Mother making a 造幣局 from her all-male team of plumbers (Just don't call her ‘love’!)

• e-mail

Anne Timpany is not what you’d 推定する／予想する of a woman who 設立するd and now runs a multi-million 続けざまに猛撃する plumbing company ― if you’d 推定する／予想する anything; there are few precedents, after all.

Tall, blonde and glamorous in her high heels, she has three children under the age of seven and 辞退するs to work past 7pm for the sake of her marriage.

Oh, and she has a degree in English literature and theatre.

And yet, at 39, she runs a team of 70 plumbers, all male, working on some of the highest-profile buildings in the City of London ― from the Leadenhall Street Building known as the Cheesegrater to the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ 超高層ビル.

Of all the mumpreneurs featured in the Mail’s （選挙などの）運動をする to encourage and 奮起させる women into 商売／仕事, in 協会 with the NatWest Everywoman Awards, it’s Anne who has most 首尾よく 粉砕するd 障壁s into the most male-支配するd of worlds.

Anne Timpany, 39, (pictured) 明らかにする／漏らすd the challenges of running her?multi-million 続けざまに猛撃する plumbing company On Tap Plumbers as a mother-of three

‘I was introduced to a new member of our team on-場所／位置 a few months ago,’ she says. ‘I held out my 手渡す and he said: “How you doing, love?” ’ She raises her eyebrows in amusement.

‘To be fair, I’m not sure he knew 正確に／まさに who I was, but there was a sharp intake of breath from the others nearby, who told him after I’d gone.’

Did he apologise for calling the woman who paid his 給料 ‘love’? ‘No, but when I saw him the next day he was very polite indeed.’

The old wolf-whistling 建設業者 stereotype wouldn’t last long in her office. ‘Oh no, wolf-whistling doesn’t happen on big 商業の 場所／位置s any more,’ she says, horrified. ‘Wolf-whistling would see a man thrown off 場所／位置 pretty quickly. 権利 from the start we’ve 手配中の，お尋ね者 to change the image of the 産業 and make it more diverse.’

Anne’s 見通し was always ambitious, but her 会社／堅い, On Tap Plumbers, began modestly ― over a 瓶／封じ込める of Rioja in a restaurant in North London, where she then lived. It was 2010 and she had been made redundant from a marketing 職業. Her husband, Raff, a plumber, was itching to leave the 会社／堅い he worked for and go out on his own.

They decided to 始める，決める up a 国内の plumbing 商売／仕事, 控訴，上告ing 特に to 女性（の） 顧客s, with Anne in 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金.

‘It’s women who choose new bathrooms and （犯罪の）一味 when the boiler breaks 負かす／撃墜する, not men,’ she explains.

Months after that meal, however, life became more 複雑にするd when Anne 設立する herself 妊娠している with their first son, Charlie, followed, 12 months later, by Roko. ‘My husband was out all day, evenings, too, running around other people’s houses, while I was managing the 商売／仕事 whenever the boys slept. It was exhausting.’

Anne's (pictured) husband believes 存在 a woman in the plumbing 産業 has advantages. He （人命などを）奪う，主張するs men are more likely to 受託する an 招待 from Anne than him on LinkedIn

The 解答 lay in the City, where construction was starting to にわか景気 地位，任命する-後退，不況. ‘I 手配中の，お尋ね者 Raff 支援する here at 5pm on a Friday,’ says Anne, ‘and that meant changing from 国内の work, with its constant call-outs, to 商業の instead.’

It was a smart move: by the time Anne had her third baby boy, Hunter, in 2014, the 商売／仕事 was 拡大するing 速く ― from a team of five plumbers, they’ve 二塁打d in size every year since.

It took her a while to feel comfortable on those building 場所／位置s, though.

‘I think I 苦しむd from impostor syndrome for a while,’ she says, referring to the psychological 条件 in which people, often women, assume others will see through their 信任状.

‘I stayed in the office a lot in those 早期に days. It can feel やめる 脅迫してさせるing, walking through a construction 場所／位置 where 400 tradesmen are working. But in some ways 存在 a woman is an advantage. My husband would say, for example, that men in construction are more likely to 受託する an 招待 from me on [professional 網状組織ing 場所／位置] LinkedIn than one from him.’

She’s sure some in the wider 産業 call her ‘bossy’, the put-負かす／撃墜する reserved for women leaders ― never men. ‘I grew up in New Zealand with three brothers and a dad who was an entrepreneur. I learned to be やめる blunt and straightforward. People might say with some justification that I’m harder [in 交渉s] than my husband.’

There is no 十分な-time nanny at home, but instead an after-school childminder for the boys, now seven, six and four, 加える an equal 株ing of school 減少（する）-offs and housekeeping 義務s with her husband. ‘Women think they can’t have it all ― run a 商売／仕事 and have a family ― but you can if you structure it carefully.

‘What you can’t do is run a 商売／仕事 and do 100 per cent of the work around the kids and the house at the same time.’

Many of her plumbers are young dads, too, who いつかs need late starts for school 議会s. And that’s 罰金 with Anne. ‘My husband does it, so why not other men?’ she says.

Anne (pictured wearing: 最高の，を越す, £65, culottes, £145, both libbylondon.com Heels, £195, lkbennett.com) received the?NatWest Everywoman Athena Award for a woman running a 商売／仕事 貿易（する）ing between six and nine years last year

And what about making plumbing more 控訴，上告ing to women? ‘We’ve had several women plumbers over the years,’ she says. ‘On the 商業の 味方する, it’s not such physical work.’

Last year, Anne received the NatWest Everywoman Athena Award for a woman running a 商売／仕事 貿易（する）ing between six and nine years. ‘I was shocked to 勝利，勝つ, but it’s given me more 信用／信任. And it’s raised my profile ーに関して／ーの点でs of 助言者ing other women.’

支援する home in St Albans, Herts, she is again surrounded by boys. Will they be plumbers? ‘They want to be 宇宙飛行士s and footballers, but I’m always 説 to Raff, give them the 大打撃を与える or spanner!’

I’m guessing she has an amazing にわか雨 room. ‘I love 内部の design,’ she says. ‘My house is all 黒人／ボイコット and white and yellow, with a beautiful stainless steel kitchen and retro hanging 泡 議長，司会を務めるs. Everyone calls it the party house.’

A construction 産業 boss who loves theatre, fashion and designer furniture? If anyone can change the image of plumbing, it is Anne Timpany.