Lydia is a social housing Specification Manager at Marley working with social housing providers and architects

Meet the roofing product expert: Lydia Hunter – Regional Specification Manager Lydia has been with Marley since 2015 and started her role as Regional Specification Manager in 2025. In this position, she supports social housing projects and decarbonisation initiatives where integrated solar roof systems are being considered. A career in construction Having worked within the construction industry since 2009, Lydia has been involved in a variety of projects, ranging from civil engineering and groundworks to acoustic insulation, scaffolding and roofing. “My career has moved from the ground up to the roof, and that experience has given me a better understanding of how all the different elements work together on a project,” she explains. She says she loves having a career in construction, thanks to the variety it offers and the opportunities to make real differences in people’s lives. “I’m currently working with Haig Housing on an amazing project for veterans. As part of that, I attended one of their events in London, with guests including veterans, politicians and business leaders. The next day, I was on site, working with a young apprentice up on the scaffolding, wearing my hard hat. I love that variety – and it’s something that no other sector offers.” Learning and personal development Lydia is progressing through Marley’s internal management training programme and regularly builds on her knowledge through a combination of internal and external training courses. She is open about being dyslexic and speaks positively about the support that Marley has provided throughout her career. She is also dedicated to supporting other women in construction – a sector that has traditionally been male-dominated. “I share a lot of content on social media, encouraging women to take on roles in the construction industry,” she explains. Roofing for social housing When Lydia joined Marley, she spent her first ten years or so as an area sales manager for Manchester. During that time, she developed a specialism in social housing and worked to grow Marley’s presence across the north-west by building long-term relationships with housing providers and contractors. As regional specification manager, Lydia supports the specification strategy across the business, focusing on shaping how Marley engages with the social housing sector and the drive to decarbonise homes. She regularly works with housing providers, consultants, specifiers, and internal teams at Marley to demonstrate how roofing and PV systems can achieve environmental objectives and improve residents’ quality of life. “The work I do goes beyond specifying roofing,” she notes. “I want to understand what problems social housing providers have to deal with and help them find solutions,” she explains. “It could be about securing funding or understanding a new standard, for example. It might not be directly related to Marley and what we do – but different systems can work together to form a long-term plan, and taking a more holistic approach means better outcomes for everyone,” she adds. “It’s a massive learning curve, but it’s also really interesting.” Because of this, educating clients and partners is an important part of her role. She helped develop a masterclass on creating warm homes and decarbonising with solar PV for Turner and Townsend. She also put together solar webinars for the social housing sector, which aimed to demonstrate how solar PV fits into an overall decarbonisation plan. Improving lives through roofing Lydia says that the most rewarding part of her role is seeing the real-world impact of completed projects. “I get real job satisfaction after completing a project,” she says. “I love the whole process of watching something from the beginning – speaking with architects, helping with specifications and following progress as it’s built. And then, when it’s finished, seeing the completed building.” She says that satisfaction is even greater when the project is in the social housing sector. “It might sound strange to say that roofing makes a difference to people’s lives, but it really, truly does,” she explains. “When a project is finished, homes look better, people feel better, and there’s a real sense of pride. Everyone feels lifted by it. “With decarbonisation, I know we’re offering something that will actually benefit the people who need it most. It’s good to genuinely believe we’re doing a good service for them.” ● Interesting fact: Lydia has a degree in theatre and dance. She recognises how different her degree is from her career: “Who would have thought a degree in theatre would lead to a career in construction – but I love it; I would never move out of construction.” ● Favourite joke: I tried to think of a good roofing joke.. but they all went over my head ● If you were a Marley product, which one would you be and why: “If I were giving the answer on Blind Date,” she laughs, “I’d say I’m a JB Red roof batten, because it’s ethically sourced and the most premium product on the market. It’s quality and the wood is slow grown, like how I’ve gained wisdom with age. But I think I’ll say I’d be a Marley Mendip roof tile. That’s because it’s so versatile – it can be used on roof pitches down to 12.5°. It also looks great and works well on refurbishment projects – it’s a good all-rounder.”