Women in Construction Week 2026
We’re sharing this piece during Women in Construction Week – a time to celebrate the women shaping the industry and challenge outdated perceptions about who belongs in construction.
At Risby, women play a fundamental part of the team. From Amanda, Jemima and Carol guiding buyers through one of life’s biggest decisions, to Amy coordinating everything behind the scenes and Jo & Sally designing our show homes. Housebuilding might still be a male-heavy industry, but at Risby, the women on our team shape how our homes look, feel and are experienced. And you can see it in every detail.
Construction isn’t just about building sites and hard hats – it’s about creating homes and communities people love. And that takes every kind of skill, perspective and experience.
There’s a perception that stress is just part of the package when you’re buying a home.
Overwhelming paperwork, confusing jargon, pressure to make quick decisions and that gnawing feeling you’re being pushed towards something that isn’t quite right – it’s become so normalised that people brace themselves for it before they even pick up the phone.
At Risby, we think that’s completely unnecessary. And it’s absolutely the opposite to how we want our customers to feel when they’re looking for and ultimately buying their new home.
In fact, what we hear time and time again from our customers is something very different. Words like calm, supported, reassured and in the know come up again and again when they tell us (and others) about their experience of buying one of our homes. And that experience doesn’t happen by accident – it comes down to how we approach the process and a fundamental belief that there’s a better way to do this.
At the heart of that experience is the Risby Homes sales team.
Three generations, one shared approach
Risby’s sales team spans three generations, each bringing their own life experience, perspective and understanding to the role. It’s not just variety for variety’s sake – it means that whatever stage of life you’re at, someone on the team genuinely understands what you’re going through.
Amanda joined Risby for the homes and stayed for the people.
Amanda understands the balancing act of modern life, navigating family needs, financial decisions, long-term thinking and the weight of making a choice that affects everyone under your roof. Her experience allows her to translate complex processes into clear, manageable steps without anyone feeling patronised or overwhelmed.
“I was initially attracted by the quality of the homes,” she says, “but once I learned more about the company’s story and the people behind it, I knew I wanted to be part of it.”
Ask Amanda what surprises buyers most about the Risby experience and she’ll tell you it’s how straightforward it all is. “We make the buying process as stress-free as we possibly can. We’re accurate with our dates and timescales, we guide customers through each stage and we work closely with estate agents and solicitors to make sure everyone’s moving in the same direction. Pressure is not in our vocabulary.”
It’s that attention to detail – the same care that goes into the homes themselves – that Amanda loves most about working at Risby. “The amount of thought that goes into our homes, both externally and internally, is incredible. Every detail is so well considered.”
And if Amanda had her pick of any Risby home? “I’d be more than happy with our smallest design, The Ivy. Two bedrooms and it includes the same luxury features as our largest designs. Perfect for me.”
Jemima has a soft spot for first-time buyers and a bit of gentle advice for them too.
Jemima represents a younger generation of buyers and professionals. She brings fresh energy, clarity and a deep understanding of how daunting the process can feel when you’re earlier in life or making a big financial decision for the first time.
“First-time buyers can get so focused on the dream – the kitchen upgrades, the extra bedroom, making it look perfect from day one – that they don’t always consider the practical side,” she explains. “Things like solicitor fees, running costs, maintenance. Sometimes they’ll stretch the budget to get everything they want now, without thinking about how much it costs to heat a bigger house or what that leaves them with for life outside the front door.”
Once people do choose Risby, Jemima says they’re often taken aback by what they get.
“Our quality and specification compared to the competition surprises people. The level of consideration that goes into finishing our homes. And honestly? How laid-back we are. This doesn’t have to be stressful.”
As for Jemima’s own Risby dream home? That’s easy.
“The Sage. The open-plan kitchen and dayroom with that big lightbox opening into the garden – it’s perfect. The right size for two people without rattling around in rooms you don’t use, but with all the lovely features you’d actually want: a big double main bedroom with en-suite, a generous lounge with the bay window, a kitchen big enough for an island, the dayroom and a utility for function.”
What Jemima loves most, though, is seeing how different every home becomes. “I love how considered the layouts are for every walk of life and how differently everyone makes their house along the way. It’s true, no two are the same.”
Carol comes from a building family, so this world is in her blood.
Carol brings decades of lived experience, empathy and a deep understanding of life transitions. She instinctively knows that moving home isn’t always about “upgrading” – it can be about downsizing, letting go or starting a new chapter after many years in one place.
She started working with an estate agency in 2001, moved into new build homes shortly after and has spent around 25 years in the industry. That kind of experience shows when it matters most.
She recalls one couple who’d reserved a plot but lost their buyer – a situation that could easily have derailed everything. “I managed to swap them to a different plot that was at a stage where part exchange was possible. In monetary terms, they had slightly more to pay but the plot had upgrades they didn’t have to pay for, so it all balanced out.”
It’s the kind of problem-solving that only comes from really understanding how the pieces fit together and knowing when to act.
What Carol loves most about Risby is the quality and individuality of the homes and the fact that it’s still a family concern. “That makes a difference to how we work.”
And if she were buying a Risby home herself? “It would have to be The Clover. Lots of family space, an integral garage and a back door from the utility, not to mention the large second bedroom. It ticks all the boxes.”
While they each bring something different to the table, what unites the team is a shared belief: every buyer is different and every story matters.
Working with people,
not pushing them through a process
One of the most consistent things customers tell us is that they expected to feel more stressed and were genuinely surprised when they didn’t.
At Risby, the sales team doesn’t work on customers, they work with them. And that’s not just a nice turn of phrase, it’s the way we are.
That means taking the time to understand why someone is moving, not just what they’re looking to buy. It means recognising that people come to view homes at very different moments in their lives – sometimes joyful, sometimes difficult, often brave.
A first-time buyer stretching to get on the ladder has completely different needs and anxieties than empty nesters downsizing after 40 years in the family home or a couple relocating without local connections and wondering if they’ll fit in.
It also means accepting that the right home isn’t always available straight away.
Rather than pushing people towards something that isn’t quite right, the team is known for nurturing relationships early, keeping in touch and thinking ahead when it comes to finding the ideal home for a customer.
For some buyers, it’s all about location, whereas for others, the focus is on the perfect property, often following the team from one development to another as they wait for the home they’ve been dreaming of to be built. Some stay in contact through email, others pop in for a coffee when they’re passing and when the right home finally comes up, the relationship is already there.
That patience builds trust. And trust changes the entire experience. Which is great for customers and the Risby Homes team.
Making the complex feel simple
Buying a home involves legal processes, timelines, decisions and terminology that can quickly feel overwhelming, particularly if it’s your first time or if you haven’t moved in decades. One of the sales team’s most important roles is helping buyers feel informed, not confused.
It’s the difference between someone nodding along while internally panicking and someone who actually understands what’s happening and feels confident about it.
Customers regularly say they feel “in the know” throughout their journey, never wondering what’s happening next, never feeling embarrassed to ask questions (even the ones they think they should already know) and never left chasing updates or feeling like they’ve been forgotten about.
The Risby extras process: expert advice, no pressure
Here’s something we do differently: when it comes to personalising your home, Risby sends you out to talk to the experts.
Not just a catalogue of options or a list of upgrade packages. Actual specialists – kitchen designers, tile merchants, flooring experts – who know their craft inside out and can help you make the right choices for how you actually live.
“We work with three brilliant suppliers who are experts in their fields,” explains Jemima. “We send our customers to them to get proper advice on how to make their vision a reality. It’s not about upselling, it’s about helping people understand what’s possible, what works in the space they have and what they’ll actually love living with.”
It’s a process built on trust. Trust that the right guidance will lead to better decisions and that giving buyers time and space to think, rather than pushing for a quick yes, results in homes people are genuinely proud of.
“It’s not a common approach in the industry,” Jemima adds. “But we’d rather our customers get the best possible advice, even if it takes a bit longer. It’s an unusual approach but one we believe in.”
At Risby, it’s treated as what it should be: your home, your choices, done right.
It’s this clarity, paired with genuine care, that turns what many people expect to be stressful into something far calmer and more enjoyable.
When you call, you get us – not a call centre or head office
Here’s something that sets Risby apart in a way that might not seem obvious at first but matters enormously: when you call after you’ve moved in, you’re often speaking to the same people you already know.
There’s no handover to a faceless customer service department. No one scrolling through a database trying to piece together who you are or what stage you’re at. No being passed around between people who’ve never heard your name before.
The relationships don’t end at completion. If something needs addressing, you’ve got a question about how something works or you just want to check in about a detail you’ve forgotten, you’re speaking to the same people who guided you through the buying process in the first place.
That continuity matters. It means nothing gets lost, nothing needs repeating and you’re never starting from scratch with someone new.
When doing the right thing matters most
Because Risby is a private, independent company, decisions can be made with care and flexibility. When chains fall through at the last minute, when a buyer needs more time, when something isn’t quite “by the book,” the response is flexible and human.
This flexibility isn’t about being soft or unprofessional but we recognise that life is complicated and sometimes the right decision isn’t the one that’s easiest or most profitable in the short term.
We care about our customers and building trust and reputation that lasts decades, not just closing a sale.
Why this matters to the way Risby builds homes
Our sales team’s approach isn’t separate from how we build homes. It’s the same philosophy, just expressed differently.
When buyers ask why their Risby home feels different – why it has integrity, why nothing important has been stripped out to hit a margin, why it feels like a place they can genuinely settle into for the long term – the answer often starts long before the first brick was laid. It starts in their first conversation with the sales team.
The patience, listening and understanding that everyone’s story is different and the refusal to rush or pressure is how the entire company operates. From the luxury specification that comes as standard to aftercare that’s dealt with swiftly, everything is built around the same belief: quality, integrity and people come first.
Just as Risby builds homes designed for long-term living rather than short-term margins, the buying experience is designed to feel considered and human, not transactional.
A calmer way forward
In an industry where buying new can sometimes feel impersonal, Risby does things differently.
Buying a home doesn’t have to feel chaotic and it doesn’t have to mean compromising on the personal touch just because you’re buying new.
With the right people guiding you – people who understand that moving house can be one of the biggest, bravest, most significant decisions you make – it can feel supportive, calm and even enjoyable.
For the Risby sales team, success isn’t measured by how quickly someone buys. It’s measured by how confident and comfortable they feel along the way and whether they’d recommend the experience to someone they care about.
And that’s something that comes from experience, empathy and a genuine belief that homes – and the people who live in them – deserve care, quality and exceptional service.
Because buying a new home doesn’t need to be stressful.
It just needs to be Risby.