Maxine Ryder from Birmingham-based company Shelforce has been shortlisted for Woman of the Year at this year’s Women in Housing Awards, which celebrate female leaders, innovators and changemakers, championing the successes of women in the sector.
Maxine is a Production Supervisor at Shelforce, and has worked at the organisation for 15 years. The company specialises in providing high-quality PVC-U windows and fire doors to local authority building projects.
Maxine manages a team of 28, and her main responsibility is the production and dispatch of all the products Shelforce manufacture. However, she also looks after the pastoral care side of the operation and the day-to-day supervision on the shop floor. With 75% of the Shelforce workforce having a disability, she manages and communicates with employees who have different needs, as well as supporting the workforce outside of the factory in their daily lives.
Howard Trotter, Shelforce’s Business Manager, commented on the way she goes above and beyond in her role: “Maxine is an inspiration to everyone here at Shelforce; she demonstrates real leadership and has a personal commitment to supporting the team which is why she excels in the role. She has been in window and door manufacturing all her life, knows every product inside out, and can run work on machines if needed; she gets the best out of every individual and her team are extremely loyal to her, while she is also very highly thought of by customers.
“For Maxine it’s not about her, it’s always about the team and that’s why she’s so good at her job. This recognition is fantastic for her, she is a huge part of our success here at Shelforce and it’s fitting that she has been nominated as she is an outstanding ambassador for women in housing.”
This year’s Women in Housing Awards will be presented to winners in the opening ceremony at Housing 2023, alongside the Housing Heroes Awards, hosted by popular Ten o’clock News anchor Huw Edwards. Housing 2023 is Europe’s largest housing festival and will take place at Manchester Central from June 27-29th.
