NAWIC NSW announces leadership scholarship winner

Jua Cilliers, Head of the School of Built Environment at the University of Technology Sydney, has received the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) NSW Executive Women’s Leadership Scholarship.

Established in 2022, the $30,000 scholarship aims to catalyse career growth among female leaders poised to drive change through Australia’s property, construction and infrastructure industries.

“We designed this scholarship to help the next generation of female leaders build the business acumen and skills they need to catapult into positions where they can drive change,” says NAWIC NSW President Georgia Coulston.

“Jua’s application embodies our vision. She is a senior leader who already makes a significant contribution to the industry. This scholarship will help amplify her outstanding work and expand career opportunities for other women in construction.”

The scholarship applicants were assessed by a panel of four judges: Davina Rooney, Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council of Australia; independent infrastructure advisor Chris Lock; and past NAWIC NSW presidents Harriet Oldmeadow, Partner at Baker McKenzie, and Elizabeth Brookes, Partner at Lander & Rogers.

As Head of the School of Built Environment at the University of Technology Sydney, Cilliers established the Women in the Built Environment network, which she aims to expand into a global leadership academy. This academy would foster training, knowledge sharing and connection building.

“Jua has a large global network and can draw on her international experience to advance female participation locally,” Coulston says. “Her vision for an academy is a practical, far-reaching solution that transcends one organisation or one university. It has the potential to drive industry-wide change.”

Ms Cilliers will use the scholarship to attend Harvard Business School’s esteemed Women’s Leadership Forum. She was chosen from a shortlist of four finalists, including Mirvac’s Leonie So, MBM’s Autumn Lu and FDC’s Nadia Henry.

The judges awarded a commendation to Lu for her work driving cultural change in the male-dominated field of quantity surveying. “Autumn is role modelling both technical and managerial excellence and is championing workplace policies that attract and retain female talent,” Coulston says.

The inaugural NAWIC NSW Executive Women’s Leadership Scholarship was awarded in 2023 to Talia Keyes, General Manager for Design with Scentre Group.

“In this second year, we were heartened by the calibre of candidates. It was a close field and we encourage senior women leaders to consider applying for the scholarship in 2025,” Coulston says.