Wates welcomes a female board member

Wates now has a female board member, after appointing a financial expert as a non-executive director.

Chartered accountant Rachel Addison (pictured) will chair Wates’ group audit committee, which will oversee financial reporting, processes and regulatory compliance. Addison is already a non-executive director of a handful of other companies, including housing developer and contractor Watkins Jones.

She has previously been finance director of media companies Future plc and TI Media, as well as managing director of newspaper operator Reach Regionals and head of risk management at pharmacist Boots.

Addison joins 10 existing directors on the Wates board, all of whom are men, and five of whom are part of the Wates family. Wates also has an independent executive committee, which currently consists of 11 directors, 10 of whom are men (see full listings below).

Wates chairman Tim Wates said: “We are delighted to welcome Rachel to the Wates Group board and I look forward to working with her. She brings a wealth of experience which will be invaluable to the board and the business in overall, as we pursue our bright and ambitious plans for our group.”

Addison said: “I am delighted to be joining a family business so committed to delivering innovative and quality projects for their clients, with people who are passionate about making it happen.

“I am inspired by what I have learned about the family’s commitment to its employees, its charitable initiatives and its genuine ambition to be an industry leader in environmental protection.”

Wates has recently won awards for its work on gender equality, being named as one of The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2023 and winning Women Into Construction’s Opening Up Opportunities for Female Talent Award 2023.