Women are thriving in the water industry and these conversations reveal that you don’t have to be an engineer to shape the future of water.
These insight with two women within Interflow demonstrate a powerful sense of purpose and confidence in their roles and their future.
As she knocked on the door of an elderly lady’s house, Interflow’s community relations manager Joanna Rodd had no idea that she was about to experience a memorable moment that clarified the purpose of her role.
“This lady was 94,” Rodd said. “She had lived in her home for 60 years and was lonely and was nervous around project teams on her property. But she sat and had a cup of tea with me and quickly understood that the work we were doing was vital and for her community’s good.”
Rodd had never expected to find her calling in the water infrastructure sector. She originally thought the sector would be a male-dominated space prioritising engineers and tradespeople. However, after three years in her role, she said the experience has been nothing less than transformative.
“Interflow has been phenomenal for me,” she said. “The support I have received here has been nothing short of amazing.”
Interflow chief financial officer Tracy Black said women are well represented at every level of Interflow. Three of eight executive positions are held by women. Around 24 per cent of all project managers are women, too.
That visible female leadership, the very tangible nature of careers for women in a water infrastructure business like Interflow, is an important signifier of future organisational success. It’s also essential for women in the business to see visible examples of where they could progress, Black said.
“When I look at companies, I always look at their executive team,” Black said, who joined the Interflow leadership team in 2022. “For me, it’s a major red flag when I see organisations without any women on their executive team.”
Companies that focus on inclusion and diversity are also more likely to have a welcoming culture that enables people to be their true selves at work. People who have permission to be authentic are happier at work and, therefore, also more productive. They enjoy their work, Black said, and so they do it well.
At Interflow, she said, there has been a conscious and well-designed effort to shift the balance. That has included diversity and inclusion strategies, regular leadership training programs open to all team members, and a gender pay gap that was measured as minus five per cent.
Black said part of the attraction of the water sector is the fact that the results of the work are extremely tangible.
“I’ve worked for businesses where you can’t touch the product,” she said. “But with water, it’s tangible. You know that it’s essential, and people here feel that. There’s a sense of pride that’s contagious.
“So, to young women, I’d say go into a sector where you see people like you succeeding. Then lean into your strengths, always be collaborative and curious, and most importantly, always be yourself.” U
