1 July 2022
The ‘boys club’ days are well and truly gone with Master Builders Queensland appointing its first female deputy CEO in the association’s history.
Sue-Ann Fresneda steps up to the Deputy CEO role following the appointment of Paul Bidwell to CEO and will continue to lead Master Builders’ commercial divisions.
Master Builders’ CEO Paul Bidwell said he was delighted to work with the Board to appoint from within the ranks and is confident Sue-Ann will provide valuable perspective and experience to the leadership team.
“Sue-Ann has certainly earned her stripes since joining the business almost nine years ago. Following a decorated career at Newscorp, she has consistently demonstrated her commercial acumen and just how business savvy she is,” Paul said.
“Policy and advocacy have long been part of my wheelhouse and it’s really valuable to have another leader who brings a different angle and point of view, but particularly a focus on the commercial side to the business.
“She comes at things from a completely different perspective and that’s a vital ingredient in strong leadership and really important for the longevity and future direction of Master Builders.”
Sue-Ann says that her commercial focus will continue seeing her identifying opportunities for the business moving forward and ensuring the right suite of products and services are on offer for members. She is also looking forward to putting the spotlight even more on diversity and empowering women within the industry.
“The Queensland construction industry employs around 240,000 people across the state and women account for only around 15 per cent of that, and even less amongst those workers ‘on the tools’*,” Sue-Ann said.
“While I’m incredibly passionate about hiring the right people for the job, diversity within the industry is something we need to consider – particularly as we stare down the barrel of future skills shortages.”
Sue-Ann’s appointment is in addition to another change to the organisational structure, with the association now having a team of General Management consisting of almost 50 per cent women. The association also recently took advantage of the organisational changes, introducing a suite of new workplace perks, including the addition of ‘YOU days’, which are in addition to annual leave entitlements and designed to offer flexibility, support and greater work/life balance.
Background
Sue-Ann was appointed Director of Business Development & Membership in 2013, bringing to the role skills in business development, marketing, innovation and product development.
She joined Master Builders after almost 20 years at Newscorp, where she worked her way up from Advertising Executive to various management roles, including Sales Director and General Manager – Operations for Queensland.
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