MPA at NAWIC’s IWD Great Debate: Achieving equity for women in construction 

MPA was a proud supporting partner of The National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) NSW International Women's Day (IWD) Great Debate Luncheon for 2025. It was an insightful afternoon celebrating women in property and construction. This year, the event grew significantly and solidified its place as the 2nd largest NAWIC event of the year. 

A game-changing $30,000 scholarship was presented by Infrastructure NSW to recognise a woman who has made a significant impact on the construction and property industry and demonstrated potential as a future leader. The prestigious scholarship was awarded to engineer Nicole Waterman, Project Leader at Laing O’Rourke, enabling her to enrol in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Global Executive Academy in the United States.  

Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison, commented on this incredible opportunity: “Empowering women leaders plays an essential role in creating long-lasting impact by setting a positive example and inspiring the next generation of women to join the sector.” 

NAWIC NSW Co-President, Atika Anwar, introduced this year’s IWD theme, "March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls" as a call to action for equality, opportunity and empowerment for all, reinforcing NAWIC’s commitment to an inclusive construction industry. NAWIC CEO Cathryn Greville also took the stage, asking the powerful question: "If you aren’t leading inclusively, are you leading at all?" Cathryn shared statistics such as 88% of women experiencing microaggressions in the workplace and 63% seeing no action after reporting them, demonstrating the need for culture change.  

A highlight of the day was of course this year’s Great Debate, tackling the topic: "Bridging the generational gap is crucial to accelerating gender equality progress in the construction sector.” We were incredibly proud to see MPA’s Shameem Bhatti take the stage as a debater, contributing to the important conversations shaping our industry’s future.   

Representing the opposition, Shameem offered that “it is the systemic barriers to gender equality in our industry that are hampering its progress, not the generational differences”, specifying these barriers throughout his argument, backed by plenty of research. He went as far as to argue that the generational stereotypes that were implied in the proposition’s arguments were detrimental and unhelpful in accelerating gender equality in our industry. In the end, Shameem’s Team, the opposition, claimed victory!  

As an industry, we all have a responsibility to step up, challenge the status quo, and create an environment where women don’t just survive—they thrive. 

Here’s to marching forward—together.