Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
A major session at the BMF Annual Conference on 21 September will focus on improving equity, diversity and inclusion in our industry.
The session will be led by Angela Rushforth, Managing Director of Toolstation, Sam Grierson, Customer Proposition Director & EDI Chair for Wolseley Group, and James Saunders, Chief People Officer of City Plumbing, who will share their experiences and lead a Q&A for delegates.
Angela Rushforth was previously Managing Director of BSS from 2019 to 2023, where she led the drive toward a learning culture in BSS with each role now having an apprenticeship course aligned. Angela joined the Travis Perkins Group in 2015 as Own Brand Director from Ridgeons, where she was Managing Director for 8 years. She is Group Leadership Team sponsor for the Travis Perkins Group’s net zero carbon agenda and Diversity & Inclusion network and Chair of the Apprenticeship Board.
Sam Grierson has worked within the wider construction industry for over 20 years developing strategy, innovation and delivering impactful change. She is also an award-winning writer and director, who has written and produced comedy plays highlighting later life Autism and ADHD Diagnosis, winning the Anna Kennedy Autism Hero award for the Arts in 2022. Anna also has a podcast entitled “Daring to be Different” interviewing neurodivergent and queer people who stood up and made change happen.
James Saunders spent his early career in strategy and transformation and has spent over 15 years developing and delivering people strategies for large and complex businesses in multiple sectors including financial services, telecoms, technology, property, facilities management and retail. He spent 9 years with Vodafone as Head of HR and was Chief People Officer for Intu Properties before joining City Plumbing. His main focus is on building open, collaborative and commercial cultures.
