Decarbonising the built environment demands faster action while also demanding fairer outcomes. In this conversation, sustainability leader María Fernández reflects on what it takes to cut embodied carbon at scale while embedding social equity, opening up new pathways into construction and sustaining the people driving change. From low-carbon materials to neurodiverse pathways and cross-generational collaboration, this is a practical look at how the industry can deliver net zero without leaving people behind.
Decarbonising construction without leaving people behind
How sustainability, social equity and skills are being reframed as inseparable forces shaping the future of the built environment.
20 April 2026
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Nexus, Publish By GHD.
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Where ideas connect.
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Hi, I'm Steve
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Scott, your host, and teach Communities
lead for mayor.
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And I'll be in conversation today
with Maria Fernandez,
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head of Sustainability at multiplex
in the UK.
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Today we explore the subject
of sustainability in contractor work
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and how this relates to and influences
the future of work and legacy
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this generation leaves behind
for future generations.
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Maria, thank you for joining me today.
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Perhaps a good place to start
the discussion is to set some context, and
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I guess we picked this up
from great conversations and compasses
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and things that we've been through.
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I guess the starting point is
we know that decarbonization of the built
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environment is one of the next or current
biggest challenges
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facing the development sector, it
to achieve net zero targets.
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So that that's one
I think coming out of Cop 28,
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this agenda was significantly elevated.
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And it was also very clear that the pace
of change need increased exponentially.
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We need to do this much faster.
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The clock is ticking
and as we deliberate in waste time,
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the planet's going to send us more
and more or bigger, bigger invoices.
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So there's a pace
that we need to pick up here.
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And then I think there's a view
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that certainly we are driving to pick up
quite significantly, which is around.
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We all need to change our perceptions
and behaviors around net
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zero and the net zero
challenge decarbonization.
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And our recent Crawford Report
demonstrates that every generation
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is looking at this in a different way,
with different drivers,
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different expectations
and concerns around, you know,
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how we go about the net zero
transition journey
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and what it will mean for them
and their communities, etc..
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So within that context, clearly ESG
sustainability is driving a sector
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and you're personally
driving sustainability within Multipacks.
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I wonder if you could share with us
how this driver is changing
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both the developer contract
to sector as a whole.
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And I guess the way that multiplex
is approaching the market as well.
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So Maria, maybe over to you.
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Thank you for the introduction
and the context.
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Steph, I'm
delighted to be speaking with you today.
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We are known for shaping a skylines
and delivering iconic projects
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around the world, and we have delivered
over 1100 projects around the world today.
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Our purpose is simple
to construct a better future,
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and what that means for us is a better
future where opportunities are harnessed
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and where people, project, community
and industry reach their full potential.
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And as you mention, ESG is embedded
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in our global business,
and we focus our efforts on five core
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principles
environment, people, communities,
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partnerships and governance,
and operational excellence.
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And at a local level in the UK, where
I'm based, 2021 was a key year for us.
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We launched the one,
the Cato Act, our pathway to net zero one.
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The Cato Act sets out the actions
that we will undertake this decade
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to help our operations
achieve net zero by 2050,
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and that includes our supply
chain emissions under one decade to act,
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we have five goals
zero on site emissions by 2025,
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50% reduction in embodied carbon
intensity by 2030,
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net zero carbon building operations
by 2030, zero transport
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emissions
by 2030, and zero avoidable waste by 2030.
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So you can see lots to do this decade.
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And though I mentioned that we launch
when they get to 2021, that was followed
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shortly after by our social equity
strategy, Leave No One Behind.
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We acknowledge that we cannot look
at environmental issues without addressing
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social matters
and ensuring a just transition for all.
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Our social equity strategy
focuses on four key pillars health,
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safety and wellbeing.
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Diversity and inclusion, socioeconomic
value and respecting our communities.
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And the work that we deliver
as part of this strategy is really broad
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and it includes things like
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addressing our physical and mental health,
not just for our direct staff,
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but also for those that come to our sites
every day to work, working towards
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closing our own gender pay gap,
encouraging women and ethnically diverse
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representation at all levels, tackling
modern slavery across our supply chain.
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Volunteering, fundraising, delivering
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positive outcomes in our projects,
local procurement training.
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Employment opportunities.
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Lots and lots and lots of good stuff,
but I think probably is
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better if I stop here as I have been like
I've been talking for a while,
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but I'm very interesting
because I think the two strategies
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that you mentioned,
there are a clear call to action.
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Like you said, there's so much
it sets out.
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You listed a number of the targets
that may be quite interesting to know.
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You know, kind of in the early years,
how are you seeing the ramp up
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or the embedding of that strategy
and the targets in your business, and
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maybe how you kind of report against sex?
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I guess it's global level.
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It's not just regional level.
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I'm happy to give you a few examples.
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I know I said I love about our commitments
and a little bit
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more like fluffier stuff,
but it's actually important to show
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how those things
get actually put into practice.
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So if I think on the carbon perspective
for example, one of our projects
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in London, Banks Ideas building two,
that is a 50 stories, 260 apartment tower,
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a native land sparks ideas
which for those of you who know London,
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that is on the south bank of the River
Thames, we've collaborated with act two,
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our structural engineer,
calibrate our supply chain
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and other partners to deliver
cutting edge, low carbon, both station
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concrete floor slabs
for the superstructure.
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This strand,
which was manufactured by seltzer Group,
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is actually the first of its kind
to be used in the UK,
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and it uses a much higher volume
of recycled scrap metal materials,
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with a significantly lower carbon impact
compared with traditional pedestrian.
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And this was through smart engineering
and the adoption of this
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low carbon pedestrian.
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But we actually reduce an impressive 184
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tonnes of CO2
in the structure of these building.
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And then if I give you another example
as well, in the City of London,
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unfortunately this time
I cannot name the project yet, but
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we achieved a 47% reduction
on embodied carbon
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within the structural on
from compared to the stage three design.
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So that went from 176kg of CO2
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per square meter to 94kg of CO2
per square meter.
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And that is for stages A one, two,
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eight, three,
which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.
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We got there through
a number of interventions or initiatives.
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So for example introducing reused steel
carbon safe through electric
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our furnace procuring large quantities
of ArcelorMittal x carbon steel material,
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optimized steel grades in columns
and a few other things.
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So you can see here
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that collaboration and early integration
are really important for this.
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But please do not ask me
about the detail of all of this,
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or I'll have to get
my head of engineering in
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to give you, like, the detail of all
the calculations that they went through.
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And so I would like to start with
our neurodiverse work experience program.
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So my team, the Social Value Team,
created this bespoke work
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experience program during Covid.
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Actually in collaboration
with a charity called Think Forward
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and Think for what they do is they support
students with mild to moderate learning
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difficulties as they get through school
and into the world of work.
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To put this into context,
in terms of neurodiversity, there was a UK
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construction news
article towards the end of last year
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and it was highlighting
the National Federation of Builders,
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and they stated that
a quarter of construction workers
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consider themselves to be neurodiverse,
which is higher than that
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of the average general public,
which estimates that is, 1 in 7
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individuals
will have a neurodiverse condition.
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However, those who responded to the survey
did paint a very positive picture
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of the construction industry,
with 67% saying that they believe
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the sector was able
to support neurodiverse workers.
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So if I go back to this program,
the programing Cluded eight one hour
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long interactive sessions
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that were led by different
technical leaders within multiplex.
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And so, for example, our former
head of temporary works challenged
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the students to build
the tallest structure they could manage to
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with three pieces of paper or a bridge
using four pieces of paper.
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And I'm pretty sure you will like this
one, because our head of planning designed
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a program for how to make a cup of tea,
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which cannot get
any more stereotypical than that.
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But he described
how you could plan to make a cup of tea
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with each decision
making process included.
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So they are going to fill the kettle.
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You can see there if it's only for you,
or if more people would like a cup of tea,
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how do you prefer it? Weak or strong?
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And then what they ask is
like to the students, now you go at home,
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make a cup of tea and write
every step that you went through.
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So then I was a very visual
and obvious day to day
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example of like, what do we actually do
for construction programs?
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Yeah, but as part of this cohort,
we also highlighted
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the many different areas
that are available across the industry.
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And some of my colleagues within multiplex
who have learning difficulties
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openly share their stories
of how they had overcome
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challenges in the workplace
and to get to their current position
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and the support that is actually available
at work for them to thrive in the roles
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for the finale, the students were tasked
with presented the Dream Home
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Project to the group in any format
that they felt comfortable with.
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Some people use Lego
that was quite popular, others
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used Minecraft,
others just drew on a piece of paper.
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They were all encouraged to be creative.
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There was no right
or wrong way of sharing their projects,
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as the focus of the program was always
on having fun and enjoying the learnings
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as they were going through.
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And this, I have to
say, was a particularly rewarding project,
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like seeing the evolution
of those students in just eight weeks
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from their first session to their last,
gaining confidence as they went through.
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And some have actually continued to go on
to college because of this program.
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And we've continued that collaboration.
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We think for where repeating this program
since the fifth day
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around the social space and the diversity,
that's one thing.
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The ADHD, we're very strong on promoting
all the time is the diversity
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in the organization
kind of fits through in terms
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of it's
very much because of diversity of thought.
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You know, in your example
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of getting students to do some task
to seeing how everyone approached it.
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I guess we did something quite similar
at one of our recent
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sort of young professional gatherings
where it was build a bridge with sticks in
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the other and,
you know, you kind of think, well,
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that's quite a straightforward
oh, but everyone approaches it
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from a different angle, and the range of
solutions it came out was just immense.
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So that whole sort of diversity
of opinion,
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thought workforce
bringing that into a sector.
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Great.
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I think also harnessing that diversity
of thought and perspective
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in terms of our clients
and what communities are wanting
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out of the sorts of projects
that we work on is great.
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I'm also put in mind a little bit around
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going back to the challenge
in the task of decarbonization.
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There's a massive sort of build program,
repurposing program,
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if you like, around how do we decarbonize
the built environment.
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And I guess we pick up a lot of discussion
around skill shortages.
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You know, the construction sector,
development sector.
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It struggles with certain skill
sets to get people involved.
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And I just want to kind of what multiplex
his perspective of that is, you know,
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how can we get more people
engaged with the sector, get young people
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wanting to be tradespeople,
to be in construction?
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I mean, how are some of these initiatives
sort of translating into
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you actually getting people
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through the door, through the side doors
to face up to the challenge
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that we've got?
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I think, to be honest, that is one of the
biggest challenges at the moment.
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I would put it into,
as you mentioned, diversity
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and diversity of thought,
but also like representation,
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like people having role models
that they could look up to.
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Then like when we look at the construction
industry, there is such a broad
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range of roles for people.
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And yes, we have a skill shortages on site
in terms of like the workforce.
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But there is also like different avenues
into the construction industry.
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Like for example,
data is like we've currently hired.
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As of last year, we hired a couple
of data apprentices who's come in now.
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They are like on demand is like
everybody wants to work for them
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because they are great.
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But then I think like opening up
construction to others
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is like bringing those opportunities.
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And I think the team does so much work
for like really early school age
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of like bringing people into the sites
because usually
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it's like
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you may be walking around any city,
you see, a whole thing is like
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what is happening behind?
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Nobody knows unless you see
a tiger crane lift in something,
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but it's like you are doing
fitout works inside.
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It's all hidden.
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So like understanding that something
that I'm personally very proud of,
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which led me to work in construction,
is that legacy piece is like you are
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you are walking around the city
where you deliver that project
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and you say like, oh, I work
there is like, I know, like
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and then you have like good stories
from your time going for that.
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And that I think is like those small wins
and like smaller stories,
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like personal stories
that help to bring people in.
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So last year, the team did a very large
number of, school engagements and things.
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Over 4000 students were engaged
across our projects in London.
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We also offer work experience placements.
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So and last summer I have someone within
the sustainability team for five weeks
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just understanding like what we do
and like you learn from different aspects,
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MBA structures.
0;13;26;05 - 00;13;27;06
It's not just like
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all, all is linked to climate change,
but it's not just about managing
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environmental side.
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We every year we recruit graduates
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for more like that management level
but come for like experience.
0;13;37;08 - 00;13;42;15
And now we are organizing secondments
for those graduates with our supply chain
0;13;42;18 - 00;13;46;01
so that they actually see,
like what needs to get done on site.
0;13;46;07 - 00;13;50;00
And then the challenge of bringing
new entrants, roles and apprentices.
0;13;50;07 - 00;13;53;23
To be absolutely honest,
sometimes we struggle to bring people in.
0;13;53;26 - 00;13;57;04
And it's also like
sometimes people come to construction.
0;13;57;07 - 00;14;00;07
There's like, I'm really sorry,
this is not for me.
0;14;00;10 - 00;14;01;15
So it's like finding
0;14;01;15 - 00;14;05;20
like those talent pools of like people
who are motivated and want to do it.
0;14;05;22 - 00;14;07;27
But I think it is
one of the biggest challenges
0;14;07;27 - 00;14;11;08
that we are facing
and will be facing in the coming years.
0;14;11;16 - 00;14;11;26
Yeah.
0;14;11;26 - 00;14;14;25
But I think the point you made around,
you know, just like data
0;14;14;28 - 00;14;16;16
people, data scientists, it's
0;14;16;16 - 00;14;20;07
very, very interesting because, you know,
I think part of that skill shortage
0;14;20;14 - 00;14;24;07
addressed in that has to be around
changing the perceptions of the sector.
0;14;24;13 - 00;14;28;22
People have a view of what construction's
like and is probably out of date
0;14;28;26 - 00;14;29;22
and a bit misled.
0;14;29;22 - 00;14;35;22
So I think that aspect of really looking
at kind of the new skills that are needed
0;14;35;25 - 00;14;40;22
and what a nontraditional construction
skills can play within the sector.
0;14;40;25 - 00;14;45;08
I think all part of reinventing
I think the sector and hopefully kind of
0;14;45;16 - 00;14;49;01
bringing some of those gaps
and giving the net zero decarbonization
0;14;49;04 - 00;14;52;04
of the built environment
a bit of a turbo boost.
0;14;52;07 - 00;14;56;03
I want you to turn to something that,
you know, we've discussed in the past,
0;14;56;06 - 00;14;59;15
and that is when we both work
for global companies.
0;14;59;20 - 00;15;03;02
So, you know, have a view across
a number of different jurisdictions.
0;15;03;05 - 00;15;06;23
And are you saying there's different views
on sustainability
0;15;07;04 - 00;15;10;28
within the sector in different kind
of regional parts of the business?
0;15;11;01 - 00;15;14;21
So, you know, whether that's multiplex
business or just different geographies.
0;15;14;24 - 00;15;18;20
But again, picking up from places like Cop
and others,
0;15;18;23 - 00;15;22;10
the conferences, you know, everyone's
at a slightly different position on this.
0;15;22;12 - 00;15;26;22
So I just wondered what your sort of take
was in terms of how the sustainability
0;15;26;25 - 00;15;31;05
drivers play in across different regions,
because, again, that sort of research
0;15;31;08 - 00;15;35;05
from from the cross road study
demonstrates very much with that
0;15;35;20 - 00;15;40;21
in different countries, there's different
sort of levels of optimism or pessimism
0;15;40;24 - 00;15;44;09
around, you know, will we be able
to decarbonize the built environment?
0;15;44;12 - 00;15;46;17
Will we achieve our net zero targets.
0;15;46;17 - 00;15;49;23
So yeah, just wanted,
you know, your observation of that,
0;15;49;26 - 00;15;53;16
that kind of global perspective,
you know, how we deal with that.
0;15;54;01 - 00;15;56;05
Yeah, absolutely.
I think you were spot on.
0;15;56;05 - 00;16;00;29
There is very different levels
of understanding but also of materiality.
0;16;01;02 - 00;16;03;00
Priorities across the globe.
0;16;03;00 - 00;16;07;29
So for us in multiplex, we operate mostly
in the UK, Australia and Canada.
0;16;08;11 - 00;16;11;06
As a business
we have a globally as you strategy.
0;16;11;06 - 00;16;14;09
And that is broad enough
so that it allows for it to be amended
0;16;14;12 - 00;16;17;25
by each region so that it can address
the more material topics.
0;16;17;28 - 00;16;21;17
And we can be almost as ambitious
as we want at the regional level.
0;16;21;28 - 00;16;24;29
But then, for example,
there are several things that Canada
0;16;25;02 - 00;16;29;05
and Australia are leading on, like their
engagement with indigenous populations,
0;16;29;13 - 00;16;30;20
First Nations.
0;16;30;23 - 00;16;34;02
That is something
that is not material for us in the UK,
0;16;34;07 - 00;16;37;22
but their engagement projects
are transferable to other areas of work.
0;16;37;25 - 00;16;41;00
So if we think, for example,
of underrepresented groups,
0;16;41;07 - 00;16;42;29
their engagement and representation.
0;16;42;29 - 00;16;45;25
So there is still lessons
that we can learn from that.
0;16;45;28 - 00;16;47;07
But then in the UK
0;16;47;07 - 00;16;51;03
we are miles ahead, in my opinion,
in the work that we are doing to quantify
0;16;51;06 - 00;16;55;09
and reduce upfront carbon
and how we approach at multiplex our work,
0;16;55;12 - 00;16;59;11
we need proposals with alternative
technical solutions to optimize.
0;16;59;14 - 00;17;00;04
For example,
0;17;00;04 - 00;17;04;09
our structures, as I mentioned earlier,
is something that the team share globally.
0;17;04;12 - 00;17;08;03
As an example of best practice,
I mentioned earlier the data apprentices,
0;17;08;06 - 00;17;11;28
but we are a data driven region
and talking about carbon.
0;17;12;01 - 00;17;16;05
We've had our data validated to ISO 14,064
0;17;16;08 - 00;17;18;23
to a reasonable level of assurance
for a number of years.
0;17;18;26 - 00;17;21;27
So there are a lot of lessons
that we have learned in that journey
0;17;22;00 - 00;17;25;20
that we can share with our colleagues
for them to reach at the same level.
0;17;25;26 - 00;17;30;07
So I feel like that sharing knowledge
and collaboration is very important.
0;17;30;10 - 00;17;33;24
There is lots to be learned
from everyone, everywhere, and certainly
0;17;33;27 - 00;17;36;27
like working for a global business
brings that advantage
0;17;37;00 - 00;17;40;26
to share and get knowledge
in different areas from the experts.
0;17;41;04 - 00;17;42;19
But I have to be honest as well.
0;17;42;19 - 00;17;44;13
In a post-pandemic world, it's
0;17;44;13 - 00;17;48;03
very easy to connect for teams
cause with teams around the world.
0;17;48;11 - 00;17;51;27
But that in-person connection
cannot be underestimated.
0;17;52;09 - 00;17;54;21
As a business, we promote global mobility.
0;17;54;24 - 00;17;58;08
So myself, I worked in our Toronto office
for two and a half years,
0;17;58;18 - 00;18;01;17
and so that connection that I have
with the team in Canada is something
0;18;01;20 - 00;18;05;08
that will naturally lead me
to share information with them anyway,
0;18;05;14 - 00;18;10;12
understand their priorities,
and then be able to find those synergies.
0;18;10;22 - 00;18;15;03
That's great to hear, and I'm kind of
conscious of the time we have together.
0;18;15;06 - 00;18;19;01
So I kind of move to that final question,
which is hopefully
0;18;19;04 - 00;18;22;23
you won't mind getting a little bit
more personal again with reference.
0;18;22;26 - 00;18;24;16
Back to our research.
0;18;24;19 - 00;18;26;10
What we've seen very clearly is different
0;18;26;10 - 00;18;29;16
generations are exhibiting
different levels of optimism, them
0;18;29;19 - 00;18;33;14
about the future legacy
that we're going to leave it generations.
0;18;33;17 - 00;18;37;00
I guess I'm interested to know,
like where you would sit on that glass,
0;18;37;03 - 00;18;41;18
half full, glass half empty from,
you know, your sustainability standpoint
0;18;41;21 - 00;18;45;16
and linked to that is just a reflection
on on personal resilience.
0;18;45;19 - 00;18;49;16
Because I imagine
and we expect I've experienced it myself.
0;18;50;02 - 00;18;54;12
You know, when you are trying to lead
an element of change within an industry,
0;18;54;15 - 00;18;57;02
there's,
you know, there's successes and failures
0;18;57;02 - 00;19;00;03
and there's brick walls
that you hit your head against.
0;19;00;06 - 00;19;04;10
So yeah, the optimistically
it goes our forecast of empty.
0;19;04;13 - 00;19;07;03
And, you know,
how do you manage that personal resilience
0;19;07;03 - 00;19;09;15
and keep the momentum and the smile going.
0;19;09;17 - 00;19;11;27
Yeah, absolutely. Glass full.
0;19;12;00 - 00;19;13;15
Not even like half full glass.
0;19;14;15 - 00;19;16;01
I think it would be really difficult
0;19;16;01 - 00;19;19;07
for me to work in sustainability
if I was any mistake.
0;19;19;10 - 00;19;22;20
I think it is very important
to keep positive despite the news.
0;19;23;00 - 00;19;26;22
2023 was the hottest year on record, 2024
could be much worse.
0;19;26;25 - 00;19;30;12
We are getting close to that
tipping point, but like you mentioned,
0;19;30;15 - 00;19;33;29
the generational changes
and the different level of optimism.
0;19;34;08 - 00;19;36;29
I find the strength and motivation
from my team,
0;19;36;29 - 00;19;40;06
the passion that comes from younger
generations is second to none.
0;19;40;09 - 00;19;42;28
And I think that
that cross-generational teamwork
0;19;43;01 - 00;19;45;17
help us all in our continuous
learning experience.
0;19;45;20 - 00;19;49;16
Looking at the people I work with, they
know the potential of the work that we do,
0;19;49;21 - 00;19;53;28
the potential they have to shape
the future of our industry, delivering
0;19;54;01 - 00;19;58;07
on our purpose to actually, as I mentioned
earlier, to construct a better future.
0;19;58;19 - 00;20;01;01
And if someone is not moved
by their passion,
0;20;01;01 - 00;20;04;10
I don't know how like I can,
I can say, yeah,
0;20;04;16 - 00;20;07;21
but I also have to say that it is
not always easy.
0;20;08;03 - 00;20;11;24
Sometimes, as you mentioned,
we battle the frustrations like litany,
0;20;11;27 - 00;20;15;08
like we proposed changes that could,
for example, futureproof a building
0;20;15;19 - 00;20;18;22
on a client says,
no, yeah, the cost programing part
0;20;18;25 - 00;20;20;09
that I'm not willing to take.
0;20;20;12 - 00;20;22;08
But we or if I think
0;20;22;08 - 00;20;25;19
about like the human side of things,
someone come asking for help
0;20;26;00 - 00;20;29;00
through their employer
and we cannot support them at that time.
0;20;29;11 - 00;20;31;26
Like it is a lot of weight to carry.
0;20;31;29 - 00;20;35;12
And I think, well,
I think no, I'm sure it has the potential
0;20;35;15 - 00;20;40;06
to impact our wellbeing in and out of work
and our mental health.
0;20;40;16 - 00;20;44;16
Someone told me that the top six skills
for a sustainability professional,
0;20;44;19 - 00;20;45;25
whether if they are a chief
0;20;45;25 - 00;20;49;22
sustainability officer
or they are in any other corporate role,
0;20;49;25 - 00;20;53;24
emotional intelligence business
knowledge, technical knowledge
0;20;54;05 - 00;20;57;19
building,
collaboration, vision and resilience.
0;20;58;02 - 00;21;01;10
And I think I see it's important
to understand those business scenarios,
0;21;01;13 - 00;21;05;01
conflicting business
priorities, technical details, etc.
0;21;05;14 - 00;21;08;26
I can really not reinforce more
the importance of resilience.
0;21;09;08 - 00;21;12;13
Yeah, certainly been a journey for me,
but I put measures in place
0;21;12;16 - 00;21;13;25
to take care of myself.
0;21;13;28 - 00;21;15;25
I talked to a psychologist frequently.
0;21;15;25 - 00;21;17;21
I speak with a professional coach.
0;21;17;24 - 00;21;20;24
I run that home to my boyfriend
when I'm really frustrated,
0;21;21;01 - 00;21;24;02
but really importantly for me,
I take time off
0;21;24;13 - 00;21;28;14
and I switch off to reflect on
what really matters to me and the journey
0;21;28;17 - 00;21;31;28
we are on and what my personal motivation
is to keep going.
0;21;32;07 - 00;21;36;22
So is like my personal recommendation
when the glass is starting to empty,
0;21;37;07 - 00;21;41;20
is looking straight ahead at the emotions
that whatever situation are making
0;21;41;23 - 00;21;44;26
you feel when there is that frustration
with a project, frustration
0;21;44;29 - 00;21;47;29
with a colleague or consultant,
I don't know who
0;21;48;03 - 00;21;52;01
whatever is happening, being community,
no person is an island.
0;21;52;09 - 00;21;56;16
That could be like talking to colleagues,
family, friends, engaging in volunteering
0;21;56;19 - 00;22;00;17
activities, anything that get that feeling
that we are not alone.
0;22;00;20 - 00;22;05;14
Being nature, there is research showing
the benefits of forest bathing, park
0;22;05;21 - 00;22;09;27
our digital gadgets for a little bit and
enjoy some time just listening to nature.
0;22;10;00 - 00;22;10;25
Walking around.
0;22;10;25 - 00;22;15;05
Go for a swim, anything to get outside
and switch off for a little bit.
0;22;15;12 - 00;22;18;22
And last but not least,
do not pretend if you need help.
0;22;18;26 - 00;22;19;26
We all need help.
0;22;19;29 - 00;22;24;01
Sam points is a very long journey that
we are on, so get that help from others.
0;22;24;04 - 00;22;25;22
Take the time to pause
0;22;25;25 - 00;22;28;25
and then continue delivering on this
amazing journey that we are on.
0;22;29;02 - 00;22;32;02
Thank you for sharing that Maria
and I think that's a lovely place
0;22;32;05 - 00;22;36;06
to leave it because as professionals
we all work very hard and it's stressful.
0;22;36;09 - 00;22;39;19
But yeah, you have to look after
yourself, look after others.
0;22;40;01 - 00;22;41;25
So that's the really nice place
to leave it.
0;22;41;25 - 00;22;44;27
Look, I think we've covered a lot
and there's much more we could go into.
0;22;45;00 - 00;22;48;23
And we've talked about the role of GHD
0;22;48;26 - 00;22;50;08
That's sort of helping
0;22;50;08 - 00;22;53;19
transform our sector at the local level
and at global level.
0;22;53;22 - 00;22;58;16
And you've really eloquently outlined
how multiplex is leading the charge
0;22;58;19 - 00;23;01;26
in a number of vital areas
and really kind of setting
0;23;01;29 - 00;23;05;02
a beacon of light within the sector,
which is absolutely great.
0;23;05;06 - 00;23;08;18
The main takeaway for me
is probably around that generational
0;23;08;21 - 00;23;13;21
outlook that really, you know, has to
permeate the project from start to finish.
0;23;13;24 - 00;23;15;29
And by that
I mean, you know, both within the teams
0;23;15;29 - 00;23;17;27
that we sort of pull together
that different
0;23;17;27 - 00;23;20;28
lenses, those different perspectives,
but equally people
0;23;21;01 - 00;23;23;20
looking into the project
affected by a project
0;23;23;20 - 00;23;27;11
or have an opinion on the project,
I think we do have to move to that
0;23;27;14 - 00;23;31;26
much more inclusive way of
of engaging people within a sector,
0;23;31;29 - 00;23;35;16
whether to work with it to influence and
and inform the sector.
0;23;36;01 - 00;23;39;02
Maria, look, it's
been a pleasure spending time with you.
0;23;39;05 - 00;23;41;26
Look forward
to continuing the conversation
0;23;41;29 - 00;23;44;08
and driving positive change
in our industry.
0;23;44;11 - 00;23;45;13
Thank you once again to our listeners.
0;23;46;08 - 00;23;49;07
And until next time, please take care
and look after yourselves.
0;23;49;10 - 00;23;49;28
Thank you.
0;23;50;01 - 00;23;51;09
Thank you Steve.
0;23;55;26 - 00;23;58;26
Brought to you by Nexus, Publish By GHD.
0;23;59;04 - 00;24;00;10
Where ideas connect
Nexus, Publish By GHD.
0;00;04;08 - 00;00;05;27
Where ideas connect.
0;00;08;19 - 00;00;09;13
Hi, I'm Steve
0;00;09;13 - 00;00;12;15
Scott, your host, and teach Communities
lead for mayor.
0;00;12;21 - 00;00;15;15
And I'll be in conversation today
with Maria Fernandez,
0;00;15;15 - 00;00;18;08
head of Sustainability at multiplex
in the UK.
0;00;18;11 - 00;00;22;11
Today we explore the subject
of sustainability in contractor work
0;00;22;14 - 00;00;26;03
and how this relates to and influences
the future of work and legacy
0;00;26;06 - 00;00;29;06
this generation leaves behind
for future generations.
0;00;29;13 - 00;00;31;08
Maria, thank you for joining me today.
0;00;31;11 - 00;00;35;26
Perhaps a good place to start
the discussion is to set some context, and
0;00;35;29 - 00;00;40;06
I guess we picked this up
from great conversations and compasses
0;00;40;09 - 00;00;41;17
and things that we've been through.
0;00;41;17 - 00;00;45;15
I guess the starting point is
we know that decarbonization of the built
0;00;45;18 - 00;00;49;23
environment is one of the next or current
biggest challenges
0;00;49;26 - 00;00;53;21
facing the development sector, it
to achieve net zero targets.
0;00;53;24 - 00;00;57;05
So that that's one
I think coming out of Cop 28,
0;00;57;08 - 00;01;00;16
this agenda was significantly elevated.
0;01;00;19 - 00;01;05;05
And it was also very clear that the pace
of change need increased exponentially.
0;01;05;08 - 00;01;06;27
We need to do this much faster.
0;01;06;27 - 00;01;09;29
The clock is ticking
and as we deliberate in waste time,
0;01;10;02 - 00;01;13;21
the planet's going to send us more
and more or bigger, bigger invoices.
0;01;13;24 - 00;01;15;28
So there's a pace
that we need to pick up here.
0;01;16;01 - 00;01;17;15
And then I think there's a view
0;01;17;15 - 00;01;21;09
that certainly we are driving to pick up
quite significantly, which is around.
0;01;21;12 - 00;01;24;09
We all need to change our perceptions
and behaviors around net
0;01;24;12 - 00;01;27;08
zero and the net zero
challenge decarbonization.
0;01;27;11 - 00;01;31;21
And our recent Crawford Report
demonstrates that every generation
0;01;31;24 - 00;01;35;01
is looking at this in a different way,
with different drivers,
0;01;35;04 - 00;01;38;06
different expectations
and concerns around, you know,
0;01;38;09 - 00;01;40;22
how we go about the net zero
transition journey
0;01;40;22 - 00;01;44;09
and what it will mean for them
and their communities, etc..
0;01;44;12 - 00;01;49;17
So within that context, clearly ESG
sustainability is driving a sector
0;01;49;20 - 00;01;54;00
and you're personally
driving sustainability within Multipacks.
0;01;54;03 - 00;01;57;17
I wonder if you could share with us
how this driver is changing
0;01;57;20 - 00;02;00;22
both the developer contract
to sector as a whole.
0;02;00;26 - 00;02;04;21
And I guess the way that multiplex
is approaching the market as well.
0;02;04;25 - 00;02;06;09
So Maria, maybe over to you.
0;02;06;12 - 00;02;08;13
Thank you for the introduction
and the context.
0;02;08;13 - 00;02;11;10
Steph, I'm
delighted to be speaking with you today.
0;02;11;13 - 00;02;14;24
We are known for shaping a skylines
and delivering iconic projects
0;02;14;27 - 00;02;19;07
around the world, and we have delivered
over 1100 projects around the world today.
0;02;19;18 - 00;02;22;20
Our purpose is simple
to construct a better future,
0;02;23;00 - 00;02;26;14
and what that means for us is a better
future where opportunities are harnessed
0;02;26;17 - 00;02;31;07
and where people, project, community
and industry reach their full potential.
0;02;31;20 - 00;02;33;15
And as you mention, ESG is embedded
0;02;33;15 - 00;02;37;03
in our global business,
and we focus our efforts on five core
0;02;37;08 - 00;02;41;00
principles
environment, people, communities,
0;02;41;09 - 00;02;44;16
partnerships and governance,
and operational excellence.
0;02;45;01 - 00;02;49;11
And at a local level in the UK, where
I'm based, 2021 was a key year for us.
0;02;49;22 - 00;02;53;10
We launched the one,
the Cato Act, our pathway to net zero one.
0;02;53;13 - 00;02;56;26
The Cato Act sets out the actions
that we will undertake this decade
0;02;56;29 - 00;03;00;19
to help our operations
achieve net zero by 2050,
0;03;01;01 - 00;03;04;21
and that includes our supply
chain emissions under one decade to act,
0;03;04;24 - 00;03;08;23
we have five goals
zero on site emissions by 2025,
0;03;09;01 - 00;03;12;19
50% reduction in embodied carbon
intensity by 2030,
0;03;12;27 - 00;03;16;26
net zero carbon building operations
by 2030, zero transport
0;03;16;29 - 00;03;21;00
emissions
by 2030, and zero avoidable waste by 2030.
0;03;21;09 - 00;03;23;14
So you can see lots to do this decade.
0;03;23;17 - 00;03;27;29
And though I mentioned that we launch
when they get to 2021, that was followed
0;03;28;02 - 00;03;32;08
shortly after by our social equity
strategy, Leave No One Behind.
0;03;32;16 - 00;03;35;25
We acknowledge that we cannot look
at environmental issues without addressing
0;03;35;28 - 00;03;38;28
social matters
and ensuring a just transition for all.
0;03;39;03 - 00;03;42;23
Our social equity strategy
focuses on four key pillars health,
0;03;42;26 - 00;03;43;29
safety and wellbeing.
0;03;44;02 - 00;03;48;27
Diversity and inclusion, socioeconomic
value and respecting our communities.
0;03;49;08 - 00;03;52;13
And the work that we deliver
as part of this strategy is really broad
0;03;52;16 - 00;03;54;02
and it includes things like
0;03;54;05 - 00;03;57;20
addressing our physical and mental health,
not just for our direct staff,
0;03;57;23 - 00;04;01;23
but also for those that come to our sites
every day to work, working towards
0;04;01;26 - 00;04;05;23
closing our own gender pay gap,
encouraging women and ethnically diverse
0;04;05;26 - 00;04;09;23
representation at all levels, tackling
modern slavery across our supply chain.
0;04;10;00 - 00;04;11;25
Volunteering, fundraising, delivering
0;04;11;25 - 00;04;15;05
positive outcomes in our projects,
local procurement training.
0;04;15;08 - 00;04;16;24
Employment opportunities.
0;04;16;27 - 00;04;19;23
Lots and lots and lots of good stuff,
but I think probably is
0;04;19;23 - 00;04;22;23
better if I stop here as I have been like
I've been talking for a while,
0;04;23;17 - 00;04;26;27
but I'm very interesting
because I think the two strategies
0;04;27;00 - 00;04;30;02
that you mentioned,
there are a clear call to action.
0;04;30;05 - 00;04;32;25
Like you said, there's so much
it sets out.
0;04;32;28 - 00;04;36;15
You listed a number of the targets
that may be quite interesting to know.
0;04;36;21 - 00;04;40;20
You know, kind of in the early years,
how are you seeing the ramp up
0;04;40;23 - 00;04;44;25
or the embedding of that strategy
and the targets in your business, and
0;04;44;28 - 00;04;47;00
maybe how you kind of report against sex?
0;04;47;00 - 00;04;48;25
I guess it's global level.
0;04;48;28 - 00;04;50;03
It's not just regional level.
0;04;50;06 - 00;04;51;25
I'm happy to give you a few examples.
0;04;51;25 - 00;04;54;09
I know I said I love about our commitments
and a little bit
0;04;54;09 - 00;04;57;09
more like fluffier stuff,
but it's actually important to show
0;04;57;13 - 00;05;00;06
how those things
get actually put into practice.
0;05;00;09 - 00;05;03;27
So if I think on the carbon perspective
for example, one of our projects
0;05;04;00 - 00;05;09;16
in London, Banks Ideas building two,
that is a 50 stories, 260 apartment tower,
0;05;09;19 - 00;05;13;21
a native land sparks ideas
which for those of you who know London,
0;05;13;24 - 00;05;17;26
that is on the south bank of the River
Thames, we've collaborated with act two,
0;05;17;29 - 00;05;20;24
our structural engineer,
calibrate our supply chain
0;05;20;27 - 00;05;24;08
and other partners to deliver
cutting edge, low carbon, both station
0;05;24;11 - 00;05;27;02
concrete floor slabs
for the superstructure.
0;05;27;05 - 00;05;30;06
This strand,
which was manufactured by seltzer Group,
0;05;30;12 - 00;05;33;09
is actually the first of its kind
to be used in the UK,
0;05;33;12 - 00;05;37;13
and it uses a much higher volume
of recycled scrap metal materials,
0;05;37;21 - 00;05;41;18
with a significantly lower carbon impact
compared with traditional pedestrian.
0;05;41;27 - 00;05;44;22
And this was through smart engineering
and the adoption of this
0;05;44;22 - 00;05;46;08
low carbon pedestrian.
0;05;46;08 - 00;05;49;08
But we actually reduce an impressive 184
0;05;49;11 - 00;05;52;18
tonnes of CO2
in the structure of these building.
0;05;52;22 - 00;05;56;11
And then if I give you another example
as well, in the City of London,
0;05;56;14 - 00;05;59;10
unfortunately this time
I cannot name the project yet, but
0;05;59;13 - 00;06;02;20
we achieved a 47% reduction
on embodied carbon
0;06;02;23 - 00;06;06;18
within the structural on
from compared to the stage three design.
0;06;06;24 - 00;06;10;18
So that went from 176kg of CO2
0;06;10;21 - 00;06;14;12
per square meter to 94kg of CO2
per square meter.
0;06;14;15 - 00;06;16;22
And that is for stages A one, two,
0;06;16;22 - 00;06;18;29
eight, three,
which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.
0;06;18;29 - 00;06;22;15
We got there through
a number of interventions or initiatives.
0;06;22;18 - 00;06;26;19
So for example introducing reused steel
carbon safe through electric
0;06;26;22 - 00;06;31;28
our furnace procuring large quantities
of ArcelorMittal x carbon steel material,
0;06;32;05 - 00;06;35;21
optimized steel grades in columns
and a few other things.
0;06;35;24 - 00;06;36;27
So you can see here
0;06;36;27 - 00;06;40;29
that collaboration and early integration
are really important for this.
0;06;41;02 - 00;06;43;14
But please do not ask me
about the detail of all of this,
0;06;43;14 - 00;06;45;28
or I'll have to get
my head of engineering in
0;06;46;01 - 00;06;49;06
to give you, like, the detail of all
the calculations that they went through.
0;06;49;15 - 00;06;53;12
And so I would like to start with
our neurodiverse work experience program.
0;06;53;15 - 00;06;57;05
So my team, the Social Value Team,
created this bespoke work
0;06;57;08 - 00;06;58;29
experience program during Covid.
0;06;58;29 - 00;07;02;05
Actually in collaboration
with a charity called Think Forward
0;07;02;12 - 00;07;06;12
and Think for what they do is they support
students with mild to moderate learning
0;07;06;15 - 00;07;10;07
difficulties as they get through school
and into the world of work.
0;07;10;18 - 00;07;14;18
To put this into context,
in terms of neurodiversity, there was a UK
0;07;14;21 - 00;07;18;01
construction news
article towards the end of last year
0;07;18;08 - 00;07;20;26
and it was highlighting
the National Federation of Builders,
0;07;20;26 - 00;07;23;26
and they stated that
a quarter of construction workers
0;07;24;00 - 00;07;27;14
consider themselves to be neurodiverse,
which is higher than that
0;07;27;17 - 00;07;31;14
of the average general public,
which estimates that is, 1 in 7
0;07;31;20 - 00;07;34;14
individuals
will have a neurodiverse condition.
0;07;34;17 - 00;07;38;20
However, those who responded to the survey
did paint a very positive picture
0;07;38;23 - 00;07;42;10
of the construction industry,
with 67% saying that they believe
0;07;42;13 - 00;07;46;03
the sector was able
to support neurodiverse workers.
0;07;46;10 - 00;07;50;17
So if I go back to this program,
the programing Cluded eight one hour
0;07;50;20 - 00;07;51;27
long interactive sessions
0;07;51;27 - 00;07;55;03
that were led by different
technical leaders within multiplex.
0;07;55;12 - 00;07;58;20
And so, for example, our former
head of temporary works challenged
0;07;58;23 - 00;08;01;29
the students to build
the tallest structure they could manage to
0;08;02;02 - 00;08;06;03
with three pieces of paper or a bridge
using four pieces of paper.
0;08;06;14 - 00;08;09;22
And I'm pretty sure you will like this
one, because our head of planning designed
0;08;09;25 - 00;08;12;25
a program for how to make a cup of tea,
0;08;13;07 - 00;08;15;28
which cannot get
any more stereotypical than that.
0;08;16;01 - 00;08;18;25
But he described
how you could plan to make a cup of tea
0;08;18;25 - 00;08;21;13
with each decision
making process included.
0;08;21;13 - 00;08;23;10
So they are going to fill the kettle.
0;08;23;13 - 00;08;27;14
You can see there if it's only for you,
or if more people would like a cup of tea,
0;08;27;17 - 00;08;29;27
how do you prefer it? Weak or strong?
0;08;30;00 - 00;08;33;21
And then what they ask is
like to the students, now you go at home,
0;08;33;29 - 00;08;36;27
make a cup of tea and write
every step that you went through.
0;08;36;27 - 00;08;40;07
So then I was a very visual
and obvious day to day
0;08;40;10 - 00;08;43;15
example of like, what do we actually do
for construction programs?
0;08;43;18 - 00;08;46;16
Yeah, but as part of this cohort,
we also highlighted
0;08;46;19 - 00;08;49;19
the many different areas
that are available across the industry.
0;08;49;22 - 00;08;53;08
And some of my colleagues within multiplex
who have learning difficulties
0;08;53;11 - 00;08;56;17
openly share their stories
of how they had overcome
0;08;56;20 - 00;08;59;25
challenges in the workplace
and to get to their current position
0;09;00;05 - 00;09;04;16
and the support that is actually available
at work for them to thrive in the roles
0;09;04;29 - 00;09;08;15
for the finale, the students were tasked
with presented the Dream Home
0;09;08;18 - 00;09;11;24
Project to the group in any format
that they felt comfortable with.
0;09;11;27 - 00;09;14;26
Some people use Lego
that was quite popular, others
0;09;14;29 - 00;09;17;28
used Minecraft,
others just drew on a piece of paper.
0;09;18;01 - 00;09;19;20
They were all encouraged to be creative.
0;09;19;20 - 00;09;22;24
There was no right
or wrong way of sharing their projects,
0;09;23;01 - 00;09;27;17
as the focus of the program was always
on having fun and enjoying the learnings
0;09;27;20 - 00;09;28;23
as they were going through.
0;09;28;26 - 00;09;32;04
And this, I have to
say, was a particularly rewarding project,
0;09;32;07 - 00;09;35;24
like seeing the evolution
of those students in just eight weeks
0;09;35;27 - 00;09;39;24
from their first session to their last,
gaining confidence as they went through.
0;09;40;00 - 00;09;44;13
And some have actually continued to go on
to college because of this program.
0;09;44;21 - 00;09;46;10
And we've continued that collaboration.
0;09;46;10 - 00;09;50;27
We think for where repeating this program
since the fifth day
0;09;51;00 - 00;09;54;12
around the social space and the diversity,
that's one thing.
0;09;54;15 - 00;09;58;26
The ADHD, we're very strong on promoting
all the time is the diversity
0;09;58;29 - 00;10;01;29
in the organization
kind of fits through in terms
0;10;02;02 - 00;10;04;29
of it's
very much because of diversity of thought.
0;10;05;02 - 00;10;06;03
You know, in your example
0;10;06;03 - 00;10;09;29
of getting students to do some task
to seeing how everyone approached it.
0;10;10;02 - 00;10;12;28
I guess we did something quite similar
at one of our recent
0;10;13;01 - 00;10;17;08
sort of young professional gatherings
where it was build a bridge with sticks in
0;10;17;19 - 00;10;19;05
the other and,
you know, you kind of think, well,
0;10;19;05 - 00;10;22;27
that's quite a straightforward
oh, but everyone approaches it
0;10;22;27 - 00;10;27;15
from a different angle, and the range of
solutions it came out was just immense.
0;10;28;03 - 00;10;31;04
So that whole sort of diversity
of opinion,
0;10;31;07 - 00;10;34;16
thought workforce
bringing that into a sector.
0;10;34;19 - 00;10;35;01
Great.
0;10;35;01 - 00;10;38;27
I think also harnessing that diversity
of thought and perspective
0;10;39;15 - 00;10;42;20
in terms of our clients
and what communities are wanting
0;10;42;23 - 00;10;46;06
out of the sorts of projects
that we work on is great.
0;10;46;13 - 00;10;48;03
I'm also put in mind a little bit around
0;10;48;03 - 00;10;51;06
going back to the challenge
in the task of decarbonization.
0;10;51;09 - 00;10;55;15
There's a massive sort of build program,
repurposing program,
0;10;55;18 - 00;11;00;06
if you like, around how do we decarbonize
the built environment.
0;11;00;09 - 00;11;04;13
And I guess we pick up a lot of discussion
around skill shortages.
0;11;04;16 - 00;11;07;25
You know, the construction sector,
development sector.
0;11;07;28 - 00;11;11;07
It struggles with certain skill
sets to get people involved.
0;11;11;10 - 00;11;15;18
And I just want to kind of what multiplex
his perspective of that is, you know,
0;11;15;22 - 00;11;20;04
how can we get more people
engaged with the sector, get young people
0;11;20;07 - 00;11;24;00
wanting to be tradespeople,
to be in construction?
0;11;24;03 - 00;11;27;18
I mean, how are some of these initiatives
sort of translating into
0;11;27;21 - 00;11;29;03
you actually getting people
0;11;29;06 - 00;11;32;16
through the door, through the side doors
to face up to the challenge
0;11;32;19 - 00;11;33;11
that we've got?
0;11;33;14 - 00;11;37;06
I think, to be honest, that is one of the
biggest challenges at the moment.
0;11;37;16 - 00;11;40;13
I would put it into,
as you mentioned, diversity
0;11;40;13 - 00;11;43;13
and diversity of thought,
but also like representation,
0;11;43;22 - 00;11;47;26
like people having role models
that they could look up to.
0;11;48;03 - 00;11;51;01
Then like when we look at the construction
industry, there is such a broad
0;11;51;01 - 00;11;54;03
range of roles for people.
0;11;54;10 - 00;11;58;23
And yes, we have a skill shortages on site
in terms of like the workforce.
0;11;59;00 - 00;12;02;03
But there is also like different avenues
into the construction industry.
0;12;02;06 - 00;12;05;05
Like for example,
data is like we've currently hired.
0;12;05;08 - 00;12;09;28
As of last year, we hired a couple
of data apprentices who's come in now.
0;12;10;01 - 00;12;13;16
They are like on demand is like
everybody wants to work for them
0;12;13;19 - 00;12;14;17
because they are great.
0;12;14;17 - 00;12;18;11
But then I think like opening up
construction to others
0;12;18;14 - 00;12;20;19
is like bringing those opportunities.
0;12;20;19 - 00;12;25;07
And I think the team does so much work
for like really early school age
0;12;25;12 - 00;12;27;23
of like bringing people into the sites
because usually
0;12;27;23 - 00;12;28;01
it's like
0;12;28;01 - 00;12;30;24
you may be walking around any city,
you see, a whole thing is like
0;12;30;27 - 00;12;32;03
what is happening behind?
0;12;32;06 - 00;12;35;06
Nobody knows unless you see
a tiger crane lift in something,
0;12;35;09 - 00;12;37;15
but it's like you are doing
fitout works inside.
0;12;37;15 - 00;12;38;13
It's all hidden.
0;12;38;16 - 00;12;42;28
So like understanding that something
that I'm personally very proud of,
0;12;43;01 - 00;12;46;27
which led me to work in construction,
is that legacy piece is like you are
0;12;47;06 - 00;12;50;14
you are walking around the city
where you deliver that project
0;12;50;21 - 00;12;53;04
and you say like, oh, I work
there is like, I know, like
0;12;53;04 - 00;12;56;00
and then you have like good stories
from your time going for that.
0;12;56;03 - 00;12;59;28
And that I think is like those small wins
and like smaller stories,
0;13;00;03 - 00;13;03;01
like personal stories
that help to bring people in.
0;13;03;04 - 00;13;09;00
So last year, the team did a very large
number of, school engagements and things.
0;13;09;07 - 00;13;13;23
Over 4000 students were engaged
across our projects in London.
0;13;13;27 - 00;13;16;12
We also offer work experience placements.
0;13;16;12 - 00;13;20;20
So and last summer I have someone within
the sustainability team for five weeks
0;13;20;23 - 00;13;24;18
just understanding like what we do
and like you learn from different aspects,
0;13;24;21 - 00;13;26;02
MBA structures.
0;13;26;05 - 00;13;27;06
It's not just like
0;13;27;09 - 00;13;30;10
all, all is linked to climate change,
but it's not just about managing
0;13;30;14 - 00;13;31;20
environmental side.
0;13;31;20 - 00;13;33;16
We every year we recruit graduates
0;13;33;16 - 00;13;37;05
for more like that management level
but come for like experience.
0;13;37;08 - 00;13;42;15
And now we are organizing secondments
for those graduates with our supply chain
0;13;42;18 - 00;13;46;01
so that they actually see,
like what needs to get done on site.
0;13;46;07 - 00;13;50;00
And then the challenge of bringing
new entrants, roles and apprentices.
0;13;50;07 - 00;13;53;23
To be absolutely honest,
sometimes we struggle to bring people in.
0;13;53;26 - 00;13;57;04
And it's also like
sometimes people come to construction.
0;13;57;07 - 00;14;00;07
There's like, I'm really sorry,
this is not for me.
0;14;00;10 - 00;14;01;15
So it's like finding
0;14;01;15 - 00;14;05;20
like those talent pools of like people
who are motivated and want to do it.
0;14;05;22 - 00;14;07;27
But I think it is
one of the biggest challenges
0;14;07;27 - 00;14;11;08
that we are facing
and will be facing in the coming years.
0;14;11;16 - 00;14;11;26
Yeah.
0;14;11;26 - 00;14;14;25
But I think the point you made around,
you know, just like data
0;14;14;28 - 00;14;16;16
people, data scientists, it's
0;14;16;16 - 00;14;20;07
very, very interesting because, you know,
I think part of that skill shortage
0;14;20;14 - 00;14;24;07
addressed in that has to be around
changing the perceptions of the sector.
0;14;24;13 - 00;14;28;22
People have a view of what construction's
like and is probably out of date
0;14;28;26 - 00;14;29;22
and a bit misled.
0;14;29;22 - 00;14;35;22
So I think that aspect of really looking
at kind of the new skills that are needed
0;14;35;25 - 00;14;40;22
and what a nontraditional construction
skills can play within the sector.
0;14;40;25 - 00;14;45;08
I think all part of reinventing
I think the sector and hopefully kind of
0;14;45;16 - 00;14;49;01
bringing some of those gaps
and giving the net zero decarbonization
0;14;49;04 - 00;14;52;04
of the built environment
a bit of a turbo boost.
0;14;52;07 - 00;14;56;03
I want you to turn to something that,
you know, we've discussed in the past,
0;14;56;06 - 00;14;59;15
and that is when we both work
for global companies.
0;14;59;20 - 00;15;03;02
So, you know, have a view across
a number of different jurisdictions.
0;15;03;05 - 00;15;06;23
And are you saying there's different views
on sustainability
0;15;07;04 - 00;15;10;28
within the sector in different kind
of regional parts of the business?
0;15;11;01 - 00;15;14;21
So, you know, whether that's multiplex
business or just different geographies.
0;15;14;24 - 00;15;18;20
But again, picking up from places like Cop
and others,
0;15;18;23 - 00;15;22;10
the conferences, you know, everyone's
at a slightly different position on this.
0;15;22;12 - 00;15;26;22
So I just wondered what your sort of take
was in terms of how the sustainability
0;15;26;25 - 00;15;31;05
drivers play in across different regions,
because, again, that sort of research
0;15;31;08 - 00;15;35;05
from from the cross road study
demonstrates very much with that
0;15;35;20 - 00;15;40;21
in different countries, there's different
sort of levels of optimism or pessimism
0;15;40;24 - 00;15;44;09
around, you know, will we be able
to decarbonize the built environment?
0;15;44;12 - 00;15;46;17
Will we achieve our net zero targets.
0;15;46;17 - 00;15;49;23
So yeah, just wanted,
you know, your observation of that,
0;15;49;26 - 00;15;53;16
that kind of global perspective,
you know, how we deal with that.
0;15;54;01 - 00;15;56;05
Yeah, absolutely.
I think you were spot on.
0;15;56;05 - 00;16;00;29
There is very different levels
of understanding but also of materiality.
0;16;01;02 - 00;16;03;00
Priorities across the globe.
0;16;03;00 - 00;16;07;29
So for us in multiplex, we operate mostly
in the UK, Australia and Canada.
0;16;08;11 - 00;16;11;06
As a business
we have a globally as you strategy.
0;16;11;06 - 00;16;14;09
And that is broad enough
so that it allows for it to be amended
0;16;14;12 - 00;16;17;25
by each region so that it can address
the more material topics.
0;16;17;28 - 00;16;21;17
And we can be almost as ambitious
as we want at the regional level.
0;16;21;28 - 00;16;24;29
But then, for example,
there are several things that Canada
0;16;25;02 - 00;16;29;05
and Australia are leading on, like their
engagement with indigenous populations,
0;16;29;13 - 00;16;30;20
First Nations.
0;16;30;23 - 00;16;34;02
That is something
that is not material for us in the UK,
0;16;34;07 - 00;16;37;22
but their engagement projects
are transferable to other areas of work.
0;16;37;25 - 00;16;41;00
So if we think, for example,
of underrepresented groups,
0;16;41;07 - 00;16;42;29
their engagement and representation.
0;16;42;29 - 00;16;45;25
So there is still lessons
that we can learn from that.
0;16;45;28 - 00;16;47;07
But then in the UK
0;16;47;07 - 00;16;51;03
we are miles ahead, in my opinion,
in the work that we are doing to quantify
0;16;51;06 - 00;16;55;09
and reduce upfront carbon
and how we approach at multiplex our work,
0;16;55;12 - 00;16;59;11
we need proposals with alternative
technical solutions to optimize.
0;16;59;14 - 00;17;00;04
For example,
0;17;00;04 - 00;17;04;09
our structures, as I mentioned earlier,
is something that the team share globally.
0;17;04;12 - 00;17;08;03
As an example of best practice,
I mentioned earlier the data apprentices,
0;17;08;06 - 00;17;11;28
but we are a data driven region
and talking about carbon.
0;17;12;01 - 00;17;16;05
We've had our data validated to ISO 14,064
0;17;16;08 - 00;17;18;23
to a reasonable level of assurance
for a number of years.
0;17;18;26 - 00;17;21;27
So there are a lot of lessons
that we have learned in that journey
0;17;22;00 - 00;17;25;20
that we can share with our colleagues
for them to reach at the same level.
0;17;25;26 - 00;17;30;07
So I feel like that sharing knowledge
and collaboration is very important.
0;17;30;10 - 00;17;33;24
There is lots to be learned
from everyone, everywhere, and certainly
0;17;33;27 - 00;17;36;27
like working for a global business
brings that advantage
0;17;37;00 - 00;17;40;26
to share and get knowledge
in different areas from the experts.
0;17;41;04 - 00;17;42;19
But I have to be honest as well.
0;17;42;19 - 00;17;44;13
In a post-pandemic world, it's
0;17;44;13 - 00;17;48;03
very easy to connect for teams
cause with teams around the world.
0;17;48;11 - 00;17;51;27
But that in-person connection
cannot be underestimated.
0;17;52;09 - 00;17;54;21
As a business, we promote global mobility.
0;17;54;24 - 00;17;58;08
So myself, I worked in our Toronto office
for two and a half years,
0;17;58;18 - 00;18;01;17
and so that connection that I have
with the team in Canada is something
0;18;01;20 - 00;18;05;08
that will naturally lead me
to share information with them anyway,
0;18;05;14 - 00;18;10;12
understand their priorities,
and then be able to find those synergies.
0;18;10;22 - 00;18;15;03
That's great to hear, and I'm kind of
conscious of the time we have together.
0;18;15;06 - 00;18;19;01
So I kind of move to that final question,
which is hopefully
0;18;19;04 - 00;18;22;23
you won't mind getting a little bit
more personal again with reference.
0;18;22;26 - 00;18;24;16
Back to our research.
0;18;24;19 - 00;18;26;10
What we've seen very clearly is different
0;18;26;10 - 00;18;29;16
generations are exhibiting
different levels of optimism, them
0;18;29;19 - 00;18;33;14
about the future legacy
that we're going to leave it generations.
0;18;33;17 - 00;18;37;00
I guess I'm interested to know,
like where you would sit on that glass,
0;18;37;03 - 00;18;41;18
half full, glass half empty from,
you know, your sustainability standpoint
0;18;41;21 - 00;18;45;16
and linked to that is just a reflection
on on personal resilience.
0;18;45;19 - 00;18;49;16
Because I imagine
and we expect I've experienced it myself.
0;18;50;02 - 00;18;54;12
You know, when you are trying to lead
an element of change within an industry,
0;18;54;15 - 00;18;57;02
there's,
you know, there's successes and failures
0;18;57;02 - 00;19;00;03
and there's brick walls
that you hit your head against.
0;19;00;06 - 00;19;04;10
So yeah, the optimistically
it goes our forecast of empty.
0;19;04;13 - 00;19;07;03
And, you know,
how do you manage that personal resilience
0;19;07;03 - 00;19;09;15
and keep the momentum and the smile going.
0;19;09;17 - 00;19;11;27
Yeah, absolutely. Glass full.
0;19;12;00 - 00;19;13;15
Not even like half full glass.
0;19;14;15 - 00;19;16;01
I think it would be really difficult
0;19;16;01 - 00;19;19;07
for me to work in sustainability
if I was any mistake.
0;19;19;10 - 00;19;22;20
I think it is very important
to keep positive despite the news.
0;19;23;00 - 00;19;26;22
2023 was the hottest year on record, 2024
could be much worse.
0;19;26;25 - 00;19;30;12
We are getting close to that
tipping point, but like you mentioned,
0;19;30;15 - 00;19;33;29
the generational changes
and the different level of optimism.
0;19;34;08 - 00;19;36;29
I find the strength and motivation
from my team,
0;19;36;29 - 00;19;40;06
the passion that comes from younger
generations is second to none.
0;19;40;09 - 00;19;42;28
And I think that
that cross-generational teamwork
0;19;43;01 - 00;19;45;17
help us all in our continuous
learning experience.
0;19;45;20 - 00;19;49;16
Looking at the people I work with, they
know the potential of the work that we do,
0;19;49;21 - 00;19;53;28
the potential they have to shape
the future of our industry, delivering
0;19;54;01 - 00;19;58;07
on our purpose to actually, as I mentioned
earlier, to construct a better future.
0;19;58;19 - 00;20;01;01
And if someone is not moved
by their passion,
0;20;01;01 - 00;20;04;10
I don't know how like I can,
I can say, yeah,
0;20;04;16 - 00;20;07;21
but I also have to say that it is
not always easy.
0;20;08;03 - 00;20;11;24
Sometimes, as you mentioned,
we battle the frustrations like litany,
0;20;11;27 - 00;20;15;08
like we proposed changes that could,
for example, futureproof a building
0;20;15;19 - 00;20;18;22
on a client says,
no, yeah, the cost programing part
0;20;18;25 - 00;20;20;09
that I'm not willing to take.
0;20;20;12 - 00;20;22;08
But we or if I think
0;20;22;08 - 00;20;25;19
about like the human side of things,
someone come asking for help
0;20;26;00 - 00;20;29;00
through their employer
and we cannot support them at that time.
0;20;29;11 - 00;20;31;26
Like it is a lot of weight to carry.
0;20;31;29 - 00;20;35;12
And I think, well,
I think no, I'm sure it has the potential
0;20;35;15 - 00;20;40;06
to impact our wellbeing in and out of work
and our mental health.
0;20;40;16 - 00;20;44;16
Someone told me that the top six skills
for a sustainability professional,
0;20;44;19 - 00;20;45;25
whether if they are a chief
0;20;45;25 - 00;20;49;22
sustainability officer
or they are in any other corporate role,
0;20;49;25 - 00;20;53;24
emotional intelligence business
knowledge, technical knowledge
0;20;54;05 - 00;20;57;19
building,
collaboration, vision and resilience.
0;20;58;02 - 00;21;01;10
And I think I see it's important
to understand those business scenarios,
0;21;01;13 - 00;21;05;01
conflicting business
priorities, technical details, etc.
0;21;05;14 - 00;21;08;26
I can really not reinforce more
the importance of resilience.
0;21;09;08 - 00;21;12;13
Yeah, certainly been a journey for me,
but I put measures in place
0;21;12;16 - 00;21;13;25
to take care of myself.
0;21;13;28 - 00;21;15;25
I talked to a psychologist frequently.
0;21;15;25 - 00;21;17;21
I speak with a professional coach.
0;21;17;24 - 00;21;20;24
I run that home to my boyfriend
when I'm really frustrated,
0;21;21;01 - 00;21;24;02
but really importantly for me,
I take time off
0;21;24;13 - 00;21;28;14
and I switch off to reflect on
what really matters to me and the journey
0;21;28;17 - 00;21;31;28
we are on and what my personal motivation
is to keep going.
0;21;32;07 - 00;21;36;22
So is like my personal recommendation
when the glass is starting to empty,
0;21;37;07 - 00;21;41;20
is looking straight ahead at the emotions
that whatever situation are making
0;21;41;23 - 00;21;44;26
you feel when there is that frustration
with a project, frustration
0;21;44;29 - 00;21;47;29
with a colleague or consultant,
I don't know who
0;21;48;03 - 00;21;52;01
whatever is happening, being community,
no person is an island.
0;21;52;09 - 00;21;56;16
That could be like talking to colleagues,
family, friends, engaging in volunteering
0;21;56;19 - 00;22;00;17
activities, anything that get that feeling
that we are not alone.
0;22;00;20 - 00;22;05;14
Being nature, there is research showing
the benefits of forest bathing, park
0;22;05;21 - 00;22;09;27
our digital gadgets for a little bit and
enjoy some time just listening to nature.
0;22;10;00 - 00;22;10;25
Walking around.
0;22;10;25 - 00;22;15;05
Go for a swim, anything to get outside
and switch off for a little bit.
0;22;15;12 - 00;22;18;22
And last but not least,
do not pretend if you need help.
0;22;18;26 - 00;22;19;26
We all need help.
0;22;19;29 - 00;22;24;01
Sam points is a very long journey that
we are on, so get that help from others.
0;22;24;04 - 00;22;25;22
Take the time to pause
0;22;25;25 - 00;22;28;25
and then continue delivering on this
amazing journey that we are on.
0;22;29;02 - 00;22;32;02
Thank you for sharing that Maria
and I think that's a lovely place
0;22;32;05 - 00;22;36;06
to leave it because as professionals
we all work very hard and it's stressful.
0;22;36;09 - 00;22;39;19
But yeah, you have to look after
yourself, look after others.
0;22;40;01 - 00;22;41;25
So that's the really nice place
to leave it.
0;22;41;25 - 00;22;44;27
Look, I think we've covered a lot
and there's much more we could go into.
0;22;45;00 - 00;22;48;23
And we've talked about the role of GHD
0;22;48;26 - 00;22;50;08
That's sort of helping
0;22;50;08 - 00;22;53;19
transform our sector at the local level
and at global level.
0;22;53;22 - 00;22;58;16
And you've really eloquently outlined
how multiplex is leading the charge
0;22;58;19 - 00;23;01;26
in a number of vital areas
and really kind of setting
0;23;01;29 - 00;23;05;02
a beacon of light within the sector,
which is absolutely great.
0;23;05;06 - 00;23;08;18
The main takeaway for me
is probably around that generational
0;23;08;21 - 00;23;13;21
outlook that really, you know, has to
permeate the project from start to finish.
0;23;13;24 - 00;23;15;29
And by that
I mean, you know, both within the teams
0;23;15;29 - 00;23;17;27
that we sort of pull together
that different
0;23;17;27 - 00;23;20;28
lenses, those different perspectives,
but equally people
0;23;21;01 - 00;23;23;20
looking into the project
affected by a project
0;23;23;20 - 00;23;27;11
or have an opinion on the project,
I think we do have to move to that
0;23;27;14 - 00;23;31;26
much more inclusive way of
of engaging people within a sector,
0;23;31;29 - 00;23;35;16
whether to work with it to influence and
and inform the sector.
0;23;36;01 - 00;23;39;02
Maria, look, it's
been a pleasure spending time with you.
0;23;39;05 - 00;23;41;26
Look forward
to continuing the conversation
0;23;41;29 - 00;23;44;08
and driving positive change
in our industry.
0;23;44;11 - 00;23;45;13
Thank you once again to our listeners.
0;23;46;08 - 00;23;49;07
And until next time, please take care
and look after yourselves.
0;23;49;10 - 00;23;49;28
Thank you.
0;23;50;01 - 00;23;51;09
Thank you Steve.
0;23;55;26 - 00;23;58;26
Brought to you by Nexus, Publish By GHD.
0;23;59;04 - 00;24;00;10
Where ideas connect
Short, sharp points of view on:
- Targets matter but progress depends on early decisions, collaboration and doing things differently now.
- A just transition means addressing health, inclusion, skills and opportunity alongside emissions reduction.
- Construction needs broader entry points, from data apprentices to neurodiverse talent, if it’s going to close widening skills gaps.
- Sustained change requires emotional intelligence, cross-generational energy and systems that support people doing difficult work.
The future of the sector will be defined by how well environmental ambition and social responsibility move together.
Smarter insights. Sharper decisions.
Get clarity on what matters — fast. Nexus delivers tested ideas from people who’ve done the work.