Chief executive of the Green Building Council of Australia Romilly Madew has snagged a global award for her contributions to advancing sustainable buildings.
Ms Madew received the World Green Building Council’s Chairman’s Award at a ceremony in Jaipur, India this week. The award recognises people who have contributed to the transformation of the global property and construction industry.
“Since 2006, Romilly has been at the forefront of a global movement to change the shape of our buildings, communities and cities,” WorldGBC chair Tai Lee Siang said.
“Not only has Romilly been instrumental in transforming Australia’s building industry through her sustained leadership and advocacy, but she has played a vital role at the global level.”
Ms Madew has run the GBCA for a decade now, and has seen a rapid expansion of buildings covered by the program, now at more than 1715 buildings, communities and fitouts. More than a third of all office space is covered by a Green Star certification, and ratings have extended to cover public buildings, apartments, industrial facilities and entire communities.
Mr Tai said Ms Madew had been instrumental in setting up a number of green building councils, including in New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
“This award also acknowledges Romilly’s efforts to champion equality and diversity throughout the green construction industry.”
Ms Madew said she was honoured to play a role in shaping what was the most sustainability property sector in the world.
“Just last month, GRESB, the global real estate sustainability benchmark, ranked Australia the global green leader for the seventh year in a row,” she said.
“To me, this award acknowledges the leadership of our industry, which is committed to delivering enduring value to communities and investors while creating a better future for us all.”
Pevious Chairman’s Award winners include Qiu BaoXing, former vice minister of the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development; and Rick Fedrizzi, former chief executive of the US Green Building Council and current chief executive of the International WELL Building Institute.
Well done Rom, greatly deserved recognition for your enthusiasm, perseverance and ability to build fantastic, talented teams willingly collaborating across the industry.
Rom – this is fantastic achievement – years of dedicated work – and putting Australia on the forefront of the green agenda. Very well done and deserved!! Best wishes Tony Cope (London)