From the President

As advisors, designers and engineers, we are in prime position to provide the advice and practical solutions to our clients who are grappling with these expectations and developing next level aspirations that they do not know how they are going to meet.

Aspirations can be those in our personal life, in our careers, for a team, country or a corporate goal. It’s defined as a hope or ambition of achieving something

An aspiration cannot be too modest or too lofty, but ambitious enough to feel uncomfortable. In a corporate context should not be something, that is continually changing.

Aspirational goals are guiding lights on a hill, rather than fixed destinations, in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous world) we often need to have a direction and need to review what has changed to ensure the aspirations is still relevant. There is never a singular route to an aspiration, there are many pathways from where we want to get to.

Consult Australia’s Vision is ‘to be the leading voice for a vibrant and prosperous industry supporting consulting business in design, advisory and engineering’. How we get there is part of our strategy developed in December 2021. Whilst our aspiration is unlikely to change, the Board and Executive review our strategy and it’s ability to reach our aspiration in a rapidly changing environment.

It’s interesting to reflect on how aspirations of a few years ago for businesses are now seen standard business requirements.

So ‘next level’ aspirations need to be considered to keep up with, and in some cases ahead of expectations. For example, in 2015 the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) launched a target for 30% female representation on ASX 200 Boards, In December 2019 that target was reached the next level target was then extended to the ASX300 in 2020 and so it will go on. Whilst global net zero targets are focussed around 2050, there are commonly held views that to prevent further aggressive climate change effects to the planet and people the timeframe needs to be closer to 2030.

Public sentiment and expectations are often key elements in accelerating both government and corporate aspirations. Global activism combined with the rise of social media has played a key role here in driving the next level aspirations of these organisations and holding them to account.

As advisors, designers and engineers, we are in prime position to provide the advice and practical solutions to our clients who are grappling with these expectations and developing next level aspirations that they do not know how they are going to meet. When I attended the FIDIC Conference in Geneva on behalf of Consult Australia in September, the challenge was laid down to all member organisations across the globe, that this was our moment to step up, as there was a risk that we were losing our ‘trusted advisor’ position to the ‘Big 4’.

Indeed, the fact that the built environment contributes 36% of the world’s CO2 means that the role and responsibility we hold is fundamental to helping address the net zero challenge, our industry and out planet is facing.

Whether we are setting personal, team, company or industry next level aspirations, they need to be bold and meaningful. The role we play in our industry and society mean we have a unique opportunity to make an impact in achieving these aspirations… So, what more can we all do ‘to be the leading voice for a vibrant and prosperous industry’?

Rowenna Walker

President