Wednesday 10 of April 2024
In April, we held our Women in Construction Annual Networking Event at The Cumberland Arms Hotel, which centred around the theme ‘Creating Cultural Change in the Construction Industry’.
It was brilliant to see around 150 attendees come together to celebrate the wonderful women who are a critical part of the businesses they work for within the South Australian building and construction industry. What’s more, it was fantastic to see so many men supporting the event!
The event began with Andrew O’Connor, President of the Specialist Contractors Association, giving the welcoming address, outlining some of the important work the association has been involved with, and introducing the keynote speaker, Christina Coleiro, Associate Director of Major Projects, Facilities Management at the University of South Australia.
Christina Coleiro, as the keynote speaker, gave an excellent presentation, with three key takings, in line with the event’s theme:
1. Consider the qualifications and values of your potential team members when creating a team.
2. Examine the lasting impact of the project you are undertaking (not just profit).
3. In a team, there is no saying ‘I have a problem,’ instead it is ‘we have a problem.’
The panel session then followed, featuring Christina Coleiro, Emma Clark from Built., Irma Beganovic from NECA Group, and Emily Wilson, from NSG Boffa. They prompted all attendees to consider the barriers facing women in the construction industry, such as sexism on site, maternity leave, and health issues like endometriosis.
Special thanks goes to our brilliant sponsors: Australian Gas Networks (AGN)/Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), Fergus, Lynch Meyer Lawyers, MEGT (Australia) Ltd, NECA Careers & Apprenticeships (NCA), O’Connors, and PEER.
A huge thank you to all attendees – it was a fantastic turnout and we hope you all enjoyed yourselves!
