Construction Industry Solutions (COINS) Australia’s Managing Director Carla Wall was awarded the prestigious 2018 Greater Brisbane Woman in Business of the Year Award at a gala ceremony on Friday 21 September.
The annual Women in Business Awards recognise and honour exceptional businesswomen and industry achievers making a difference across Queensland. They have been created to celebrate women who possess vision, innovation, entrepreneurial drive, leadership, individuality and tenacity with the ultimate goal being to present role models for other women to aspire to.
Carla said it was an honour to receive an esteemed recognition and she was proud of driving COINS Australia’s significant achievements including a 22 per cent increase in new business in the past year and securing one of the largest ERP solution deals available in the Australian market. “COINS Australia has enjoyed rapid business growth and undergone a transformative cultural change in which I have strategically introduced initiatives to support and attract women to the typically male-dominated software and construction industries,” she said. “A big part of my focus for COINS Australia has been to engage, develop and include all staff on the company’s growth journey which has included setting benchmarks in talent management, developing organisational capability and promoting flexible working arrangements. It is incredibly important to me to empower women, and men, to contribute to organisational success in an inclusive and equitable environment. It is wonderful for myself, and COINS Australia, to be acknowledged at such a respected industry event. I am so humbled, this award is a real testament to the hard work myself and my team have put in over the years.”
Carla is also passionate about social enterprise and contributing to the community. Through the COINS Foundation, she has supported important initiatives such as the Sailability Program at Wynyard Yacht Club and Make a Difference (MaD), and recently took on a non-executive board role with Australia’s leading campaigning arts organisation, Big hART. “The Women in Business Awards provides a powerful platform to celebrate female leaders, applaud their success and contribution to business, and inspire future generations of smart, innovative and successful individuals to achieve great things, while challenging industry norms around equality and diversity,” Carla said.
Since Carla’s appointment as Managing Director, more than half the COINS Australia team are now women. “Change has to start somewhere and what we have achieved at COINS Australia is a great example of how women can be empowered and encouraged – we have an inclusive team, where women are supported by men and men are supported by women,” Carla said.
Under Carla’s leadership, COINS Australia is leading the charge to introduce innovative approaches to support and improve gender diversity across global COINS offices. With more than 20 year’s experience in the software and construction industries and as a qualified accountant, Ms Wall has operated in positions at both a corporate and major project level, across the UK, Asia and Australia. She joined COINS Australia in 2012 and only four years later, the position of Managing Director Australia was specifically created for her. During Carla’s time with COINS, she has increased the turnover of the business by 100 per cent and doubled the headcount.
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