HIA has been building a platform for women in our industry, providing support and acknowledgement to women in building. HIA launched its Business Partner Network nearly 20 years ago to recognise the contribution that business partners – who are typically women – make to the success of their businesses and the residential building industry more widely. HIA Managing Director Graham Wolfe says ‘while much has changed in the industry since the launch of the network the industry remains very male-dominated. Only 12 per cent of the industry’s THE INAUGURAL workforce is estimated to be women, leaving EVENT IN VICTORIA enormous scope for the industry to capture the WAS HOSTED BY expertise of women in the workforce.’ REBECCA MADDERN In recent years HIA has recognised a need to expand its endeavours to promote the opportunities for women across the breadth of the residential building industry supply chain. HIA has held various events around the country demonstrating the reality that there should be no limitations on the industry’s perceptions, particularly among men in the industry, of what women can do: we have extremely successful women in HIA’s membership running large and small businesses in manufacturing, design, plumbing and home building. HIA will now be promoting its broader offering of programs to support women in the industry under the Story: Kate Veteri banner ‘HIA Building Women’. The Business Partner Network will now become just one of the suite of from support programs available. HIA Building Women aims toencourage women to enter the industry, support thecareers of women already working in the industry and shift the industry’s male-dominated image. to success The inaugural event in Victoria was hosted by Rebecca Maddern, an award-winning senior journalist, known throughout the sporting and journalism industries for making her career in an industry more male-dominated than building – football. HIA Victoria Executive Director Fiona Nield commented that ‘HIA was so pleased to host the launch of this initiative [in Victoria] with guest speaker Rebecca and a panel of women from our industry’. These included: Colleen May, general manager, May Constructions (chair); Cathy Inglis, general manager technical and innovation, Brickworks; Lana Bonnet, co- owner, L&B Picturesque Painting; Peta Lough, contracts administrator, May Constructions; and Katerina Kapellaki, global interior designer. While the residential building industry is KAITLYN MOORE male-dominated, Fiona AT THEHIAQLD WOMEN says the HIA Building SPEAKER PANEL AT THE VICTORIAN EVENT IN INDUSTRY LUNCH Women event in Victoria demonstrated that there NOVEMBER 2018 HOUSING 83 BUSINESS • HIA BUILDING WOMEN