As the Buildcorp Wallaroos undergo their final preparations for the October rugby tests against the New Zealand Black Ferns, Buildcorp’s Josephine Sukkar explains the drivers behind the decision to invest in the emerging National Women’s XVs Rugby team.
It’s no secret that Buildcorp’s sponsorships and partnerships are founded on a borderline-obsessive passion for rugby and team sport, as well as the strategic commitment to invest in the communities that we work in. Developed over the last 25 years, our rugby partnerships now range from women’s and men’s university rugby teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship pathway competition.
With the grassroots club sponsorships covered, earlier this year Buildcorp signed-up as the first ever naming rights sponsor for the National Women’s XVs Rugby team, now the Buildcorp Wallaroos. Buildcorp’s Principal Josephine Sukkar and MD Tony Sukkar are both big advocates for cultural inclusiveness and have seen firsthand how team sports build a pipeline of developing leaders equipped with easily transferable skills.
Josephine said: “Put simply, when you give people opportunities in sport, they also receive the opportunity to build transferable skills in leadership, teamwork and preparedness, among others. It’s no accident that these are also some of the Buildcorp values which we all live by. However, this opportunity does not come without investment, which is why we see a good alignment between the investment we’ve made in the Wallaroos and the investment we make to build our own diverse teams in the workforce.
“But it’s not always easy. Like sport, construction suffers from a diversity issue in the pipeline of talent, as people often view the industry through a gender lens. It’s our aim to be an employer of choice for women and men who want to help champion diversity and challenge this view. We’re also looking to work with schools to encourage more girls into the sector, so the pipeline is stronger and more balanced for all.”
Thanks in part to Buildcorp’s recent efforts, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, as part of their annual bench marking report, confirms that a woman is 40% more likely to be in a senior management position at Buildcorp verses our industry peers. And we are continuing to focus on equality, not just in role but reward. At a broader level, these inclusive values have also contributed to Buildcorp’s consistently high employee satisfaction rating, which currently sits proudly at 93%.
Buildcorp also urges other businesses to commit to investing in women and growing the game. “Through our shared investment, we can all help to develop stronger players, teams and leaders in rugby, business and our communities.” Josephine says.
What does Buildcorp’s Women’s Rugby XVs Team sponsorship mean for the players? Olympic Gold Medallist and Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens Team Co-Captain Shannon Parry writes about the upcoming talent and growing the women’s game: http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2016/07/03/03/09/parry-rugby-championship-reveiw
