LOR INFOWORKS 2 - Flipbook - Page 30
INFOWORKS 2019 _ ISSUE 2
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In Australia we have invested heavily in the
growth of a more diverse supply chain across
our operations, and in the last 12 months our
Social Procurement Lead, Donna Reddin, and
Indigenous Affairs Lead, Maree Ansey (pictured
below), have spearheaded our efforts to drive
a strong Indigenous participation and social
procurement agenda.
Together they are ensuring that we are giving
thought to the decisions we make every day
about the businesses we engage with, and
how those decisions can create greater value
for both our business and the communities
where we operate.
This work has been recognised and rewarded
by many of our key clients, and we now
have a social procurement and Indigenous
engagement plan in place on a number
of our major projects in Sydney, Melbourne,
Darwin, Adelaide and Far North Queensland.
Examples of this are Clean Force, an Australian
Disability Social Enterprise, who have been
engaged on Laing O’Rourke projects in
Sydney and Melbourne. Clean Force provide
employment opportunities for people from
disadvantaged backgrounds to enter the
workforce. Approximately 50% of Clean Force
employees have a diagnosed disability and
19% are from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds.
It was against this backdrop that we recently held the first
Laing O’Rourke supply chain forum. This was in order to
share our ‘Deliver 2025’ mission with key strategic partners
and to give a first-hand overview of the challenges and
opportunities in the construction sector. The event was
hosted at the British Motor Museum, next to their recently
completed Gaydon triangle headquarters for Jaguar Land
Rover. There, we were able to engage directly with over
120 of our valued supply chain companies in the network.
Ray O’Rourke welcomed delegates from across the UK,
who listened to updates from the leadership teams on finance,
business transformation, safety and procurement. Our guests
were also asked for their feedback, and took part in a Q&A
session featuring a panel from the Group Executive Committee.
We really value the ongoing dialogue and
relationship we have with all of our partners
in the supply chain, because their values,
approach and ethos have to reflect ours.
It’s important for everyone who delivers our
work that we’re doing what’s right, for the
industry at large and the communities in
which we work, both now and in the future. Feedback on
the recent conference was extremely positive, with industry
partners welcoming the opportunity to hear a progress
update direct from the business, and insights into our
future direction from our leadership team face-to-face.
JOHN O’CONNOR
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AND FORUM CO HOST
Laing O’Rourke has engaged with a number
of Indigenous interns through the CareerTrackers
program. This national non-profit program
will create pathways and support systems
for Indigenous young adults to attend and
graduate from university, and we have
committed to developing a long-term
professional partnership to provide many
young Indigenous students with access to
our industry leading internship program.
One of our final highlights comes in the form
of Avenue - a co-working space where people
of all abilities are supported to work, socialise
and develop their individual skills, regardless
of their support needs.