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A big congratulations to our inspiring and illustrious Anna Broughton for receiving the Arup ‘Business & Leadership Award’ at the 2020 National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) WA Awards for Excellence held at Optus Stadium.
This award shines a spotlight on female leaders and businesswomen who are creating an impact through their role involving company direction, decision making, strategy or leadership.
It is well known that when Anna puts sets her sights on a goal, there is no barrier that can get in the way of her drive and determination to improve and succeed.
From the time Anna started at Bridge42 in 2007, she has worked her way up through the ranks to become the first female Senior Project Manager, first female Associate Director, first female shareholder, and the first female State Manager in 2018.
Her transition through senior management roles provides an encouraging pathway for other women within the company – and the broader construction industry – to know that they can achieve a senior management position in their thirties, all whilst also having children along the way!
Anna said, “The opportunity to be promoted within my business; being recognised for my drive, loyalty, and leadership has been amazing.”
“The opportunity to be promoted within my business; being recognised for my drive, loyalty, and leadership has been amazing.”
“I aspire to be a leader that people want to work for as they believe in the shared vision and understand my commitment to them.
“I want those whom I manage to feel proud of where they work, and the projects they work on.”
In addition to Anna’s dedication to her team and industry as a business leader, she is a proactive and vocal champion for workplace diversity. Anna is passionate about diversity which, she believes, not only encompasses gender but also diversity of thought, age, nationality, and backgrounds.
Since Anna took on the WA & NT State Manager role at Bridge42 in 2018, the company has increased the number of female project managers by 50%.
She was the driving force behind initiating Bridge42’s maternity/paternity policy and recent employer of choice initiatives to maintain a happy and healthy workforce, including enhanced flexible work practices.
Anna currently sits on diversity committees in WA for the Property Council of Australia and the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA). Recently, she led the working group to produce UDIA’s Diversity Toolkit which will be utilised by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to produce diversity policies for their companies.
She is also an industry mentor under the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) mentoring program, and a sponsor in the Property Council 500 Women in Property program.
Despite wearing many professional and personal hats, Anna has also managed to complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and become a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) in 2020.
Anna said, “Whether you believe leaders are born or made, everyone can agree that a focus on leadership skills and training can only improve the productivity and happiness of a team/company.”
“I love what I do, and I never think that I can’t do something in the construction industry because I’m female. In fact, I see it as an advantage and look forward to championing females in our industry for the rest of my career.”
