How I’m Improving Sustainability and Uplifting Women as a Manager in a Male-Dominated Field

Binita Patel, the Sustainability Performance Manager for the Americas Materials West Division of CRH, tells Fairygodboss that, as she grows in her career, she wants to make sure that she’s also lifting other women up alongside her — especially in her male-dominated industry of construction and building materials. 

And Patel is actively working toward this goal! For instance, “I have the honor to serve on the leadership team for our Women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG), which focuses on fostering inclusivity and diversity,” Patel tells us. This ERG builds a supportive community, brings awareness to important topics that affect marginalized groups, and provides resources to empower those individuals both personally and professionally, she explains.

Patel is not alone in empowering women at her company — CRH is pushing for diversity organization-wide and is committed to ensuring that:

• Inclusion and diversity are core leadership values, 

• Talented people of all backgrounds are welcome and differences are respected,

• Everyone has a fair and equal opportunity to develop and progress, and

• Their working environment supports people in being themselves and performing at their best.

Here, we caught up with Patel to learn more about her role at CRH, the company’s supportive culture, and her top tips to help other women advance in their own careers. 

Tell us a bit about your job. What’s your current role, how long have you been in this role, and what’s your day-to-day like?

I started my current role in November 2023. I support our sustainability efforts in the construction materials businesses in the western half of the U.S. My day-to-day includes building and facilitating training around how sustainability impacts our businesses while also highlighting the opportunities this new way of doing business poses. 

An important part of my role is supporting businesses by building transparency into the environmental impacts of our products. This enables our teams and customers to make informed procurement decisions, as well as encourages further efficiencies and innovation in our operations and product design.  

Please share a few more details about your career journey. How have you grown your career? How have other women or CRH aided in your career growth?

I joined CRH’s Pacific Northwest region of businesses as a Sustainability Specialist three years ago, after completing my Master’s in Global Sustainability at Virginia Tech. From the beginning, my manager supported my interest in learning more about business strategy and other areas of the business to build my knowledge and understanding of the industry. 

Cross-functional training and being able to step out of my day-to-day life have been fantastic and unique parts of the CRH culture.

What has been the role of mentorship in your career?

I have been lucky enough to work with so many brilliant people who have been at CRH and this industry for decades. Their mentorship and openness to teach and share their experiences have truly helped me carry my career this far in such a short period of time. 

What career move that you made are you most proud of?

The series of career moves that I am most proud of is networking. CRH is a global business and being able to leverage contacts, best practices, and innovations from all across the world has been invaluable — especially in the world of sustainability.    

What is your top tip on how other women can help advance the careers of those around them?

My top tip to empower other women in their careers is to use honesty and communication. Women are so often held to a higher standard and work at their fullest potential and capacity consistently — all while withholding our struggles and challenges. 

It is important to be able to talk to one another more about our own successes and failures. Sharing our stories and experiences is both inspirational and crucial to the collective growth of our fellow female colleagues.  

Finally, do you have any books, podcasts, or other forms of media that you would recommend women read to help them better support other women?

I would recommend listening to or reading from the point of view of women who have been successful in things that seem unconventional to you personally. There is so much to learn from experiences, challenges, and philosophies that differ from your own. This helps build empathy toward others. 

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