Lendlease Crystal Vision Award Winner: Tracey Medley, Gamuda
With a 30-year career in construction, Senior Project Engineer Tracey Medley is a driving force for cultural change. By uniting mentorship, mental health and cultural change, Tracey is building a more inclusive, respectful industry and inspiring women to thrive in construction. On the M1 Pacific Motorway extension project, she established monthly Women’s Workforce Meetings to connect female site workers, and led the rollout of the Mates in Construction program, delivering mental health training to 85% of the workforce. She champions the government-backed EmpowerHER program, mentoring participants and creating career pathways for women.
Richard Crookes Business Woman of the Year Award Winner: Samantha Kuiper, Richard Crookes Construction
As General Manager, Design and Innovation, Samantha Kuiper has transformed design management at Richard Crookes Construction, expanding her team from 17 to 62, with 42% female. Her initiatives have delivered measurable value, from introducing technical leads that saved more than $5 million in eight months to mandating digital coordination that halved outsourcing costs to developing a structural reinforcement tracking system that cut losses by $10 million. A respected leader, Samantha has also
grown RCC’s cadet program into one of the industry’s largest.
MPA Award for Achievement in Construction, Refurbishment and Fitout Winner: Georgia Brady, MBM
Executive quantity surveyor Georgia Brady delivered a three-level, high-end hospitality fitout at The International, 25 Martin Place, within a demanding 12-week program. Stepping into a challenging dual role of quantity surveyor and project manager, Georgia became the single point of accountability. She collaborated with client and builder, led value engineering to achieve budget, accelerated approvals and managed scope changes – keeping the project on track for a critical Melbourne Cup launch
CPB Contractors Award for Contribution to Sustainability Winner: Ari Soemardi, Hunter Boorn
Taking a lead role in the Namabunda Social and Transitional Housing Project, Ari Soemardi helped deliver community-led, culturally safe, resilient and sustainable housing for Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal women and children escaping violence. Targeting NatHERS 8-star ratings with passive design, renewable energy, rainwater harvesting and all-electric services, the project is future-focused. Ari also created Ngulliboo Jarnalaira Muggi (Together Standing Strong) – a program offering paid construction experience for Aboriginal young people and those reintegrating after incarceration.
Scentre Group Award for Team Innovation Winner: ACCIONA Mechanical & Engineering Works Planning Team
Led by Senior Planning Manager Bahar Kizilirmak, and supported by Planner Karina Szpoganicz and Graduate Engineer Sarah Niu, ACCIONA’s all-female M&E planning team has transformed project delivery on the Western Harbour Tunnel. By linking multiple planning systems into a single real-time dashboard, they enabled project managers to check progress and spot risks in minutes, rather than hours. In a complex infrastructure environment where M&E interfaces are often delayed or deprioritised, ACCIONA’s team created a visible, reliable process driven by data.
Architectus Award for Innovation in Design Winner: Maddelon Holt-Smith
On Mirvac’s $600 million 55 Pitt Street tower, Senior Project Engineer Maddelon Holt-Smith led industryfirst innovations in structural design. She championed the world’s first use of Sense600 recycled reinforcement in post-tensioned beams and prefabricated column systems, cutting reinforcement tonnage by 16.7% and embodied carbon by 39%. By pairing prefabrication with Design for Manufacturing and Assembly principles, Maddelon set a new benchmark for sustainable high-rise construction. As a diversity advocate, Maddelon is inspiring the next generation of engineers through mentoring and industry engagement.
Ferrovial Project Manager of the Year Award Winner: Jessica Whitlock, Colliers
Playing a pivotal role on Western Sydney’s $275 million Melonba Education Campus, Jessica Whitlock led the project from planning to completion, delivering a temporary high school a year early and the permanent campus six months ahead of schedule. Her innovative thinking, early initiatives and cultural engagement set new benchmarks, while her mentoring and advocacy continue to inspire greater
diversity and inclusion across the industry.
Roberts Co Award for Contribution to a Project’s Development Winner: Adeleen Singh, Multiplex
As Contracts Manager on the new Sydney Fish Market project, Adeleen Singh led her team through millions of dollars in complex variations, balancing commercial risk with client needs while managing contracts worth over $400 million. She steered the project through unprecedented cost escalation and COVID-related disruptions, maintaining stability, morale and commercial discipline over its extended five-year duration. Her leadership under pressure set a strong foundation for project success in one of
Sydney’s most complex builds.
Laing O’Rourke Future Leader Scholarship Winner: Lillian Lockett, Aston Consulting
In the male-dominated acoustic engineering profession, Lillian Lockett turned the absence of role models into motivation. Overlooked early in her career, she built Aston Consulting’s acoustics division from the ground up, creating systems and strategies that have delivered more than 70 projects across 100,000 sqm of fitout space. Now a team leader, she will use the scholarship to complete the University of Sydney Leader Accelerator Program and further shape inclusive leadership.
Croi Tradesperson Scholarship Winners: Charlotte Ancell, Rintoul
Inspired by her mother’s quiet determination to tackle “men’s work” with a screwdriver in hand, Charlotte Ancell persevered through a year of rejections before securing her apprenticeship in shopfitting and joinery with Rintoul. She now blends creativity and craft to build immersive spaces and will use the scholarship to complete a Certificate III in Live Production and Technical Services, while inspiring other
women to pursue trades.
Ghella University Scholarship Winner: Charlotte Mannell, John Holland
Balancing full-time site work with her environmental science degree, Charlotte Mannell combines handson expertise in earthworks with a passion for sustainability. Her drive to advocate for women in construction has made her a role model on site, where she mentors junior colleagues and promotes careers in the industry. Committed to being a changemaker, Charlotte is investing in her education to strengthen her impact and help shape a more inclusive and sustainable future.
ADCO Champion of Change Winner: Luke Gerathy, Richard Crookes Constructions
Since joining Richard Crookes Construction in 2013, Luke Gerathy has grown the female workforce in Hunter New England from two to 20, with women now representing 15% of the team and 30% of the leadership group. As General Manager he leads by example – advocating for flexibility, supporting women returning from parental leave, mentoring with measurable outcomes, initiating university
scholarships, and sponsoring women into senior leadership roles. He is unafraid to call out bias, and equally willing to be challenged himself.
Symal Regional Woman of the Year Award Winner: Natalie Kozlov, Ferrovial
As Legal Manager on the $1.4 billion Coffs Harbour Bypass, Natalie Kozlov closed more than 350 subcontracts with minimal disputes. She bridged legal, commercial and technical teams by engaging directly with engineers and subcontractors to align expectations from the outset. Introducing incentivebased agreements, cross-disciplinary safety forums and mentoring programs, Natalie has strengthened project performance, built local skills and long-term regional capability
Congratulations to winners, finalists and nominees.