This is the second year in a row an Aurecon employee has received the AFR Boss Young Executive award, with Chief People Officer Liam Hayes a recipient in 2017 for his human-centric leadership.

Jane received the accolade in recognition of her ability to build high performing teams, strong client relationships, and commercial success in her role in the fast-growing Hunter Valley region.

Run in association with DDI, Australia’s leading HR consultancy, the awards are Australia’s foremost recognition of aspiring leaders, with finalists facing a rigorous panel of heavyweight business leaders and required to participate in a gruelling 'CEO for a day' simulation exercise.

Jane said she was honoured to receive the prestigious award and has always enjoyed a challenge working on transport and infrastructure projects across Australia’s East Coast since becoming a civil engineer 12 years ago.

“I am looking forward to continue kicking goals in Newcastle for our operations out of the Hunter. I am excited to build relationships with key clients and partners, develop the capability of our people, and help our team and clients become future ready,” Jane said.

“I really enjoy collaborating with a diverse cross-section of people to drive business direction and believe the most important attributes of good leaders are empathy, compassion, honesty, firmness, trust and presence.”

Jane also credits her training in the Olympic pool to her success in the boardroom.

“I was selected to join the Australian Water Polo team to compete at the 2012 London Olympics where we won bronze,” Jane said. “The lessons I learnt during training, such as the importance of teamwork and the value of real-time feedback, are directly transferable to the workplace and I believe have contributed to making me a better leader.”

“To achieve my Olympic dream, I also had to balance full-time work at Aurecon with full-time training, touring, and competing. I was one of only two members of my team with a career outside sport and while the juggle proved challenging at times, my passion to also excel at business kept me on track and has only benefited my career long-term.”

Outside of Aurecon, Jane also works in voluntary roles as a Director and Athletes Commission Chair of the Water Polo Australia board and a member of the High Performance Committee. She also volunteers as the Rotary International Coordinator of rural education sponsorships in Timor-Leste and coordinator of Movember fundraising activities.

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