The Building Podcast with Mark Wakeford
Mark Wakeford is a Director of the National Federation of Builders, Strategy Director of the Global Solar Council and Chair of the West Midlands Solar Taskforce. He has run a large regional building contractor and now chairs Evoenergy, one of the UK's foremost renewable companies, bringing low carbon solutions to corporate Britain.
Mark talks to leading experts from across the construction sector to discuss issues facing the built environment. He explores various challenges with his guests, who offer solutions, information and ideas that listeners can apply to their own situations, be it in a company, on a project or studying at college.
The Building Podcast aims to provide 'CPD on the go'. Supporting the sector with easily digestible ideas to support a rapidly changing industry!
The Building Podcast with Mark Wakeford
Protecting Your Greatest Asset: Why Safeguarding matters to us all
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Companies often state that people are their biggest and most important asset. The UK construction industry has the highest suicide rate of any sector, so we might argue that we are not looking after this asset at all well. Couple this with our high percentage of neuro- diverse employees and the latest statute, the Employments Rights Act 2025, employers must raise the priority of safeguarding within their organisations, regardless of size.
Xara Church is the Global Safeguarding Lead for the Halo Trust, a charity that works worldwide to reduce the impact of war on local communities. She has worked for Oxfam and a large UK construction consultant. She understands the importance of proper safeguards and reporting structures in supporting staff, making organisations more effective and protecting reputation. Her appreciation of 1990s pop group Bananarama “It ain’t what you do, but the way that you do it” informs her approach to driving cultural change through out the Halo Trust.
Listen to Xara on the relevance of safeguarding to all organisations. Hear how important it is to support both the depth of safeguarding within an organisation, but also the breadth, looking at supply chain and external stakeholders, if you want to get the benefits and manage the institutional risks. Xara explores how to treat survivors / victims and to put in place reporting structures and their management for effective controls. Xara also talks to the values of the Halo Trust and how they are strictly applied across the world in different cultures and different settings.
Listen to this podcast to understand the best-in-class practices around safeguarding and the benefits of getting this right. Also listen if you want to support the Halo Trust and would like to know how!
Clearing mines, helping countries recover | The HALO Trust