certainly things we can be doing to make it better.”
As well as being a champion for sustainability, Danielle is an advocate for women working in predominantly male sectors through her work as a member of Holcim’s Women Empowered Network.
Encouraging the next generation
As a woman from a small town in North Lincolnshire, Danielle says she has to pinch herself every day when she thinks about the opportunities her job has brought to her.
“I think I have to stop and reflect a bit more on what I’ve achieved,” Danielle said. “I’m a person who is always moving on to the next thing and asking what else I can do, so sometimes I forget to give myself some credit.
“That’s why I love being involved in the Women Empowered Network at Holcim. I was originally asked if I’d like to be placed into the She Leads cohort, which is Holcim Group’s initiative. There were 25 other women who worked in cement from Holcim Group around the world and we all got together recently for a learning and personal development week in Switzerland.
“It’s probably one of the best things I’ve ever done with Holcim. The connections I made and the things I learned were amazing.”
Back in the UK, Danielle’s involvement in the Holcim UK Women Empowered Network saw her, alongside her fellow members, lead the Women Empowered conference in June of this year. The event provided an open-floor discussion for women to discuss personal confidence in the presence of a guest speaker.
Danielle said: “The feedback from the conference was great, and it was really nice to strengthen the shared sense of community that makes working at Holcim so fantastic.”
Cats, snowboarding and running
Outside of her day job, Danielle is a member of her local running club and takes part in local races. She has a personal best to boast of, recently completing 10k in 47 minutes and 41 seconds. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she has also just taken up snowboarding, which she practices at the SnowDome in Tamworth.
Danielle: “My husband and I went skiing in Switzerland in March, and then when we came back I said we had to try snowboarding. It’s so much better than skiing in my opinion, and I’ve got my own board now, so I’m fully committed. I’ve got the bruises to show for it too!
“I’ve also got two beautiful Maine Coon cats called Bayle and Nyx. Bayle is one and Nyx is four, and they’re both very big girls. I love them so much, and they are my pride and joy. My husband is pretty good too!”
It’s safe to say that Danielle boasts an impressive collection of accolades even if she forgets to recognise them sometimes. Whether she’s encouraging the next generation of young women into the construction sector or is fulfilling her childhood dream of making the world a better place, we’re incredibly fortunate to have Danielle as a Holcim champion.
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