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The 2021 National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Awards for Excellence were held at Sydney’s ICC last night.

Warm Congratulations go to Robert Co’s Stephen Surjan on winning this important new NAWIC Award category.

The NAWIC Awards celebrate the contributions made by women at all career levels and in all sectors of the construction industry. 2021 is the first year to see an award category added to acknowledge a male champion of change for accelerating and advancing the interests of women in the industry.

Commenting on the Male Champion category, George Bardas said: “Gender equity is critical to the performance, growth, and wellbeing of Australia’s workforce. At Taylor, we’re committed to raising awareness of the challenges women face in our industry, taking positive action to redress the balance, and celebrating the multi-talented women breaking new ground in property and construction. I am honoured to be a part of a committed and supportive male champion cohort within our industry.”

As an advocate for women in construction, George has spent his 30-year career working to better the representation of women at all levels. He has not only mentored and advocated for women, from cadets to senior executives, he has gained thoughtful and original insights from his mentees in return.

As an Adjunct Fellow of Built Environment & Construction Management at Western Sydney University, George worked with the University to design and implement a new Bachelor of Building Design Management Program (BBDM). This course aims to increase the diversity of the student intake to construction and building programs and provide an alternative and flexible stream for young professional graduates.

“To attract and retain women in construction, we need to increase interest and engagement with STEM studies, and we need to create a steady flow of work-ready female graduates,” George said.

“I take my responsibilities as a CEO and industry leader very seriously when it comes to gender diversity. Leaders in our industry have a duty to help implement educational programs and workplace strategies to inspire girls and women in STEM and increase access to industry networks for women in construction.”

Looking to the future, George believes that men in construction have a vital role to play in achieving gender equity.

“Real change cannot be brought about without the engagement and contribution of men in our industry.  We’re proud that an increasing number of men have participated in our industry-leading engagement program, Taylor Women in Construction (TWIC). Through TWIC, we work together to strengthen internal and industry connections for all female team members across all levels of the business.

“We will only have succeeded when Awards such as this are no longer needed and gender equity is achieved within all ‘business as usual’ work practices, for all gender identities, across Australia.”

One of Taylor’s four guiding Principles is Diversity. We harness diversity of thought to create innovative solutions for our clients. To support this, we foster a culture of inclusion and equality in the knowledge that doing so provides broader perspectives, better working environments, and stronger business outcomes for everyone.

Taylor is committed to championing diversity and inclusion, and sharing targets to hold the business accountable over time. Taylor targets include:

• Increasing female representation at Taylor to 30% by 2026. (Currently 17%)
• Ensuring over 50% of women at Taylor hold rewarding site-based construction roles.
• Committing to a 50% annual female cadet intake.

Today, over 53% of women at Taylor work in rewarding site-based roles. We’re proud that this measure exceeds the industry average of 33%.

“I have experienced first-hand how the diversity of thought and leadership styles from women entering the construction and property sector has improved and enriched our industry. The attraction and retention of women to one of Australia’s most heavily male-dominated sectors, are certainly issues that require new ways of thinking, and innovative approaches to increasing women’s participation, but we are striving every day at Taylor to try and address this through our targets and initiatives,” said George.

Taylor continues to build engagement with NAWIC, with Jessica Evans appointment to the Board of Directors and this recognition being just the beginning.

Congratulations to George on this acknowledgement of his continuing efforts toward gender equity in construction.

Expanding Taylor’s capacity to deliver large-scale industrial projects, Jerry is responsible for leading our Industrial division’s strategic operations. As our Industrial business unit has grown over the last year, we have remained focused on achieving certainty in delivery and commercial value for our clients. Jerry’s appointment continues this commitment.

Jerry is an established and well-respected leader in the development and construction industry with over 20 years’ experience in delivering complex, cutting-edge industrial facilities. Prior to joining Taylor, Jerry worked for Hansen Yuncken and Walker Corporation. He has demonstrated excellence in delivery across a diverse client base including; Qube, Goodman, Dexus, ESR, Frasers, Aliro, Property Link, Altis, AMP, Stockland, Wesfarmers, Mirvac.

In line with our culture, Jerry places a priority on sustainable practices in construction and ensuring a Zero Harm approach to Work Health, Safety and Environment. He has a background in design and a track record of applying innovative solutions and value management principles to achieving a project’s vision. His strong commercial capabilities give Jerry the edge to consistently achieve client and project satisfaction by delivering effective commercial outcomes for all parties.

As one of NSW’s leading construction delivery partners, Taylor provides construction services across all sectors and delivers a diverse range of projects across all forms of delivery models. Our dedicated Industrial division has significant experience in the delivery of logistics park and industrial facility projects, having delivered major projects for some of Australia’s leading Real Estate Investment Trusts including Stockland, GPT, Charter Hall, Goodman, and Fife Capital.

We work closely with our clients, supporting them through the due diligence period on new sites. Along with pre-lease cost planning and design advice, we also facilitate any DA and authority approvals required to enable the construction of a project.

Jerry’s appointment will ensure Taylor continues in our vision to be a reliable, first-choice partner to our clients.

George Bardas
Chief Executive Officer

On Friday six of our Taylor sites hosted BBQs to support the Property Industry Foundation’s Hard Hat Day and raise funds for homeless youth. Teams got together to enjoy a hearty lunch collectively raising more than $18,000 towards this great cause.

Thank you to all the companies and individuals who pledged donations to our page. Taylor would also like to thank our incredible site teams and partners, each BBQ would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors.

Goodman and Taylor | Australia welcomed Leslie McLeod, a Yuin, Dharawal and Ngarigo custodian and loreman and Daniel Ella, a Yuin, Dharawal loreman and firekeeper to perform the smoking ceremony at Proximity@Botany, in which the site and team were smoked and cleansed, and a perimeter walk was conducted to protect the site. Afterwards the team enjoyed a delicious Koori Fusion experience with Jo from Goanna Hut . Thank you for a reflective and rewarding morning for all involved.

Proximity@Botany is a brand new 5.7 hectare industrial development offering modern warehouse and office spaces in the heart of Banksmeadow. The facility comprises 31,000sqm of high-quality space with the flexibility to split into smaller units from 3,000sqm. Other key features include on-grade and recessed docks, 45m heavy duty hardstand, solar PV array for each tenancy, ESFR sprinklers, LED lighting and 15m wide awning for all-weather loading.

Minister for Water, Property, and Housing, The Hon. Melinda Pavey MP, joined the event to announce the $16 million social housing development that will be delivered by Taylor.  This new development will deliver more than 40 social housing homes as part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to social housing in Western Sydney. Due for completion in the second half of 2022, Team Taylor looks forward to delivering this high-quality project that will provide 65 people in need with a place to call home. 

Stockland CEO Tarun Gupta was joined by the Hon. Victor Dominello MP, NSW Minister for Digital and Customer Service for a tour of the flagship technology and life sciences precinct.

Team Taylor is excited to deliver this important project for the community that is designed to bring people together in a flexible space, designed around the principles of Collaboration and Wellbeing.

NAWIC advocates for an equitable construction industry where women fully participate. Jessica’s national appointment is a natural progression from her commitment to NAWIC and women in construction at State level. 

Taylor looks forward to building our engagement with NAWIC and supporting Jess in her new role as we move into 2022.

Team Taylor is looking forward to delivering the new 6 Star Green Star logistics and warehouse facility representing world-leading sustainable development for tenant, Bunzl Australia & New Zealand.

 Works involve the complete design and construction of a new 21,300sqm warehouse, 1400sqm two level office, 240sqm two level dock office, 480sqm battery charge room and external areas including retaining walls, hardstand and car parking areas.

The young people living here will be safe and feel empowered to learn life skills, study and know that their development means something for themselves and the many in the industry who want to give them a helping hand.

The house will be specifically focused on the unique and cultural needs of vulnerable Aboriginal youth, who are over-represented in the out-of-home care system. Stepping Stone House is committed to being inclusive and supportive of Aboriginal Australians and Taylor was honoured to be part of this initiative.