Katie Garay

A natural leader

After relocating to Townsville in 2011, Katie Garay found herself in an auspicious position after taking up an administrative construction post. Within six short months, Katie enquired about cadet opportunities and as she puts it, ‘that was that’.

Katie’s rise to Project Engineer saw her contribute to large-scale developments like the Queensland Country Bank Stadium, James Cook University’s Technology Innovation Centre and the Sun Metals Zinc Refinery Expansion before landing at her current leading role in the complex roof replacement of Bulk Sugar Sheds.

“My current project, Townsville Bulk Sugar Terminal Roof Replacement, has been the most challenging and rewarding. Because it’s a smaller team, I’ve been exposed to a lot of safety and contract administration which is very new and interesting to me,” says Katie.

Katie’s journey in the construction industry illustrates a non-traditional but equally valuable career progression story. By studying part-time and remotely, Katie could apply her theoretical learnings to her job in real-time. She says this was as challenging as it was rewarding though ultimately stimulated problem-solving skills she still uses today.

Today, Katie is an active participant in the Cultivate Sponsorship Program, an internal initiative that connects potential female leaders with a sponsor to encourage growth within the organisation. This program will see Katie learn new and challenge existing skills in an organised environment to develop her leadership competencies.

“For someone that never considered construction as a career pathway prior to joining it, I’ve surprised myself with how much I enjoy it. Although it intimidates me, leading a team from project start to finish is of great interest,” Katie continued.

“As someone that played soccer for 15 years and scored one goal during that period, I enjoy hitting targets at work because I was clearly rubbish at soccer,” Katie concluded.