GBCA CEO wins International Leadership Award

Romilly Madew, the CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), has been honoured with an International Leadership Award.

The award, now in its 13th year, recognises outstanding individuals and organisations that embody vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green buildings and communities. Madew was presented with the award by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) on 19 November at the annual Greenbuild Conference in Washington DC.

“Romilly’s long-term leadership of the green building movement in Australia, and her clear success with Green Star, have been instrumental in helping us advance global market transformation of the building industry,” said USGBC CEO and founding chairman Rick Fedrizzi, who presented the award.

The leader of the GBCA since 2006, Madew wrote the seminal ‘The dollars and sense of green building’, which established the first business case for sustainable design and construction in Australia. She was the inaugural chair of the World Green Building Council’s Council Development Committee and today sits on its board of directors.

“Romilly has become a powerful global advocate for green building and communities, and her work in multiple capacities with the World Green Building Council is having measurable results — with more than 1.3 billion m² of green building space now certified around the world,” Fedrizzi said.

Additionally, Madew is a steering committee member of the federal government’s Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, sits on the 2xEP (Energy Productivity) Roadmap Steering Group and is a member of the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Roundtable. She has sat on federal government ministerial panels including the Emissions Reduction Fund, the National Sustainability Council, National Urban Policy Forum and the China/Australia Services Sector Forum representing construction.

“It’s been my great privilege to be part of an industry that has seized the sustainability agenda,” Madew said. “While other industries continue to debate the business case for sustainability, the property and construction industry in Australia has shown real leadership.

“With a steadfast commitment to collaboration and innovation, we now have a building industry that leads the world in sustainability. This award is not just for me, but acknowledges the Australian industry’s achievements on a global stage.”