John Deere is helping Awesome Women in Construction (AWIC) celebrate the achievements of women in the construction industry.
It happened over breakfast. Amanda Bulow, along with 14 awesome women, inadvertently lit the spark that would lead to a thriving organisation that empowers women in the construction industry.
Awesome Women in Construction (AWIC), of which Amanda is chief executive officer and founder, has connected thousands of women in Australia’s construction sector since that inaugural 2017 breakfast. The Queensland-based not-for-profit organisation has hosted the AWIC Awards annually since 2021 to further amplify and celebrate the achievements of women in the construction industry. The event will return later this year at Brisbane’s Pullman Hotel on October 10.
“The premise of it was to obviously highlight the contribution that women in construction are making, but I also wanted it to be a little different in that we highlight the employers and male advocates, those people that support us during our careers,” Amanda said.
“It has been amazing to see the strength in the people nominating, and their belief in themselves and their confidence and the strength that their employers and businesses are supporting them.”
Many industry stakeholders support the event, including John Deere, which is returning for the third time as the official AWIC 2025 Awards diamond sponsor. The manufacturer is also sponsoring the Outstanding Women in Machinery award, which celebrates women’s achievements in any machinery-related field. This could include training, operation, or sales of machinery as well as leadership, innovation, or high achievement within their fields.
“Over the next five years, the construction industry needs an additional 250,000 people to be able to meet the infrastructure projects. Less than two per cent of on-site roles are being occupied by women, these roles include operators of construction machinery,” John Deere marketing manager Karen Poulton said.
“The technology in today’s construction machinery helps new operators become really good operators quickly no matter what their background. The AWIC Awards help raise the awareness and the profiles of women in the machinery field.
“AWIC connects women of all ages to the construction industry. From high school students right through to those of us looking for a mid-career change.”
John Deere is one of AWIC’s longstanding corporate partners. It supports its vision of increasing female representation in the construction industry from about 15 per cent in 2024 to 40 per cent by 2040.
Amanda said John Deere’s involvement and contribution to the annual awards was invaluable.
“It has been incredible for us because John Deere is not just national, they are international, which helps us share our message around the globe,” she said.
“Having a business like John Deere on board helps promote that. It is great to have the support of John Deere, they’re genuinely good people, and they enable us to help support the next generation of women in construction.”
Amanda has a background of more than 25 years in residential construction as a procurement and estimating specialist. One of her proudest achievements is how AWIC has grown.
Following the initial networking breakfast in March 2017, 48 women attended three months later, and the organisation has continued to grow ever since. AWIC welcomed 511 people to its International Women’s Day lunch earlier this year.
AWIC hosts roadshows in regional areas of Queensland with school students to demonstrate available roles in the construction industry. It also hosts industry-led site visits, factory tours, and other “out of the box” opportunities to help end the underrepresentation of women in the construction industry.
“When we take a step back and reflect, that is some significant growth in eight years. The industry was missing that connection, and we’ve been able to provide that connection and support,” Amanda said.
“We have a lot of contacts in the construction community, and when we see people wanting to enter the industry, we can help connect them. That network is, as they say, your net worth, and it also allows you to know what else is out there in your industry.
“The awards have become a great event, and for the award winners, in many cases, it has accelerated and amplified their careers and has given them a confidence boost.”
The AWIC 2025 Awards nominations are now open and close Friday, August 1, 2025, for full details on each of the categories, visit the AWIC’s website. •
For more information visit awic.org.au
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