Tough - but worth it

Thursday 26th February, 2026

As International Women’s day [March 8] approaches, we meet an inspiring Newham female MD who is bucking the trend in her industry.

At 29, Emily Carter heads up Cornwall Garage Door Centre with her husband, Kieran. “There aren’t many women in the construction industry, and even fewer under 30, so it can be challenging,” she says.

“Customers are often surprised; when people ask to speak to someone senior, for advice or rare complaints, they expect to be directed towards a man. But I’m the MD, top of the chain. Their demeanour sometimes changes when they see me, but I’d rather they told me how it is.”

Cornwall Garage Door Centre has been supplying and installing commercial and domestic garage doors for 40 years. Emily’s parents ran the business for 21 years before she and her husband purchased it in 2021.

“I grew up with it,” says Emily. “By the time I took over the business, I’d been doing it for several years, working from the bottom up and learning.

“I’ve always been driven - I had two jobs at uni, saved and bought a shared ownership house at 19, started a family at 24. I think you have to work for the things you want.”

She describes her mother as “a great role model – she taught me you can do anything”. However, the next generation laid down a few more ground rules.

“My parents would often discuss work over dinner because they found it hard to switch off, but I recognise now that it wasn’t the healthiest habit,” Emily explains. “Our rule is no shop talk at the dinner table; if we do need to discuss work at home, we keep it brief and wait until the kids are in bed so we can enjoy proper family time.”

The couple’s five-year-old son is at school and their two-year-old daughter at nursery. “I’m organised,” says Emily. “You have to make sure everything is in the right place, and have good staff to support you. It means I can work part-time and do school runs.

“I do see other mums who work nine to five and leave work at the office - I can’t always do that. It’s hard, but worth it in the long run.”

It's to her credit, then, that Emily volunteers as vice-chair of the Newham BID board. “It’s great to see so many women taking roles of responsibility in Newham BID - from managers Mel Richardson and now Sian Knights to chair Carole Theobald - and to have that connection,” she says.

The business has operated from Newham for 26 years. “It’s a great little hub,” says Emily. “People come here looking for kitchens, bathrooms, tiles - we’ll always recommend businesses on the estate and keep our own business here too. It’s a one-stop shop and we love it here.”