BMD PRESS FOR PROGRESS – HEAR SIMONE’S STORY

At BMD our business is our people. BMD recognises the importance of gender diversity in the construction industry and believes in the value that different perspectives can add to our business. During an interview series in the lead up to International Women’s Day, find out first hand why our female employees see a career at BMD.

SIMONE SHARES HER STORY FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
GROUP FINANCE MANAGER

I am …

I am one of three siblings, the eldest with two younger brothers. I am now married with two boys aged 10 and 13.

My early years were spent in country New South Wales. We later moved to Queensland where I finished school, university and began my working career.

I have always had an active life and enjoy many sports, but growing up Hockey was my passion until only a couple of years ago. I also enjoyed playing touch football, indoor netball and indoor cricket making it to representative teams for most of these sports.

My family (especially my Dad) instilled into me at a very young age that I could achieve anything in life if I put my mind to it. It is due to this that I decided to become an accountant. I am currently the Group Finance Manager based in our head office in Manly overseeing all the financial reporting and tax compliance for the group nationally, as well as assisting with strategy implementation. My career with BMD started 12 years ago as a financial accountant when the company was still relatively small. It is particularly pleasing to see, and be part of, the company’s growth where we turned over less than $500 million in the year when I started, to now $1.23 billion.

I will #pressforprogress …

To me, press for progress is about influencing others’ beliefs and actions. Influencing is a choice and we can’t take it for granted. It is important to consider what we offer to those around us. In my role, I am responsible for the management of a team made up of 90% women in a male dominated industry. My team members work with diverse people of different gender and cultural backgrounds every day and I see it as my responsibility to provide influence in building relationships. Relationships are in every aspect of our lives and need to be constantly cultivated once established. I am a strong believer in face to face communication to build these relationships. Working on computers every day we often email the person who is sitting next to us. I am a true believer in the importance of removing technology from conversations in order to build these relationships.

I think that influencing also means to be a good listener, to be consistent in communication and to be authentic at all times. It is important to me that I am conscious about the other person when conversing and that my team knows I am approachable.

I believe it is important to lead by example and actively contribute to changing the status quo. Many women don’t believe in themselves. Through my influence and being a role model to others, I hope I empower women around me realise they can do anything they set their mind to. We shouldn’t be put off by statements such as “it’s a men’s world”. Our only limitation is our own fear of failure, or fear of change, so we need to create our own space, niche and opportunities and not be afraid to take them. We all have a role to play and we should do what we can in our sphere of influence to eliminate women working against each other. If women work together as a unified team, this will go a long way to helping create gender equality.

As a Mum of two boys, shaping their beliefs and actions is extremely important to me. The same influencing principals apply to my boys as they do in the workplace. I play an important role in mentoring and teaching my children what is appropriate behaviour including acceptance and respect for women. We don’t want our boys to grow up and not be able to interact in an appropriate manner in society. We want them to appreciate education, see its value and play their role in promoting equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender. I want my boys to know they can achieve whatever they want to and help others, including women, to know this as well. I know they may make mistakes along the way and that is okay. With a solid foundation, this will help with their learning and growing up.

I see a career at BMD because …

BMD’s five core values and how they influence the way in which we all work and live is why I love working at BMD. These values really define our unique culture, and each are important not only at BMD but also in our personal lives. The push for progressing equality can really be achieved by both women and men at BMD if we make these core values part of our everyday life.

I am a determined and driven person and am always striving to do better. I always challenge what I did yesterday or last week to ensure the best outcome is achieved for BMD. However, I am very aware that I cannot do this on my own and I work closely with the entire BMD family through collaboration and empowering those around me so they have the self-belief to come along for the ride as well.

I know based on BMD’s core values and my time at BMD, the sky really is the limit.

If you are interested in a role like Simone, visit our careers page.