Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 at NAWIC NSW’s High Tea & Great Debate

The panellists delved into various approaches that can drive real change, including investing in training and development programs specifically tailored for women to increase the number of women in leadership roles, increased support for flexible work and progressive paid parental leave options, advocacy for top-down organisational change, and the need to attract and retain women in the industry.

As a Supporting Event Sponsor, we would like to thank the panel of industry professionals who participated in the debate:

• Jessica Evans – Relationship Manager, Taylor & National Vice Chair, National Association of Women in Construction
• Shehani Weragama – Project Engineer, MPA
• Dr Matt Stevens – Senior Lecturer, Western Sydney University
• Kristi McLachlan – Infrastructure Director (Eastern Region), Hatch
• Belinda Bentley – Director, 9Springs
• Adrian Dwyer – Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
• Natalie Devlin – Chief Experience Officer, Charter Hall
• Daisy Bryant – Assistant Project Manager, The APP Group

Taylor is committed to fostering a gender-balanced environment and supporting the growth of women in our industry through various internal and external initiatives and partnerships. These initiatives include our Taylor Women in Construction Program, an internal mentoring program, collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse communities through the University of Newcastle, and our KARI Women Breaking Ground Scholarship. Taylor’s commitment is also visible through the active participation of Taylor women on committees in key industry bodies such as NAWIC, the Property Council of Australia, and the Property Industry Foundation.

Through such initiatives, we are not only raising awareness of the challenges women face in construction, but are also taking tangible steps to empower them and celebrate the diversity that drives innovation and excellence in our industry.

At Taylor, we take proactive steps to ensure our workplaces are safe and respectful environments for everyone to thrive, with a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of harassment. We recognise businesses have a vital role to play in creating a country that is free of violence against women and we are proud to be partnering with Our Watch Institute to make meaningful change.

Recent training delivered in our workplace by Our Watch was aimed at empowering our leaders to identify their potential role and influence in leading gender equality. Particularly, it explored how they can promote equality through changes in organisational culture, and how they can create an enabling environment for gender equality.

We acknowledge there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in our industry and we are proud to take proactive steps to drive meaningful change.

Together, we can lead change in our industry. You can join us to take action in your workplace by contacting organisations such as Our Watch Institute here.