Congratulations to our employees who were recently named as Finalists in various state chapters of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Awards.
Shining a light on our South Australian finalist
In South Australia, Lucinda Silvestri, Graduate Mechanical Engineer, was a Finalist in the category of Graduate of the Year.
Krishna Narapuraju, Associate, says that “Lucinda brings forth fresh, innovative ideas. Her commitment to the role, project delivery and technical excellence, alongside client centricity, is well beyond her years as a graduate and signals the characteristic of a future leader.”
Aside from her graduate role, Lucinda participates in our Young Professional division and volunteers in the Reconciliation Action Plan Committee. Outside of work, she is Captain of the Australian U23 Lacrosse Women’s Team.
Recognising our stellar Queensland finalists
In Queensland, Adrianna Barr, Dominque Barclay, Serena Selvaraj and Kartikee Gupta were recognised as Finalists in the 2022 NAWIC QLD Awards.
A Finalist in the Diversity category, Adrianna is a Senior Lighting Designer who leads the Queensland Inclusion and Diversity Committee. She was nominated to participate in the 500 Women in Property program and also runs the WSP Women networking group which connects connect women with other women and key levels of management within the organisation. A passionate advocate for women in the industry, Adrianna regularly champions diversity both within WSP and externally in the industry. Read Adrianna’s article on ‘Supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the World of Lighting’.
In describing her work championing diversity and excellence in lighting, Adrianna says “Being a role model for women in my field doesn’t just benefit our industry. Actions in this space inevitably leads to better outcomes for the communities we design places for - such as women living and working in cities after dark!”
Serena and Dominique were both Finalists in the Young Achiever Award. Serena, a Senior Civil Engineer, has volunteered as a committee member within Golder Associates' Young Professional Development Group and mentored junior staff working towards their qualifications. Externally, she has tutored refugees within the VoRTCS (Volunteer Refugee Tutoring & Community Support) program in Brisbane, and tutored and led activities with school-aged children, raising awareness of STEM applications. Serena sees herself as a role model for other women as she takes on leadership roles that push her out of her comfort zone. Her long-term future goal in the industry is to lead an engineering team in some capacity, with a focus on increasing female representation and inclusion.
Dominque, a Civil Engineer, strives to inspire other women in the industry by creating awareness that a career as an engineer is more than realistic and is in fact very rewarding. She is a member of the Young Engineers Australia Queensland Committee where she is responsible for facilitating networking and development opportunities for engineering graduates and students. In 2019 Dominique was chosen to spend three weeks overseas in Nepal with Engineers Without Borders which led to a greater appreciation for humanitarian engineering and designing in resource constrained environments to make a positive difference to communities with engineering.
Dominique on site
Kartikee, Team Manager, was a Finalist in the category of Advancing the Interests of Women in Construction. Karitkee had a love of STEM from an early age after being exposed to courses at school and engineers who discussed the impact of their work on communities.
Gender and cultural diversity are incredibly important to Kartikee. She has seen firsthand that a diverse workplace leads to better decision making and positive outcomes, but also helps with fostering the growth and support for women in the workplace. This inspired Kartikee to launch a STEM initiative with her team. Through this initiative, her team collaborates and connects with primary and high school teachers and guidance officers to talk to their students about a career in engineering. Children can experience being an “Engineer for a Day” and have access to a range of mentors from WSP who can assist with questions and information about the difference that engineers can make.
A day on site for Kartikee
Congratulations again to our fantastic Finalists in these awards!
Our commitment to inclusion and diversity
We are a diverse people business, proud to be working for a wide variety of clients. We are committed to building an inclusive culture that respects and maximises the contribution of all our employees. Improving gender balance in our teams is a worldwide strategic priority. In 2022, we were proud to receive a consecutive citation by the WGEA recognising WSP as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality for 2021 - 23.
Guy Templeton, CEO Asia Pacific, says, “Receiving this citation underscores the progress we have made toward achieving a more balanced workforce. We are excited to see that our initiatives to empower women across the business are being recognised externally.”
Criteria for the citation covers leadership, learning and development, gender remuneration gaps, flexible working and other initiatives to support family responsibilities, employee consultation, preventing sex-based harassment and discrimination, and targets for improving gender equality outcomes. Only 120 private companies in Australia currently hold the citation.
Find out more about how we embrace an inclusive and diverse culture.
