Laing O’Rourke Australia wins NAWIC National Awards for Excellence for driving gender equity in construction

Laing O’Rourke Australia is proud to announce it has been awarded the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) National Awards for Excellence - Business category, recognising its leadership in advancing gender balance and equity across the construction industry.

The award reflects Laing O'Rourke's sustained commitment to accelerating gender equality through targeted, measurable and industry‑leading initiatives that directly address the long-standing gender imbalance within the construction sector.

FROM THEN TO NOW

Laing O’Rourke has undergone a significant transformation in advancing gender equality and female participation. In 2019, women represented just 25.6% of our workforce and 11% of senior management. Acknowledging the need for change, the business embedded gender targets into its strategy, supported by robust data insights, strong employee voice and executive accountability.

Clear targets, transparent reporting and sustained action have delivered measurable outcomes. These include consistently gender-balanced graduate intakes and a global ambition to achieve a 50/50 gender balanced workforce by 2033, strengthening both leadership representation and future talent pipelines.

The introduction of Laing O'Rourke's industry-leading parental leave policy, providing 26 weeks’ paid leave for primary carers and reshaping caregiving as a shared responsibility, has been the single-most impactful change.  Paid parental leave has normalised prioritising parenting for women and men, meaning that whilst it is time out of work, it is not time out from a career.

Today, 35% of our workforce is female women receive over 40%% of promotions, and 26% of senior leaders are female)—demonstrating lasting cultural and structural change.

Mark Dimmock, Managing Director – Australia, said “Laing O'Rourke has taken tangible action to help us achieve our 50/50 gender balance globally by 2033. We are delivering on the objectives in our Gender Equality Action Plan through courageous change, honest conversations and building capability.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Achieving gender equity and increasing female participation remains a long-term strategic priority embedded within Laing O'Rourke's global sustainability strategy. With a global ambition to reach 50/50 gender-balanced workforce globally by 2033, this work is central to workforce resilience and future capability. As of end of FY25, females represent 28% of our global workforce.

The business continues to build a gender‑balanced pipeline from early career through to senior leadership by maintaining balanced graduate intakes, expanding its Inspiring STEM+ program, embedding inclusive recruitment practices and accelerating the progression of emerging female leaders.

Equally important is creating a workplace where women can thrive, progress and lead. Ongoing investment in inclusive leadership capability, flexible work options, psychosocial safety, inclusive site set-up and equitable talent and succession planning supports this goal.

Fair and transparent systems underpin this commitment, including annual gender pay gap analysis and gender impact assessments across people processes to remove bias and structural barriers.

Strong governance ensures momentum is maintained through clear targets, transparent reporting and leadership accountability.

Helen Fraser, Director – People, said “Through sustained action and industry partnership, we are working to make gender balance the norm, not the exception. We aim to accelerate progress through a structural reform, cultural transformation, and measurable progress towards achieving 50/50 gender balance by 2033 globally.”

This achievement is also an opportunity to celebrate our People — the team and individuals who consistently push us forward. Their commitment, passion and energy shape our culture, and this recognition reflects their belief in the work and the change we are aiming for.

We’re proud to play our part in building an industry where women are supported to succeed, empowered to lead, and enabled to thrive.

This award reinforces what’s possible when purpose, people and progress come together.