Construction awards honour groundbreaking women

On August 16 at Melbourne's MCG, the spotlight was firmly on women when the 13 th annual National Association of Women in Construction, presented its annual awards.

They honoured the achievements of an inspiring group of women, helping to transform the male-dominated world of construction, and at the same time improve the way our communities approach everything from building freeways to managing fragile wetlands.

The NAWIC Awards recognise the achievements of women excelling in the fields of design, environmental sustainability, trades, study, development, delivery and young achievement. The Crystal Vision Award honours a company making an outstanding contribution to the industry with its efforts on behalf of women.

This year's winners include: a company pioneering flexible working arrangements that are attracting and retaining growing numbers of talented women; a businesswoman who salvaged an ailing construction company that's now thriving and offering opportunities to students with real potential; a maths and science whiz who worked alongside school children to create a rain garden that transformed Federation Square on World Environment Day; and a quantity surveyor originally from Zimbabwe who has overcome political turmoil and gender expectations on two continents to establish a thriving career in Australia.

NAWIC's Victorian/Tasmania Chapter President, Kristin Lynch, a Project Manager with Johnstaff Projects, says the awards celebrate women's achievements while connecting them with peers facing similar challenges. “Women still comprise just 13% of the construction industry, so it's important for them to be supported, mentored and recognised by like-minded people who share a commitment to seeing female representation in the industry grow,” she says.

A profile of winners in each category follows.

2008 NAWIC AWARD WINNERS

City of Melbourne Crystal Vision Award for Advancing the Interests of Womenin the Construction Industry:

SEA Region WiC, Sinclair Knight Merz

Alison McKechnie, principal architect and practice leader at multidisciplinary engineering, sciences and project delivery firm Sinclair Knight Merz, says her company's commitment to encouraging the participation of women in a huge variety of roles at all levels throughout the company has achieved some remarkable results over the past three years, including better staff retention, more mentoring and networking opportunities and, crucially, more flexible working arrangements designed specifically to meet women's changing needs.

“There's more awareness now that senior staff can, for example, come back from maternity leave and work three days a week, achieving just as much as they did before,” she says. “And we're staying in touch with people more while they're on sabbaticals, or out consulting or on maternity leave, so they know what's going on in here and continue to feel connected to the place, which makes their eventual return so much easier.”

Hansen Yuncken Award for Outstanding Achievement in Construction:

Melissa Gesos, Hansen Yuncken

Melissa Gesos from Hampton is a design and cost coordinator at construction company Hansen Yuncken in Burwood, Melbourne. Before earning her BA of applied science in construction management, Gesos worked for seven years behind the trade desk at hardware giant Bunnings.

She says the job helped expose her to the world of residential construction and discover a love of problem solving that has proved handy in her full time career. “I'm quite a technical person and I love problem solving,” she says. “The construction industry was booming and I saw it as a passport to interesting work not just in Melbourne but overseas.

The variety of day-to-day issues you're confronted with is just amazing - no two jobs are the same – and you need to find answers to problems quickly so as not to delay the job.” Gesos isn't perturbed about being outnumbered by men, especially on site. “You get the same respect as men if you're hardworking, capable and have some competitive flair,” she says.

Thiess Award for Outstanding Achievement in Delivery & Development:

Sue Lewis, EastLink

Lewis has worked as project traffic manager on Melbourne's newest freeway, EastLink, for the past three and half years. She led a team of eight engineers and admin staff to develop and implement plans for managing traffic on the bridges and roads around EastLink, to ensure Melburnians continued to travel as smoothly as possibly around the site while it was under construction.

Originally from NSW, Lewis says she fell into the construction industry through her work for local government, which led to roles at the Road Traffic Authority and the Sydney Olympics in 2000, as well as stints on a number of major projects including the Lane Cove Tunnel.

Not surprisingly for someone drawn to road projects, she says she's attracted to the incredible pace of the construction industry. “I love the pace, the fast track stuff, and the unpredictability of the job,” she says. “You never know what issue's going to spring up and bite you and your days are incredibly varied. The six-day weeks have got to go, though!”

Baulderstone Hornibrook Award for Contribution to Environmental Sustainability:

Nina Barich, Connell Wagner

Barich was drawn to a career in engineering through her flair for maths and science at school. But it's her passion for Melbourne's fragile wetlands, and interest in sensitive urban design, that's driven her work on some remarkable projects.

These include an inner city shopping centre that uses recycled storm water to nourish plants, a suburban reserve that's been transformed into a bio retention basin, and a rain garden planted last year at Federation Square with help from Melbourne school children to help celebrate World Environment Day.

“I've been doing this job for eight years now and people are starting to appreciate the value of our water and our environment,” she says. “They're thinking more about what they put down our drains and into our storm water system and our water ways. Part of what I do is helping people think smarter about how they use water.”

Building Commission Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Businesswoman:

Marilyn Howley, Wycombe Construction

Black Rock resident Marilyn Howley came to construction from the hardheaded world of business, where for 15 years she specialised in turning around the fortunes of ailing businesses.

Eight years ago she received an SOS from Wycombe Construction, which had just gone into administration. These days she's CEO of the company and it's booming, in part because of its attitude to spotting and nurturing the talent of young people in general, and women in particular. Out of 50 employees at Wycombe, 15 are women and 10 of these work on-site.

Howley says she gets enormous satisfaction from helping to support young people with potential, in anything from finance to construction management, through working opportunities and valuable on-the-job experience while completing their studies. Her advice to young women considering following in her footsteps? “The glass ceiling is breaking,” she says. “If it's what you want to do, go for it.”

NAWIC Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Student:

Alexandra Belcastro, The University of Melbourne

North Balwyn resident Alexandra Belcastro is a property and construction student at the University of Melbourne, who works part time as a project engineer at Johnstaff Projects.

She completed a stint at industry giant Multiplex before taking on the 25-hour-a-week role at Johnstaff Projects, which she manages on top of 18 hours each week spent at uni. She admits juggling work and study can be challenging but says her job actually gives her an edge, and not just with future employers.

“My course is actually easier because I'm exposed to industry terminology and practises at work,” she says. “I'm only 20 but I've got lots of experience for someone my age. You really have to complement education with experience in this industry.” Her biggest eye-opener so far has been discovering the long hours required on site.

Getting used to being one of just three women on a site of around 450 men was also a challenge but Belcastro says anyone who's cut out for the job finds a way to ease into the situation. “You just get used to it and find your own mechanism for doing that,” she says. “Some people may try to intimidate you but many are very supportive. It's not for everyone, but you soon find that out.”

NAWIC Award to a Young Achiever:

Virginia Mukarakate, Currie & Brown

Mukarakate is a quantity surveyor from Geelong who works with construction firm Currie & Brown in Melbourne. She has worked on a range of iconic buildings including Flinders Street Station, Melbourne University and Docklands as well as the Cardinia Aquatic Centre.

Nominated for a young achiever award in an industry still overwhelmingly populated by men, Mukarakate is no stranger to defying expectations and overcoming obstacles. Originally from Zimbabwe, she says her lifelong interest in construction was initially frowned upon back home. Eventually she won both her parents' support for her plans to study abroad and a place at university in Australia, and she set out alone to pursue her goal.

When political turmoil engulfed Zimbabwe her family fled to the UK and he made the difficult decision to stay, finding part time work to help pay for her education and that of her siblings before landing her current job at Currie and Brown. “My parents could have thrown in the towel when things got tough. But they found a way to make it work so that we all had the chance to pursue an education and follow our dreams,” she says. “I'm the eldest so I felt an obligation to do my very best and carry through on what I said I wanted to do.”