Celebrating International Women’s Day

The untapped power of welcoming more women into the construction industry

On the 8 March every year, people from around the globe celebrate International Women’s Day to showcase the gleaming achievements of women across all industries and walks of life. But what this day also represents is a marker – a day to take the pulse on the overall movement towards equality and pinpoint the gaps where there is still work to be done.  

According to the Workplace and Gender Equality Agency, only 11.7% of the total workforce within the construction industry are made up of women. Sadly, this figure is unsurprising with many quick to acknowledge construction as a male dominated field. 

What is stopping women from entering the construction industry? 

  1. Unconscious Gender Bias 

There are various factors that have contributed over the years to such a wide gender gap in the industry – the greatest of which is likely unconscious gender bias. However, through appropriate recruitment practices, discrimination policies and training, it can be eliminated. 

If we look back, gender bias hasn’t always been present. Take the 1940s – women took over traditionally male dominated roles, such as construction, during the war to support society and the economy.  

  1. Lack of representation 

With such little representation of females across construction, and even less so in leadership roles, many women may not even consider joining the industry. Representation helps to build inclusivity and perception and helps to reinforce their potential to contribute and achieve career goals. 

In speaking with Streetbuild Quantity Surveyor, Catherin O’Sullivan, her experience showcased the lack of representation. 

“When I started in the early 2000’s in New Zealand, out of my initial class of 20 women, only 3 finished the diploma in Quantity Surveying and as far as I know, I am the only one still in the industry.  Working in the Tier 1 company in New Zealand, they didn’t have any other female Quantity Surveyors.  It wasn’t until I moved to Australia 10 years ago that I had the opportunity to work with other women.”

Catherin O’Sullivan
  1. Inadequate education & resources 

According to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources in 2019, women made up less than a quarter (22%) of all Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related enrolments. 

With lingering gender bias and a lack of representation among these related fields, the only way forward is to provide additional education and resources to support and encourage the women in the construction community to grow and prosper. There are a number of organisations such as the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and Women in Construction that are paving the way by empowering and championing women in the construction industry, but there is still a significant way to go to achieve the vision of equity. 

How can the construction industry benefit from welcoming more women into its workforce? 

  1. Wider talent pool 

Women make up 47.4% of the workforce across Australia. It’s clear that the industry has work to do, but more importantly, there are many opportunities to tap into. With the construction industry predicted to grow by 10% by 2025 to employ over 1.2 million people, having a wider pool of talent that reflects the current society we live in will benefit the industry. 

  1. Increase innovation and teamwork 

Having a mix of different people with varying perspectives, experiences and approaches often sparks debate and allows for a deeper examination. Rather than always falling on “this is the way it’s always been done” this environment of challenging the status quo enables greater creativity and innovation.  

It’s not just the project and clients that benefit from diversified teamwork. Streetbuild’s Marketing Coordinator, Genevieve Hiscox identifies the impact it has on personal skill building. 

“Being able to work in a large, diverse team is a skill that can be applied to all kinds of relationships – inside and outside of the workplace. Nothing is built on the efforts of one person alone and working in a team to achieve a single goal is one of the best parts of work.”

Genevieve Hiscox
  1. Greater profitability

The numbers don’t lie. A McKinsey study ‘Why Diversity Matters’, revealed that diverse companies achieved 19% higher revenue due to greater innovation. The same study also uncovered that companies with gender-diverse leadership teams were 15% more likely to achieve above-average profitability than companies with less diversity. 

With employment opportunities expanding across the industry over the coming years, now is the time to tap into the power of encouraging more women into the construction industry workforce. 

We all have our part to play in closing the gender gap. At Streetbuild, our Head Office team is made up of a 20:80 female to male ratio. Today, we stand together to celebrate International Women’s Day and all the women that we are so grateful to have on our team.

“Streetbuild always warmly welcomes female construction professionals into our business. The women we have in our organisation are capable, competent and demonstrate great leadership and teamwork which lifts everyone’s performance. Streetbuild embraces diversity and aims to reflect the broader community in the makeup of our workforce.

Graeme Street

We are passionate about developing our team members and offer direct access to mentoring from our senior and executive management. 

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities within the construction industry, please contact us at careers@streetbuild.com.

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Woolworths Wollongong eCOMM Expansion

To keep up with ever evolving retail customer needs, Woolworths Group partnered with Streetbuild to erect a new online shopping collection point. The project featured Australia’s first fabric awning, as well as modifications to the loading dock and back of house area to ensure the smooth processing of this new service.

Julie Smith

Chief Financial Officer

Julie is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience advising business. With a background in professional services, Julie has worked with businesses across a variety of industries at every stage of business to consult on their future plans, execute new ideas and develop strategies that drive business growth.

Her main area of focus is applying data analytics to get behind the numbers and provide insight to help our business and clients. In her role at Streetbuild, Julie enjoys working with colleagues across all areas of the business to assist in delivering for our clients.

Herman Monserrat

Financa & Administration Manager

As a qualified Accountant with 13 years’ experience across a large number of organisations and industries, Herman manages the Finance and Administration function at Streetbuild.

His strengths lie in project cost management, financial management, forecasting and reporting and his meticulous work ethic and financial management mastery make him an invaluable asset to the Streetbuild team.

Rimon Ayoub

Chief Estimator

With over 18 years of commercial construction experience, Rimon joined the Streetbuild team back in 2019.

Managing the national Estimating team, Rimon is responsible for the coordination and collation of tender packages for client submission, project cost management and monitoring the project budget. He works alongside key stakeholders to ensure the delivery of all projects meet cost, quality, time, and client objectives.

Working with the State Managers and Directors, Rimon ensures that company targets and objectives are met at every level.

Cameron Morrison

State Manager – W.A

As State Manager, Cameron has established Streetbuild’s WA presence and manages the day-to-day resource and project management of all projects on the west coast. This has enabled the Streetbuild brand to continue to gain traction and expand the business nationally.

Having built extensive knowledge of the construction industry across a 20+ years career, he prides himself on his ability to establish and maintain long term secure relationships with clients, contractors, and staff to build loyalty, communication and trust.

Steve Winchester

State Manager – QLD

As a highly motivated, goal orientated, and process driven leader, Steve’s focus is on driving collaboration within project teams to achieve optimum project outcomes for each and every client.

Managing the Queensland construction team as State Manager, Steve instils his acute attention to detail, quality and safety into each team member. This has resulted in an unwavering track record of successful commercial, retail, industrial and residential construction and refurbishment projects.

Tim Gagen

Managing Director

“Backed by over 20 years in the building industry, Tim now leads Streetbuild’s team of experts in the design and construction of all projects. Testament to the strong relationships he has established with satisfied clients, architects, external project managers and sub-contractors, Tim is a highly respected figure in the industry.

A proven leader, Tim’s success lies in his ‘hands-on’ management approach. This allows him to not only guarantee the highest levels of workmanship and materials for each project, but also ensures the best experience for each client through honest, efficient communication and project adaptability. Tim takes the time to understand the goals and expectations of each client and works closely with them to identify solutions that meet the aesthetic, functionality and durability needs of each project.

Having worked and learnt under strong mentors himself, Tim understands the value of providing strong leadership, and coaching his own staff members. Tim has a natural ability to develop and strengthen both individuals and management teams to maximise an individual’s potential, and using this to drive the company’s success.

Tim’s leadership style has resulted in a deeply loyal, inspired and effective team.

Based in our Brisbane Office, his responsibilities include: business development, overseeing the estimating department and project management of several construction and refurbishment projects nationally. Tim also provides assistance and advice to Streetbuild’s site supervisors on all areas of construction, WHS and contractor management.

Graeme Street

Founding Director

In 1998, after a successful and diverse domestic and commercial construction career spanning 20 years Graeme founded his own business, Streetbuild.

From day one, Graeme’s attention to detail ensured that business was constructed on the foundations of quality service, industry best practice, strong business ethics and an unwavering desire to go the extra mile for all stakeholders.

To this end, Graeme’s focus was to establish Streetbuild as a trusted employer and business partner – something he is proud to have successfully achieved with 25 staff that uphold these same values and over 30 construction partner organisations across Australia.

After leading the Streetbuild team as Managing Director for 20 years, in July 2019, Graeme handed the batten to Co-owner, Tim Gagen who has since shouldered the overall management and commercial direction of the business.

Graeme has now taken a more ‘helicopter view’ of the business, remaining as Founding Director & Secretary and Board Members, playing an advisory role in the areas of compliance and business practices.

With the commercial management of the business taken care of, Graeme now has the opportunity to pursue his passion for developing the Streetbuild team and providing mentorship to staff covering everything from construction expertise to business acumen. This process has been instrumental in providing a pathway to meet the short and longer-term aspirations.

Graeme continues to derive great satisfaction and pride in the ongoing development and expansion of the Streetbuild business and the people that make it happen in the STREETBUILD WAY.

Woolworths Wollongong eCOMM Expansion

To keep up with ever evolving retail customer needs, Woolworths Group partnered with Streetbuild to erect a new online shopping collection point. The project featured Australia’s first fabric awning, as well as modifications to the loading dock and back of house area to ensure the smooth processing of this new service.

Kmart Perth New Store Fit-Out

Over 8 weeks, Streetbuild converted this retail space into a brand new Kmart store. The project began with demolition and removal of existing fit-out which was then replaced with a new store front, upgrade to all internal fittings and relocation of service facilities.

Woolworths Oran Park eCOMM Expansion

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Streetbuild were appointed to construct a new online shopping collection point for Woolworths Group to help facilitate and evolve with rapidly changing customer needs. the changing customer needs. This project included the construction of a new canopy, office, cool room and back of house space.

Big W Blacktown Refurbishment

Streetbuild were engaged to transform this outdated Big W store under the Australia wide Renewal 2.0 initiative. The refurbishment included demolition and modifications to the existing store, installation of new flooring, paint refresh and upgrades to service areas and back of house facilities.