Roads & Infrastructure Magazine reflects on the recent Women in Industry Awards, which celebrated and highlighted trailblazers from across the roads, infrastructure and construction sectors, among others.
The Women in Industry Awards (WIIA) continue to celebrate the outstanding achievements of women in traditionally male-dominated industrial sectors such as mining, manufacturing, engineering and transport and logistics. This of course includes the roads and infrastructure sectors, where progress is being made to ensure greater representation of women and minorities in every sector.
The Awards hope to highlight these industries as great career choices for other women by acknowledging these success stories. In 2024, the 11th annual Awards showcased exceptional examples of industry advocacy, mentorship and broad sector excellence.
Roads & Infrastructure Magazine, Australian Mining, PACE Magazine, Manufacturers’ Monthly, MHD Supply Chain Solutions, Prime Mover, Power Torque, Big Rigs, Inside Construction, Waste Management Review, Rail Express, Energy Today, Quarry, Trailer Magazine, and Australian Bulk Handling Review have all partnered with the Awards to acknowledge the exceptional women who have achieved success through their leadership, innovation and commitment to their sector.
2024 Awards review
2024 saw a record 164 nominations across 11 categories. The gala dinner sold out again. Thirty-two individual media mastheads carried marketing about the Women in Industry Awards compared to 2023.
The judging panel struggled to narrow down the finalist shortlist and to decide the winners. In front of their peers across the country, ten category winners and the Woman of the Year were announced.
Managing Director wins big
Health Focus Manufacturing (HFM) Managing Director Derelle Mitchell won both the Woman of the Year award (sponsored by Fulton Hogan) and the Excellence in Manufacturing Award (sponsored by PACCAR Australia). The Excellence in Manufacturing Award seeks to recognise an individual who has thought ‘outside the box’ to implement an outstanding personal contribution to their manufacturing business and the broader manufacturing community.
Derelle’s background in Account Management and Insurance, along with her study in Business Management, empowered her to bring unparalleled business acumen, communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail to HFM.
She has built a world-class manufacturing facility, ensuring a hands-on approach, focusing on efficient processes and high-quality products while nurturing its partners.
Derelle’s drive to rekindle her career after raising her children led her to seize an opportunity to acquire the assets of a cosmetic manufacturing company in 2011, marking the humble beginning of HFM. Starting with a small team in a “big green shed”, HFM has grown over the past decade to accommodate more than 40 staff members with over 200 years of combined experience.
Mentoring supports women in the industry
Having the right mentor or mentors when entering a male-dominated industry is vital for ongoing success. The Mentor of the Year award recognises an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to developing female talent within their organisation or the wider industry.
This year’s winner is Kirstin Reblin, the General Manager of Transformation at Opal Packaging. She embodies the essence of Mentor of the Year through self-driven initiatives and unwavering advocacy for women at Opal. Reblin has tirelessly fostered female talent at Opal across all functional areas, hierarchy levels, and sites, ensuring inclusivity and empowerment at every turn.
As a National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO) Mentor since 2020, Reblin has spearheaded the expansion of mentoring programs, including driving Opal’s NAWO Mentoring initiative and engaging senior leaders to participate as mentors. Her dedication to fostering diversity is evident in creating “Thinking Diversity: Women at Opal” in September 2022, a network boasting over 450 members in March 2024. Reblin has championed women’s development through structured catch-ups and individual mentoring, as evidenced by heartfelt testimonials from several mentees and senior leaders.
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Safety key to excellence
Health and safety are vital to an organisation’s successful and continued operations in many industries. As a result, acknowledging the Safety Advocacy Award winner recognises the best work in ensuring people’s safety. This award recognises an individual working actively to improve safety in their organisation and industry.
The winner in 2024 was Kathleen Kelly, a Health and Safety Advisor at McConnell Dowell. With a management background spanning construction, operations, human resources, OH&S, training, WorkCover claims, and injury management, Kelly is passionate about crafting and implementing health, safety, and wellbeing programs. Her expertise stems from diverse industries like construction, engineering, mining, rail, telecommunications, parks management, toll road networks, and council operations.
Kelly is driven by the goal of aiding employers and employees in achieving organisational objectives through effective programs.
Kelly is a significant contributor to the strong safety culture established for the New Bridgewater Bridge project in Bridgewater, Tasmania. Throughout her 22-year occupation in the construction industry, she has earned multiple accolades from projects and organisations alike for her fervent dedication to cultivating a culture of safety excellence.
Transporting success
Getting things from point A to B efficiently and with minimal interruptions is central to high productivity. That’s why the Excellence in Transport Award (sponsored by Kenter Logistics) recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond to improve and positively impact the Australian transport industry.
Representing Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA) is Anne Moddermo.
She is the first female Managing Director of any Swietelsky international subsidiary and has led significant progress since her appointment in May 2023.
She spearheaded the development of the company’s Sustainability Strategy, reflecting her dedication to driving positive social and environmental impact.
SRA provides specialised track maintenance, including ballast cleaning, flash butt welding, resurfacing and rail maintenance services. Based in the Hunter Valley, the team works up and down the East Coast of Australia and across the country.
Beyond her professional achievements, Moddermo actively advocates for inclusivity and diversity within the transport sector, promoting initiatives to increase female participation and close the gender pay gap.
Her contributions extend to industry publications, highlighting topics such as diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and safety.
Moddermo has demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship and program management skills throughout her career, successfully delivering large-scale maintenance and capital projects with a steadfast commitment to excellence.
See below for the full list of winners:
• Allyson Woodford (APA Group) – Excellence in Engineering
• Anne Moddermo (Swietelsky) – Excellence in Transport
• Kate Leone (UGL – M6 Stage 1 Project) – Rising Star of the Year
• Kathleen Kelly (McConnell Dowell) – Safety Advocacy Award
• Kirstin Reblin (Opal Packaging) – Mentor of the Year
• Sandra Robinson (United Rentals) – Business Development Success of the Year
• Sinead Booth (Fortescue) – Excellence in Mining
• Sinead Redmond (GeelongPort) – Excellence in Construction
• Steph Gee (CM & SM Gee Electrical) – Industry Advocacy Award
• Vesna Olles (BOC Limited) – Excellence in Energy
• Derelle Mitchell (Health Focus Manufacturing) – Excellence in Manufacturing and Women of the Year
This article was originally published in the August edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.