20 September 2017 – Aurecon ranked #5 in Australian Financial Review Most Innovative Companies 2017 list

Global engineering and infrastructure advisory company, Aurecon, has been recognised as one of Australia and New Zealand’s most innovative companies, being named number 5 overall in the 2017 Australian Financial Review (AFR) Most Innovative Companies list.

Now in its sixth year, this is the very first time a professional services firm has been ranked in the top five.

“To debut on the AFR list in the top five is a testament to how our people and our clients have embraced our strategy and passion for innovation,” says Global Chief Executive Officer Giam Swiegers.

As the ‘speed’ of change accelerates, Aurecon will continue the firm’s investment focus on leadership, innovation and change.

“I felt a great sense of delight when I received the news that Aurecon was announced as number five on the AFR’s list for 2017,” says John McGuire, Chief Innovation Officer.

“Only a few short years ago, we realised our future was being disrupted, and we recognised that in order to remain relevant to our clients, we needed to deliberately and passionately embrace innovation.”

The AFR Most Innovative Companies list is judged and compiled by Inventium – a leading innovation consultancy. Organisations are assessed in three unique ways. They must describe two innovations that have been implemented in the prior year as well as explain how they are integrating and embedding innovation in their organisation. Employees of firms also complete an online survey to assess organisational performance on a range of innovation drivers.

“We must not forget that it is people who innovate, not companies. Without an innovation culture pulsing through the veins of our engineers and advisors, we have less chance of building a truly innovative firm which can contribute to our client’s future,” says Swiegers.

Yesterday’s AFR recognition comes a week after peak industry body Consult Australia named Aurecon Large Firm of the Year at its annual Awards for Excellence. Aurecon also won three Gold Awards and three Highly recommended for its industry-leading contributions.

Aurecon’s vibrant and future-ready culture has also been formally recognised through numerous additional accolades recently, including:

• the business receiving Good Design Australia’s ‘Award of the Year’ in 2017,
• in late 2016 winning Engineers Australia highest accolade, Sir William Hudson Award for the revolutionary Brisbane's Flood Recovery Ferry Terminals design, and
• the Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) Aon Engineering Excellence Award in 2017 for projects with a value greater than R250 million.

The recognition also stretches beyond engineering. Aurecon was recognised by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) for being an employer committed to promoting gender equality in Australian workplaces at the WGEA Recognising 2016 Employers of Choice for Gender Equality in the Workplace where it was granted an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality ranking.

“I am continually inspired by the way Aurecon’s people develop ideas, pose questions, embrace change and push the boundaries of possibility by tapping into their capabilities and creative thinking,” concludes McGuire.