50 Powerful Thought Leaders in Construction Leadership ANZ 

Introduction

Construction in Australia and New Zealand is not a background industry. It is the engine of national life, building the hospitals, schools, highways, rail lines, stadiums, and homes that make everything else possible. The people shaping how that industry is led matter enormously, because leadership failures in construction do not just cost money or time. They cost lives, drive talented people out of the industry, and leave communities without the infrastructure they depend on.

This list brings together 50 voices from across Australia and New Zealand who are actively shaping what construction leadership looks like in 2026. They include CEOs of peak bodies, executives at tier one contractors, government delivery authority leaders, researchers, advocates for culture change, champions of workforce diversity, and practitioners who take what the best organisations know and translate it into daily site behaviour. The list was built to surface voices across a wide disciplinary and geographic spread, moving past the most prominent household names to highlight the people who are doing the real work of transformation inside the industry right now.

The scale of the challenge makes this leadership conversation urgent. Research commissioned by the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce found that cultural failures, including excessive working hours, poor mental health, and a lack of workforce diversity, are costing the Australian economy nearly $8 billion annually. A separate KPMG Global Construction Survey published in March 2026 found that 71 per cent of 375 construction industry leaders surveyed globally expressed optimism about the industry, but that confidence in productivity improvement lagged behind confidence in revenue growth. Australian respondents over-indexed on workforce investment, with 23.6 per cent of transformation spend allocated to people, against 21 per cent globally.

In New Zealand, the construction sector comprises over 81,000 businesses and employs more than 10 per cent of the country's workforce. Yet the Building Institute Aotearoa's CEO Kirsten Magnusson described 2025 as a year of pressure, uncertainty and survival rather than growth for many of her members. The leaders who can navigate that environment, hold their people together, and build organisations capable of delivering well under those conditions are worth knowing.

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant and Certified Working Genius Facilitator who works with leadership teams in infrastructure, construction, and professional services organisations around the world. To discuss a leadership offsite, Working Genius workshop, or keynote for your construction organisation, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Why Construction Leadership Matters

The stakes in construction leadership are not abstract. They show up in the mental health statistics, where Safe Work Australia has consistently recorded construction workers experiencing psychological injury claims at elevated rates, and in a workforce where suicide rates among male construction workers have historically been more than double the national average. The cultural issues the CICT spent seven years researching and codifying into a practical Culture Standard are not edge cases. They are structural features of an industry that has long normalised excessive hours, undervalued diversity, and treated wellbeing as a personal matter rather than a leadership responsibility.

The KPMG survey found that Australian construction leaders place a greater emphasis than their global peers on ESG integration and contract and tender innovation, while still struggling to translate digital ambition into on-site productivity gains. At the same time, the Australian Government's commitment of $60.6 million to the Building Women's Careers Program signals that gender diversity in construction is now a policy priority with real funding behind it. Women currently make up approximately 14 per cent of the construction workforce in Australia, a figure the industry is working actively to change.

In New Zealand, the challenge is as much about macro pipeline certainty as it is about internal culture. Grant Thornton partner Dan Lowe, writing in May 2026, identified an unreliable and inconsistent pipeline of public infrastructure work as the single biggest problem facing the NZ construction sector, noting that businesses cannot plan and invest effectively without a credible multi-year commitment from government. The leaders navigating that uncertainty are the people this list sets out to identify.

Construction leadership in 2026 is about more than delivering projects on time and on budget. It is about building organisations that attract and retain diverse talent, maintain genuine cultures of safety and wellbeing, adapt to the digital transformation sweeping the industry, and earn the trust of communities who depend on what they build.

To book Jonno White for a facilitation session on team leadership, communication, and high-performance culture for your construction organisation, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

How This List Was Compiled

Every person on this list was selected on three criteria. First, documented contribution to construction leadership in Australia or New Zealand, through a senior role, published research, sustained public commentary, or a significant industry initiative. Second, active engagement in public discourse, whether through conference speaking, media commentary, publishing, or industry advocacy. Third, a deliberate effort to surface voices the reader may not already know, moving past the most prominent household names to include researchers, mid-tier advocates, and practitioners making a genuine difference in how the industry leads and operates. The list brings together 50 voices from across Australia, New Zealand, and a range of disciplines, including safety, culture, diversity, digital transformation, housing innovation, procurement reform, and workforce development.

Category 1: Peak Body and Industry Association Leaders

The people running Australia and New Zealand's construction industry bodies set the policy agenda, negotiate with governments, and shape the frameworks within which everyone else operates. These voices matter because they are the ones translating member experience into reform.

1. Denita Wawn

Denita Wawn has served as CEO of Master Builders Australia since March 2017, becoming the organisation's first female CEO in its 127-year history. She has built a track record as one of the most prominent and consistently active voices on construction industry policy in Australia, appearing regularly in national media on issues ranging from housing supply and skilled migration to regulatory reform and workforce development.

In 2025 and into 2026, Wawn became a central figure in the public debate around Australia's Housing Accord commitments, arguing consistently that meeting the 1.2 million new homes target requires addressing the full delivery pipeline, not only funding. Master Builders Australia's March 2026 forecasts, released under Wawn's leadership, identified a home shortfall of 77,500 since the Housing Accord's start, reinforcing her position that supply-side solutions require workforce and regulatory reform alongside capital.

2. Nicholas Proud

Nicholas Proud became CEO of the Civil Contractors Federation National in January 2024, bringing twenty years of experience from roles including CEO of PowerHousing Australia and positions at the Housing Industry Association, Property Council of Australia, and BuildSkills Australia. He is an Appointed Member of the National Construction Industry Forum.

Proud has been active in public advocacy on civil infrastructure, welcoming the prominence of civil infrastructure in the 2025 federal election campaign and describing it as a pivotal moment for Australia's future. A significant early achievement of his tenure was the inclusion of civil occupations on the 2026 Commonwealth apprenticeship incentives list, unlocking direct financial support for civil apprentices for the first time.

3. Peter Colacino

Peter Colacino became CEO of the Australian Constructors Association in May 2026, succeeding Jon Davies after a six-year tenure. ACA President Annabel Crookes described Colacino as bringing a unique combination of industry insight and policy experience, noting that he understands the construction sector from every angle, having worked closely with contractors and been at the centre of government policy discussions shaping the industry's future.

Colacino steps into the role at a moment when the ACA's Culture Standard has been fully implemented across Australia's major infrastructure projects and the association is focused on translating its Industry Blueprint commitments into outcomes that are felt on project sites and in the day-to-day experience of construction workers.

4. Annabel Crookes

Annabel Crookes is the first female President of the Australian Constructors Association, elected in November 2022 after joining the ACA Board in 2019. She is also Laing O'Rourke's Director of Legal and Executive Director, Company Secretary, and a Director of the NSW Skills Board. Her career spans more than 20 years in construction law.

Crookes championed the ACA's landmark pledge committing to 50 per cent of newly appointed board directors being women, a commitment that represents structural change rather than aspiration. Her election was described by former CEO Jon Davies as a historic moment that signals the cultural change the industry needs, and she has maintained this emphasis on governance reform throughout her presidency.

5. Kirsten Magnusson

Kirsten Magnusson is the CEO of Building Institute Aotearoa, New Zealand's peak body for building professionals. She led the organisation through BuildUP26, its flagship annual conference held in Christchurch in March 2026, which brought together construction and infrastructure professionals from across the country under the theme of building people, productivity, and performance.

Magnusson has been candid in public commentary about the pressures facing her membership. She described 2025 as a year of pressure, uncertainty and survival rather than growth for many members, highlighting that retaining capability and supporting leadership development became the priority when projects dried up. Her framing of BuildUP26 around people, performance, and productivity reflects a deliberate shift from project-focused discourse toward the underlying organisational and leadership conditions that determine whether projects succeed.

Category 2: Research and Innovation Leaders

Australia's construction research community is producing some of the most important thinking about how the industry can transform itself. These voices bring evidence to conversations that have historically been driven by anecdote and convention.

6. Professor Mathew Aitchison

Professor Mathew Aitchison is CEO and co-founder of Building 4.0 Collaborative Research Centre, an industry-led initiative co-funded by the Australian Government focused on building better, smarter, safer, and more sustainably, particularly in housing. He is also a Professor of Architecture at Monash University, where he leads the Future Building Initiative.

Aitchison appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Productivity in Australia to provide insight into why productivity is so low in Australia's building industry. He is co-author of Prefab Housing and the Future of Building: Product to Process published by Lund Humphries, a work that makes the case for industrialised building approaches as the pathway to the productivity gains the sector urgently needs.

7. Professor John Smallwood

John Smallwood is a Professor of Construction Management and a leading international researcher in construction management, health and safety, and workforce development whose research has direct application to the ANZ market. His published work on management influence on construction project safety, health, and environment has shaped how project managers in Australia and New Zealand think about their responsibilities to workers.

Smallwood's research findings, including evidence that management-level commitment is the single most powerful driver of site safety outcomes, have been influential in Australia's shift toward leadership-driven safety culture rather than purely compliance-driven approaches. His work on construction workforce training and development is directly relevant to the skills crisis that both Australia and New Zealand are managing in 2026.

8. Dr Riza Sunindijo

Dr Riza Sunindijo is a Senior Lecturer in Construction Management at UNSW Sydney and a leading researcher in construction safety climate, mental health in construction, and the intersection of leadership behaviour and site outcomes. His research has produced practical frameworks that site managers and project directors can apply to understand and improve the psychological safety conditions on their projects.

Sunindijo co-authored research on safety climate in the Australian construction industry that identified the specific leadership behaviours most strongly associated with reduced incident rates, providing evidence-based guidance for construction managers seeking to move beyond compliance-based safety programs. His LinkedIn presence has grown in 2025 and 2026 as he shares accessible summaries of research findings relevant to construction practitioners.

9. Professor Helen Lingard

Helen Lingard is a Professor of Construction Work Health and Safety at RMIT University and a founding member of the Safety and Health Innovation Network (SHINe), an Australia-New Zealand research collaboration focused on improving health and safety practice in construction and infrastructure. She has spent more than two decades producing research that connects leadership behaviour, organisational culture, and worker health outcomes in construction.

Lingard was a leading academic contributor to the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce's research program, which ran from 2018 through to its completion in mid-2025. The CICT's work, which she helped design and evaluate, produced the first evidence-based Culture Standard for the Australian construction industry, covering time for life, gender diversity, and health and wellbeing.

10. Dr Kerry Griffiths

Dr Kerry Griffiths is the Director of Thought Leadership at the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) and a global expert in infrastructure sustainability and its intersection with leadership and governance. She has over 23 years of experience in the infrastructure sector and has advised on iconic NZ and Australian projects including City Rail Link, the Memorial Park Alliance, Newmarket Viaduct Replacement, Central Interceptor, Inland Rail, and the Northwest Rail Link.

Griffiths received recognition at the Building Nations 2025 Awards for her contribution to shaping New Zealand's infrastructure sustainability thinking. Her role at the ISC places her at the intersection of environmental performance, procurement reform, and the leadership conditions needed to embed sustainability across entire project delivery chains.

Category 3: Culture, Safety, and Wellbeing Advocates

The people working hardest on the daily reality of what it is like to work in construction are often not the highest-profile names in the industry. They are the ones building the actual change.

11. Jon Davies

Jon Davies served as CEO of the Australian Constructors Association for six years from 2020 to June 2026, a tenure that ACA President Annabel Crookes described as transformative. Under his leadership, the ACA initiated the National Construction Strategy, shaped the Industry Blueprint, and funded the development of the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce and the Culture Standard that emerged from it.

Davies championed what he described as building strong, trusted partnerships between government and industry to deliver better outcomes for everyone. His decision to commission and sustain the CICT over a seven-year period created the infrastructure for the most substantial reform of construction workplace norms in Australian history. The CICT research, delivered during his tenure, found that the cultural issues costing the economy $8 billion annually were addressable through practical, procurement-embedded standards.

12. Ann Austin

Ann Austin is a founding director of ESG Strategy, a boutique consultancy helping organisations build sustainability strategy, and a former Head of Sustainability for Lendlease Australia, where her work was recognised in the Australian Financial Review's 2023 Sustainability Leaders Awards. She played a pivotal role in the formation of the Materials and Embodied Carbon Leaders Alliance (MECLA) and the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT).

Austin's dual involvement in sustainability advocacy and culture change makes her a genuinely distinctive voice in the construction leadership space. Where most practitioners separate environmental performance from people performance, Austin's career trajectory connects them, arguing that the conditions needed to build sustainable buildings are the same conditions needed to build sustainable teams.

13. Margot Brassil

Margot Brassil is the Director of the Construction Leadership Group at Infrastructure NSW, a body that sits at the intersection of NSW government procurement and private sector construction delivery. In that role she is a key figure in the institutional infrastructure that drives cultural and commercial reform across the state's major projects program.

Brassil spoke at the FCON26 Future of Construction Summit in Brisbane in May 2026, one of Australia's most prominent annual gatherings for construction sector leadership. The Construction Leadership Group she directs implements the Culture Standard across NSW government infrastructure projects and coordinates workforce development and diversity initiatives, converting policy aspiration into procurement requirements that actually change on-site behaviour.

14. Sophie Fox

Sophie Fox serves as Acting Chief of Planning and Insights at Infrastructure Australia, the federal government's independent adviser on nationally significant infrastructure. She spoke at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, contributing to conversations about Australia's infrastructure pipeline and the alignment between national priorities and delivery capacity.

At Infrastructure Australia, Fox works on the evidence base that informs government infrastructure priorities, which has direct implications for the construction sector's workload, workforce planning, and strategic positioning. The organisation's pipeline analysis has found sharp fluctuations in newly committed project values, creating planning challenges for every construction leader seeking to understand where the sector's workload is heading.

15. Soheila Moradi

Soheila Moradi is Digital Engineering Manager at the North East Link Program within the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority, where she leads the digital engineering and information management workstream for one of Melbourne's largest road infrastructure projects. She was a speaker and roundtable participant at FCON25 and FCON26.

Moradi described events like FCON as bringing together project delivery teams, policymakers, and tech innovators all in the same room, and credited the event with sparking meaningful conversations. Her role at the North East Link Program places her at the operational centre of digital transformation in large-scale infrastructure delivery, and her willingness to speak publicly about leading digital change from within a major government infrastructure programme makes her a distinctive practitioner voice.

Category 4: Contractor and Delivery Leaders

The leaders of Australia and New Zealand's major construction businesses bear the weight of translating policy, standards, and culture reform commitments into the lived experience of tens of thousands of workers.

16. Stephanie Graham

Stephanie Graham was appointed CEO of Construction at Lendlease in January 2026, having previously served as Managing Director of the Australian Construction business. She has more than two decades of experience across development and construction at Lendlease, leading complex, large-scale precinct and infrastructure projects in partnership with government and private sector clients.

Graham has been described as a strategic, customer-first leader deeply passionate about inclusion and equity, believing that empowered and diverse teams drive superior performance. She spoke at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026. Her promotion to CEO of Construction at Lendlease, a global tier one contractor, at the start of 2026 makes her one of the most senior women in construction delivery in Australia.

17. Mark Baker

Mark Baker is Chief Executive Officer of BESIX Watpac, one of Australia's major tier one construction groups. He has been active in industry discussions about collaboration and digital tools and spoke at both FCON25 and FCON26. He described events like FCON as creating space for the industry to get together to collaborate and to see the digital tools and opportunities that can help improve their business.

Baker's leadership at BESIX Watpac has been shaped by the challenges of operating a large construction business through the post-pandemic cost escalation environment. His public profile focuses on practical themes: collaboration, digital tools, and the operational discipline needed to deliver projects profitably when margins are compressed.

18. Scott Power

Scott Power is CEO of BMD Group, one of Australia's largest independently owned civil and urban construction groups. BMD Group operates across civil construction, urban development, and engineering services, with projects spanning roads, maritime, water, and resources. Power spoke at FCON26 in Brisbane in 2026 as a representative of the major tier one civil contractor perspective.

BMD Group's independently owned structure gives Power a perspective on the industry distinct from publicly listed or foreign-owned contractors. The company has built a reputation for workforce development and retention, a particularly important differentiator in a sector facing chronic skills shortages. Power's leadership navigates the tension between the scale needed to win major government work and the culture and agility associated with private ownership.

19. David Paterson

David Paterson is CEO of Construction at Built, one of Australia's most active mid-tier construction companies. He was a speaker at FCON26 alongside Built's Chief Digital and Information Officer Kurt Brissett, reflecting a leadership approach that pairs commercial delivery with active digital transformation.

Built has positioned itself as a technology-forward contractor, and Paterson's endorsement of digital transformation at the leadership level signals that the firm's investment in BIM, connected project management platforms, and information management systems is a strategic decision rather than a compliance response. His leadership at one of Australia's most visible and active construction companies makes him a relevant voice for the mid-tier contractor constituency.

20. Alex Crosby

Alex Crosby is Managing Director of Multiworks, a specialist construction and project management firm. He was a speaker at FCON26, representing the perspective of the smaller, specialist contractor rather than the tier one viewpoint that dominates most industry events.

Voices like Crosby's are important for the breadth they bring to the construction leadership conversation. The majority of Australia's construction activity by number of projects is carried out by firms well below the tier one scale, and the leadership challenges of running a specialist contractor, including managing subcontract relationships, retaining a smaller core team through project cycles, and winning work in a competitive market, are distinct from the challenges facing the large groups.

21. Treaven Martinus

Treaven Martinus is CEO of Martinus, an Australian rail construction specialist. He was a speaker and endorser of FCON25, describing the event as bringing together technologies, providers, experts, and industry colleagues all under the one roof. He has been active in discussions about civil and rail construction delivery across Australia.

Rail construction has been one of the most active areas of Australian infrastructure spending. The leadership challenges of building workforce capability, managing complex project delivery in live operational environments, and maintaining safety culture on rail-adjacent worksites are genuinely distinct from those in commercial building. Martinus's leadership of a specialist rail contractor gives him credibility across all of those dimensions.

22. Terry Buchan

Terry Buchan is General Manager at Hawkins, one of New Zealand's largest construction companies with more than 50 years of operating history. He was a panellist at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026, speaking on the theme of building high-performing teams and boosting site productivity through smarter planning, team dynamics, and resource use.

Hawkins has been one of the most resilient mid-tier New Zealand contractors through the 2025 downturn. Buchan's perspective on what it takes to build and maintain performance through a difficult period is directly relevant to the NZ industry's 2026 challenge. His participation in BuildUP26 reflects an engagement with industry learning events that goes beyond the defensive positioning often seen from established contractors facing market pressure.

Category 5: Government, Infrastructure Delivery, and Policy Leaders

The leaders inside government delivery authorities and policy agencies are often overlooked in construction leadership conversations, but they are the people setting the procurement conditions, pipeline decisions, and cultural expectations that shape what happens on every major project.

23. Simon Crooks

Simon Crooks is CEO of the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GICCA), responsible for planning and delivering the infrastructure program for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He spoke at FCON26 in May 2026 as the leader of one of the largest and most complex infrastructure delivery programs in Australian history.

The Games infrastructure program represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Queensland construction sector. Crooks's leadership of the body overseeing it places him at the centre of a program that will require sustained leadership capability, workforce development, and cultural performance across dozens of major projects simultaneously.

24. Leah Kelly

Leah Kelly is Deputy Director-General of the Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning. She spoke at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026 as one of the senior government leaders directly responsible for the policy and regulatory environment in which Queensland's infrastructure construction sector operates.

Kelly's role sits at the intersection of government infrastructure policy and the practical conditions facing contractors and delivery teams. As Queensland prepares for the infrastructure surge associated with the 2032 Olympics, the Department she helps lead plays a central role in determining how projects are structured, procured, and delivered, and what cultural and workforce standards are built into those procurement processes.

25. Graeme Newton

Graeme Newton is CEO of the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority, responsible for overseeing the delivery of Cross River Rail, Queensland's transformative new underground rail line running through the heart of Brisbane. He was a speaker at FCON26, where Cross River Rail was one of the most prominent examples of large-scale infrastructure delivery in the current Queensland pipeline.

Cross River Rail is one of the most complex urban rail projects currently under construction in Australia, requiring excavation through the CBD, construction of new underground stations, and extensive coordination with live rail operations. Newton's leadership of the delivery authority makes him a key figure in the practical implementation of collaborative procurement, cultural standards, and digital delivery on a high-profile, high-complexity project.

26. Rebecca Young MP

Rebecca Young MP serves as Queensland Assistant Minister to the Deputy Premier, covering housing, planning, and public works, and as Assistant Minister for Better Regulations. She spoke at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026 as a representative of the Queensland Government's approach to construction regulation and procurement reform.

Young's ministerial portfolio places her at the centre of the regulatory and planning conditions that shape the Queensland construction sector's operating environment. Her participation in FCON26 alongside senior contractor and government delivery authority leaders signals a willingness to engage directly with industry on the practical implementation of policy, which is the kind of cross-sector dialogue that the best construction leadership reform depends on.

27. Julian Simmonds

Julian Simmonds is CEO of Economic Development Queensland (EDQ), the Queensland Government's development corporation responsible for delivering residential and commercial development projects that support state economic priorities. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in 2026.

EDQ plays a distinctive role in the Queensland construction landscape, operating as both a government agency and a development client. Simmonds's perspective on the intersection of government development objectives and construction sector capacity is directly relevant to the housing supply and affordability challenges that dominate the current national conversation.

28. Andy Hagan

Andy Hagan is General Manager of Investment at Te Waihanga, the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. He delivered the keynote at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026, presenting on the NZ Infrastructure Commission's National Infrastructure Plan and its implications for the construction sector.

Te Waihanga's National Infrastructure Plan is the most comprehensive attempt in New Zealand's history to create a credible, long-term framework for infrastructure investment planning. Hagan's role in translating that plan into sector-facing communication, and his willingness to engage directly with construction practitioners at BuildUP26, makes him a meaningful bridge between the infrastructure planning community and the construction sector that has to build what the plan envisions.

29. Courtney Cook

Courtney Cook is Portfolio Manager for Landside Infrastructure Development and Delivery at Brisbane Airport Corporation, responsible for planning and delivering the major infrastructure investments that will transform Brisbane Airport in preparation for the 2032 Olympic Games and the airport's long-term growth. She was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026.

Airport infrastructure development presents a distinctive set of construction leadership challenges: live operational environments, airside safety requirements, extremely compressed delivery windows, and complex stakeholder management. Cook's leadership at Brisbane Airport on what will be one of the most significant landside infrastructure programs in the airport's history places her at the leading edge of this complexity.

Category 6: Digital Transformation and Innovation Leaders

The digital transformation of construction is one of the most significant leadership challenges facing the sector in 2026. The people leading it from within major organisations are building the practices that the whole industry will eventually follow.

30. Kurt Brissett

Kurt Brissett is Chief Digital and Information Officer at Built, one of Australia's most active mid-tier construction companies. He spoke at FCON26 alongside CEO David Paterson, presenting on how Built has built a connected digital environment that brings owners, designers, contractors, and trades into shared information workflows.

Brissett's approach focuses on raising digital capability across the industry, improving how project teams work together, and demonstrating why stronger digital workflows benefit the construction sector as a whole. His willingness to share Built's digital transformation approach in public forums rather than treating it as proprietary reflects a view that the construction sector needs collective capability uplift.

31. Mitch Erickson

Mitch Erickson is Group Manager of Digital Engineering at John Holland, one of Australia's largest construction and engineering groups. He was a speaker at both the Construction Technology Leaders Summit and FCON26, presenting on how John Holland's digitisation of its supply chain on Victoria's Big Build program has created models for digital transformation that other contractors can apply.

Erickson's work on supply chain digitisation on the Big Build is one of the most concrete and large-scale examples in Australian construction of digital engineering creating real project delivery improvements at scale. The Victoria's Big Build program has served as a proving ground for digital practices that are now being evaluated for adoption across the industry.

32. Hani Arab

Hani Arab is Chief Information Officer at Seymour Whyte, a national civil and water infrastructure contractor. He was a speaker at FCON26, contributing to the digital and technology leadership stream of Australia's most prominent annual construction summit.

Arab's role at Seymour Whyte, a mid-tier civil contractor, makes him particularly relevant to the question of how digital transformation reaches beyond the tier one groups. The practical challenge of implementing information management and digital engineering disciplines in a mid-sized civil contractor, with different budgetary constraints and project types, is a more representative challenge than that facing the largest groups.

33. Julie Wright

Julie Wright is Chief Technology Officer at Kapitol Group, a Melbourne-based construction firm that has built a reputation for technology-forward project delivery. She was a speaker at FCON26, representing the contractor CTO perspective in conversations about how technology is reshaping site delivery.

Kapitol Group has positioned technology leadership as a core part of its competitive identity, treating digital capability not as a support function but as a strategic differentiator. Wright's participation at industry forums reflects a view that construction CTOs have an obligation to share what they are learning about digital implementation, because the sector's overall productivity depends on collective capability improvement.

34. Roger Wahl

Roger Wahl is Global Chief Technology Officer at Innovo Group, an international construction technology company. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, bringing an international technology perspective to the Australian construction leadership conversation.

Wahl's global role gives him visibility across construction technology adoption in multiple markets, which is particularly valuable in a sector where Australia has the advantage of learning from the successes and mistakes of more advanced digital markets. His presence at FCON26 signals that the Australian construction sector is increasingly connecting its digital transformation conversations to international best practice.

Category 7: Workforce, Diversity, and Next Generation Leaders

The long-term performance of the construction sector depends on its ability to attract, develop, and retain a diverse workforce at every level. The leaders working on this challenge are building the industry of the future.

35. Isabel Duffy

Isabel Duffy is a Principal Structural Engineer at Northrop and co-founder of Tomorrow's Women in Construction (TWIC), an initiative that placed 85 female students into built environment work experience roles in 2025 alone. She received the 2026 NAWIC NSW Emerging Women's Leader Scholarship, which will fund further study through the UNSW Graduate School of Management.

Duffy's dual role as a practising structural engineer and the co-founder of a programme producing measurable pipeline change for women in construction makes her one of the most impactful emerging voices in the sector. The TWIC initiative, which she co-created and continues to lead alongside her engineering work, represents exactly the kind of grassroots, practitioner-driven leadership that the construction sector needs alongside top-down policy reform.

36. Nishmin Hallam

Nishmin Hallam is a Director at TTW (Taylor Thomson Whitting), a structural and civil engineering consultancy. She received the 2026 NAWIC NSW Executive Women's Leadership Scholarship, which recognised her more than 20 years of experience in the construction and consulting industry and her leadership contribution to the sector.

The NAWIC NSW scholarship programme has a track record of identifying leaders who go on to significant industry impact. Previous recipients have included leaders at Scentre Group and UTS. Hallam's recognition at this level signals a career trajectory that will place her at the centre of construction industry leadership conversations in the years ahead.

37. Brian Dillon

Brian Dillon is Chief Executive of the Construction Growth Foundation (CGF) in New Zealand, an organisation focused on upskilling and empowering the construction industry's workforce. He was a speaker at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026, discussing CGF's ongoing work to equip the industry's workforce for the challenges of the future.

The CGF plays a critical role in the NZ construction sector's response to workforce development challenges, providing training and support programmes that reach across the industry. In a sector facing worker shortages, skills gaps, and rapid technological change, Dillon's leadership of the foundation addresses those challenges from the workforce development side with a perspective that complements the policy and delivery authority voices on this list.

38. James Laughlin

James Laughlin is a New Zealand-based author, coach, and leadership consultant and the author of Habits of High Performers, a book that has reached bestseller status. He was the closing keynote speaker at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026, speaking directly to the construction industry on the topic of performance habits and how high-performing teams and individuals thrive through clarity, consistency, and self-leadership.

Laughlin's work on high performance habits has particular relevance to construction leadership because the sector has historically underinvested in the personal and organisational habits that distinguish consistently high-performing teams from mediocre ones. His selection as the closing keynote for the Building Institute Aotearoa's flagship conference signals an industry recognition that the performance challenge in construction is as much about individual and team habit as it is about technology or procurement.

39. Gareth Kiernan

Gareth Kiernan is Chief Forecaster and a Director at Infometrics, New Zealand's independent economic forecasting firm. He was a keynote speaker at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026, delivering what the conference programme described as a hard look at New Zealand's construction productivity, unpacking where the sector stands, what is holding it back, and what structural shifts could unlock a more productive and sustainable future.

Kiernan's role at Infometrics, which provides independent economic analysis to a wide range of public and private sector organisations, gives him a credibility and independence in construction productivity commentary that pure industry insiders cannot replicate. His willingness to engage directly with construction practitioners reflects the kind of practitioner-facing economist voice that changes the quality of the industry's own strategic conversation.

40. Janine Branje

Janine Branje is General Manager at Hush Interiors, a New Zealand interior construction specialist, and a keynote speaker at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026. Her contribution to the conference programme was described as merging her leadership experience in interior construction with a personal journey of resilience and advocacy, reminding the industry that leadership often begins with vulnerability and purpose.

Branje represents a category of construction leader that is underrepresented in most industry forums: the senior woman in a specialist contractor role who brings both commercial delivery experience and a personal narrative that makes the human side of construction leadership visible. Her selection as a keynote at the Building Institute Aotearoa's annual conference signals a growing recognition that the industry needs voices who make leadership feel personal and accessible, not just strategic and technical.

Category 8: Sustainability, Policy, and Cross-Sector Advocates

The leaders connecting construction to the broader sustainability, policy, and social impact conversations are shaping the context in which the industry operates for the next generation.

41. Alison Scotland

Alison Scotland is CEO of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), the peak body for sustainable built environment policy in Australia. She was quoted in Master Builders Australia's July 2025 statement on construction industry standards, arguing for free and easy access to building standards to ensure the construction industry has the skills and capability to deliver buildings that meet sustainability requirements.

ASBEC represents the full spectrum of organisations working on sustainable built environment outcomes in Australia, from architects and engineers to builders and sustainability consultants. Scotland's leadership of this coalition places her at the intersection of construction, environmental policy, and the regulatory environment, and her advocacy for standards accessibility directly addresses one of the practical barriers to sustainability adoption by smaller construction firms.

42. Jon Sinclair

Jon Sinclair is Digital Service Director at Preformance Technologies, part of the Southbase Group in New Zealand, and a keynote speaker at BuildUP26 in Christchurch in March 2026. He presented on how AI, robotics, automation, and digital innovation can lift both performance and productivity in construction, using real-life examples to illustrate what the rapidly evolving technology landscape means for NZ contractors.

Preformance Technologies operates at the intersection of construction and technology from within New Zealand's construction sector. Sinclair's role there gives him practical, operational credibility when discussing digital transformation. His willingness to share real examples of what AI and automation are actually delivering on NZ construction projects, rather than simply presenting possibilities, reflects the kind of practitioner leadership that changes minds.

43. Pat Sowry

Pat Sowry serves as First Assistant Secretary Infrastructure at the Department of Defence Australia, responsible for the infrastructure investment program that supports Australia's defence capability. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, representing one of Australia's largest single government clients for construction.

Defence infrastructure represents a significant and growing share of Australia's construction pipeline. The ADF's infrastructure modernisation program, driven by AUKUS and a broader strategic defence capability expansion, is creating substantial construction workload that will require sustained workforce capability and cultural performance over the medium term. Sowry's leadership of that program makes him a key figure in shaping how a major government client manages large-scale construction delivery.

44. David Murphy

David Murphy is Director of Transformation and Innovation at the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (VIDA), responsible for driving improvement in how Victoria delivers its major infrastructure program. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026.

VIDA has been one of the most active government authorities in Australia in terms of implementing digital engineering standards, cultural reform through procurement, and workforce development initiatives. Murphy's transformation and innovation role positions him as one of the key internal change agents in a government authority whose decisions affect the working conditions and technology adoption of thousands of construction workers across Victoria's Big Build program.

45. Dan Humphries

Dan Humphries is Regional HSE Manager for Queensland at Multiplex, one of Australia's most prominent tier one contractors. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, contributing to conversations about health, safety, and environment management in large-scale construction.

Humphries represents the HSE leadership perspective from within a major contractor, a critically important voice in the construction leadership conversation. The shift from compliance-based safety management to genuinely leadership-driven safety culture is one of the most important transformations underway in Australian construction. The people leading it from within Multiplex-scale organisations are doing the hardest and most consequential work of that transformation.

46. Claudelle Taylor

Claudelle Taylor is ICT General Manager for Innovation Integration at CIMIC Group and CIO of IDD Tech, CIMIC's technology subsidiary. She was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, representing the technology leadership perspective from within one of Australia's largest construction and engineering conglomerates.

CIMIC Group includes CPB Contractors, UGL, and Pacific Partnerships and is one of the largest construction and engineering groups in Australia. Taylor's role at the intersection of corporate ICT leadership and construction technology innovation gives her visibility across the full technology transformation agenda at scale, making her perspective on what is actually working in large-scale construction digitisation particularly valuable.

47. Scott Knight

Scott Knight is General Manager for Victoria and Tasmania at CPB Contractors, CIMIC Group's construction arm and one of Australia's largest infrastructure contractors. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, representing one of the most active tier one infrastructure contractor voices in the current pipeline.

CPB Contractors has been involved in some of Australia's most significant infrastructure projects including the North East Link in Victoria, the Sydney Metro program, and the Inland Rail project. Knight's general management role at the state level places him at the operational centre of how CPB delivers its projects in the Victorian market.

48. Julian Proud

Julian Proud is State Construction Manager for Tasmania at Hansen Yuncken, a national construction contractor. He was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, representing the perspective of the regional state-level construction manager rather than a national executive.

Proud's role in Tasmania is a reminder that construction leadership in Australia and New Zealand is not only a capital city story. Tasmania's construction market has its own dynamics, including a smaller pool of contractors and a regional economic context that differs substantially from the major urban markets. His participation in FCON26 signals that regional construction leadership perspectives deserve to sit alongside national and metropolitan voices.

49. Grace Mason

Grace Mason is Senior Manager of Information Management at Clough, a major Australian engineering and construction contractor operating across energy, minerals, and industrial projects. She was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, contributing to the information management and digital engineering stream of the conference.

Information management at the level that Mason practises it at Clough is one of the critical enabling disciplines for construction's digital transformation. Her role involves ensuring that the data, documents, and digital assets created across complex, multi-site projects are structured, stored, and made accessible in ways that support decision-making at every project level. Her willingness to engage publicly at events like FCON reflects the growing recognition that information management is a leadership function, not just a technical one.

50. Dominique Gill

Dominique Gill is Managing Director of Urban Core, a specialist construction and project management firm in Australia. She was a speaker at FCON26 in Brisbane in May 2026, contributing to conversations about project delivery, leadership, and the future of construction from the perspective of a specialist managing director.

Gill's participation at FCON26 as a managing director of a specialist firm adds a voice to the construction leadership conversation that is often absent from industry forums dominated by tier one contractors and peak body representatives. Her perspective on what it takes to build and sustain a specialist construction business, and the leadership challenges that come with it, is directly relevant to the majority of Australia's construction sector, which operates at this scale rather than at tier one.

Notable Voices We Almost Included

Several people came close to inclusion but did not make the final 50 for reasons of disciplinary overlap or geographic coverage balance. Figures like Adam Grant, Brene Brown, and Simon Sinek appear on most leadership lists regardless of sector context, and their work has shaped thinking across many industries including construction. The deliberate choice here was to move past those household names to surface the voices specific to Australia and New Zealand's construction leadership challenges.

Several MATES in Construction advocates were seriously considered, given the organisation's central role in the mental health conversation in Australian and New Zealand construction. The organisation's national CEO and state-level managers are doing critically important work that deserves greater visibility than most industry forums provide. Strong NZ government infrastructure voices including those from Te Waihanga's broader leadership team were also considered but narrowed to the single most relevant entry to avoid over-representing one organisation.

The commercial building construction leadership space, which has its own cluster of voices around green building, Build-to-Rent delivery, and modular construction, was deliberately underweighted in favour of the civil, infrastructure, and workforce development voices that are most actively driving transformation across the broader industry. A companion list focused specifically on commercial building leadership in ANZ would be a natural complement to this one.

Common Mistakes in Construction Leadership

The most expensive mistake construction organisations make is treating leadership as a positional characteristic rather than a behavioural one. When the assumption is that leadership belongs to whoever holds the title of site manager, project director, or CEO, the organisation systematically underinvests in the thousands of daily leadership moments that actually determine project outcomes, from how a foreman handles a safety concern to how a project manager responds when a subcontractor raises a cash flow problem.

The second common mistake is separating culture from strategy. The evidence from the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce is unambiguous: excessive hours, poor mental health, and a lack of diversity are not just human resources problems. They are performance problems, costing the economy $8 billion annually and driving talent out of the industry faster than the pipeline can replenish it. Treating culture as something separate from the commercial agenda is itself a leadership failure.

A third mistake is underestimating the human dimension of digital transformation. The KPMG Global Construction Survey found that 43.8 per cent of Australian respondents report AI adopted at scale, compared with 24 per cent globally. That figure suggests a gap where ambition is running faster than the cultural and capability conditions needed to turn technology adoption into productivity improvement. The leaders who are successfully digitising construction projects are the ones who invest in people capability first and technology second.

A fourth mistake is conflating diversity commitments with diversity outcomes. The Australian construction sector has made significant commitments around gender diversity, with the ACA's pledge to require 50 per cent of newly appointed board directors to be women and the Government's $60.6 million Building Women's Careers Program both representing real investment. But commitments change culture only when they are accompanied by the day-to-day leadership behaviours that make it possible for diverse people to stay and advance.

A fifth mistake is treating the skills shortage as purely an external constraint. The retention problem in construction is as significant as the recruitment problem, and retention is almost entirely a leadership variable. When people leave construction, they rarely cite a lack of work. They cite exhaustion, being undervalued, unsafe or toxic work environments, and a lack of career development. Each of those is a leadership problem, which means each of them is addressable by leaders who choose to address it.

Implementation Guide: How to Engage with Construction Leadership Thinking

The most effective way to use a list like this is not to read it once and set it aside, but to build a deliberate practice of engaging with the people and ideas on it over time. For construction executives, project directors, safety leaders, or anyone in a position to influence how their organisation develops its leadership capability, the following steps create a framework for translating awareness into action.

First, identify the three to five people on this list whose work is most directly relevant to your current challenge. If your organisation is working on culture change, the CICT researchers and cultural change advocates are your starting point. If digital transformation is your priority, the CTO and digital engineering voices are where to focus. If workforce development is the urgent issue, the NAWIC advocates, the Construction Growth Foundation, and the Building Institute Aotearoa voices are your best entry points.

Second, follow those people on LinkedIn and engage with their content. Most of the people on this list are active and post original content. Following them is a ten-minute investment that pays returns every working day. Third, attend the events where these conversations happen. FCON in Australia, BuildUP in New Zealand, the Sydney Build Expo, and the NAWIC events in both countries are all forums where the ideas on this list are tested, debated, and refined.

Fourth, ask yourself how your organisation's leadership culture compares to the best practices described by these voices. The CICT's Culture Standard provides a practical benchmark for Australian construction organisations. The Building Institute Aotearoa's framework for people, performance, and productivity provides a similar scaffold for NZ organisations. Using those frameworks to audit your own organisation's leadership practices is the most direct way to convert thought leadership awareness into organisational improvement.

If your leadership team needs support to navigate these challenges, from building high-performance team dynamics to improving communication under pressure to facilitating strategic alignment conversations, Jonno White works with construction and infrastructure organisations around the world. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to discuss how a Working Genius workshop, executive offsite, or keynote could support your team's development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes someone a thought leader in construction leadership? A thought leader in construction leadership is someone who generates original ideas, frameworks, or perspectives that change how others in the industry think and act, not just someone who comments on what is already happening. The distinction matters because the industry has no shortage of capable practitioners. What it needs are the people who connect evidence to practice, translate research into usable frameworks, and publicly challenge the assumptions that keep the industry stuck.

How was this list compiled? Every person on this list was selected on three criteria: documented contribution to construction leadership in Australia or New Zealand; active engagement in public discourse through speaking, publishing, or advocacy; and geographic and disciplinary diversity that moves past the most prominent household names to include researchers, practitioners, and advocates from across the full range of construction leadership challenges.

What are the biggest challenges facing construction leaders in Australia and New Zealand right now? The three most pressing challenges are workforce sustainability, culture reform, and digital transformation. Workforce sustainability requires executive-level ownership of retention, safety culture, and leadership development as strategic priorities rather than operational functions. Culture reform requires moving from compliance-based approaches to leadership-driven practices that address the structural causes of excessive hours, poor mental health, and lack of diversity. Digital transformation requires investment in people capability first, so that technology adoption translates into genuine productivity improvement.

Can I hire someone to facilitate leadership workshops or sessions for my construction team? Yes. Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, bestselling author, and leadership consultant who works with leadership teams in construction, infrastructure, and professional services organisations around the world. His workshops on Working Genius, communication styles, and team alignment are particularly well-suited to construction leadership teams managing complex projects, diverse workforces, and high-pressure delivery environments. To book a workshop, keynote, or executive offsite, email jonno@consultclarity.org. International travel is often far more affordable than clients expect, and Jonno works with organisations virtually and in person across Australia, New Zealand, and globally.

What is the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce and why does it matter? The Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT) was established in August 2018 as a collaboration between the Australian Constructors Association and the governments of New South Wales and Victoria, supported by leading workplace researchers. Its objective was to develop a practical Culture Standard for the construction industry to address three structural cultural issues holding back the sector's performance: excessive working hours, poor mental health, and a lack of workforce diversity. The CICT's research found that these cultural failures were costing the Australian economy nearly $8 billion annually. The Culture Standard it produced has now been widely implemented across Australia's major infrastructure projects.

Who are some influential women in construction leadership in Australia and New Zealand? The women making the most significant contributions to construction leadership in Australia and New Zealand in 2026 include Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia; Annabel Crookes, President of the Australian Constructors Association and Director of Legal at Laing O'Rourke; Stephanie Graham, CEO Construction at Lendlease; and Kirsten Magnusson, CEO of Building Institute Aotearoa. A generation of emerging leaders including Isabel Duffy and Nishmin Hallam, both recognised through the 2026 NAWIC NSW Scholarships, are building the next wave of women's leadership in the sector.

Final Thoughts

Construction leadership in Australia and New Zealand is at an inflection point. The sector faces a simultaneous challenge of scale, a pipeline of housing, infrastructure, and industrial projects that will require more workers, more capability, and more leadership than the industry currently possesses, and a structural challenge of sustainability, building organisations that attract and retain diverse talent, maintain genuine cultures of safety and wellbeing, and adapt to technological change quickly enough to remain competitive and productive.

The 50 people on this list represent different parts of the response to those challenges. Some are shaping the policy environment. Others are leading the research. Others are building the organisations and delivery cultures that will actually determine what happens on projects. Together they represent the range of leadership that the construction sector needs to navigate the next decade.

For organisations that want to invest in their own leadership capability, Jonno White works with leadership teams in construction, infrastructure, and related sectors to build the communication, alignment, and team dynamics that translate strategic intent into daily performance. He is the bestselling author of Step Up or Step Out, and host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast, which has featured 230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries.

To discuss how Jonno can support your leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org. Whether virtual or face to face, international travel is often far more affordable than clients expect.

Step Up or Step Out on Amazon

About the Author

Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, bestselling author, and leadership consultant who has worked with schools, corporates, and nonprofits around the world. His book Step Up or Step Out has sold over 10,000 copies globally, and his podcast The Leadership Conversations has featured 230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries. Jonno founded The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders and achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Jonno works globally and regularly travels for speaking and facilitation engagements. Organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than expected.

To book Jonno for your next keynote, workshop, or facilitation session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Next Read: 50 Remarkable Thought Leaders in Rail Construction

Australia and New Zealand's rail construction sector is one of the most active infrastructure segments in both countries, with billions of dollars of projects underway from Cross River Rail to the Sydney Metro to the City Rail Link. If you are interested in the specific leadership challenges of rail infrastructure delivery, the voices shaping how rail construction is planned, procured, and delivered are worth knowing.

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