Meet Our New Operations Director

We are delighted to announce the well-deserved promotion of our Operations Manager, Zeynep Guzelkasap, to the role of Operations Director.

Zeynep joined the Acorn Safety Services team back in January 2023 as Business Manager, bringing with her a construction management degree and 12 years of experience in construction, asbestos and health and safety. After a year, she was promoted to Operations Manager.

During her time with us, Zeynep has been instrumental in shaping our recent growth and the future of Acorn Safety Services.

We caught up with her to discuss her promotion, being a woman in a male dominated industry and her hopes for the future.

How do you feel about your recent promotion to Operations Director?

I’ve always wanted to be a director, so it’s really nice that it’s actually finally happened. It’s that next step up for me and comes at a really momentous time for the company, just as we start a new chapter in a larger office.

I’m really proud of all we have achieved in the last two years and the growth we’ve experienced. We are now working with some big brand businesses across a wide variety of sectors, helping them to remain compliant with regards to legionella, fire, and health and safety.

What made you choose the construction industry for your career?

I really liked the television show Homes Under The Hammer when I was younger, that was the first thing that sparked my interest in the industry. I thought, I like construction and I like seeing the beginning and the end of the project.

I’m quite visual and I like seeing the life cycle of how a project unfolds. Plus, I’m a bit of a history geek, so I wanted to go into more conservation, and do up old properties, but found a love for the industry I am in now.

How did you get into the construction industry?

I started off as a roofing and cladding estimator and I went to university one day each week to study construction management. We had a workplace module, but the company I was working for went into liquidation, so we all lost our jobs.

I was really struggling to find something four days a week because it wasn’t that flexible back then. I was lucky to get an introduction to someone who owned an asbestos company and I got the job there and then.

I was project coordinator in the asbestos industry before moving to another company to be operations manager there. I was made redundant whilst pregnant with my first child, I worked as a temp with another asbestos company for 2 months before maternity leave. I ended up working there for nearly three years, working my way up the ladder and it was there that I started doing health and safety, compliance, and accreditations.

What brought you to Acorn Safety Services?

I’d just had my second child and I wanted to go back to work 30 hours a week to begin with, but the company I worked for at the time said I couldn’t be a manager part time and they would have put me as a reporting admin. Which wasn’t what I was looking for, as yes I am a mum but I also wanted to build and progress my career not take a step backwards.

I met with the Acorn Safety Services directors, Ian Stone, Neil Munroe and Paul Knights to have a chat with them for potential opportunities. Afterwards they offered me the opportunity to head up the safety side of things here.

Have you found construction to be a difficult industry for a woman?

When I was at university, I was the only female on my course but it didn’t really bother me. There were some lessons where there were other women, but they weren’t doing the same course as me, just a couple of the same modules.

It’s very male dominated industry. In my first roofing and cladding job and 2 of the asbestos jobs, all the managers and directors were male.
My previous role there was a female director, myself and all the women really looked up to the female director.  It was empowering to see.

Apart from that I have found it to be a very male dominated industry and sometimes difficult to navigate as a female.

Being a woman in construction and health and safety, there are many times I could have given up and switched career paths, but I am passionate about what I do and am so thankful to have found Acorn Safety Services, a company that believes in me and supports women and mothers and encourages them to reach their full potential.

Why do we need more women in construction?

I would love to see more women in the industry. Women are just as capable of doing the same things as a man and they get stuff done!

At Acorn Safety, we have just appointed a new female operations coordinator and we have a diverse team, which is exactly how it should be.

What are your ambitions for the future?

I just want to grow the company. I’d love to help in its growth and progression.

Personally, I just want to do the best I can so that I can give my children everything that I want them to have. They’re my inspiration to do well.

What would you say to other people who are considering a career in this industry?

Just go for it. You might meet some difficult people along the way, but if you just ignore them, carry on and stay true to yourself.