During this episode, Stellar Recruitment’s Managing Director, Shaun McCambridge, sits down with John Holland Group’s Pre-Contracts Manager and multiple award-winning leader, Loren Hickey. 

Shaun and Loren discuss her journey into the civil sector, what drives her to be the best version of herself and what her personal vision is for the industry moving forward. We also learn about time management, who has had the biggest impacts on Loren’s career and what her proudest career moments are. 

0:53 - Loren’s journey into the civil sector 

5:22 – What drives Loren to be the best version and the principles which are pivotal to her success 

11:05 – Loren’s proudest career moments 

13:50 - How Loren manages her busy schedule 

28:05 - The biggest impacts on Loren’s career 

34:15 - Rapid fire questions with Loren

37:39 – Loren’s personal vision for the industry moving forward

Loren’s journey into the civil sector

After graduating from university for sports management and realising it was quite a difficult space to land a job, Loren decided to branch out into the marketing space and found herself in a job within the construction and civil industry in a tier 3 company on the Gold Coast as their Marketing Coordinator. After being made redundant from her first construction role, Loren decided the construction industry was the one for her and applied to do her Civil Engineering degree to skyrocket her career. 5 years later, Loren moved into the business development and now, the pre-contracts space, and hasn’t looked back since due to the growth and success she has had. 

What drives Loren to be the best version and the principles which are pivotal to her success

Since being young, what has always driven Loren is to work really hard and get really paid well - if an opportunity was given to Loren, she would work hard to support her and her family to live their best life. Loren was awarded employee of the year at John Holland in 2021 and via NAWIC, named as a winner for her achievements as a businesswoman. Loren finds fulfilment in these awards she has won and takes great pride in these achievements. The principles she has grown to employ is to be unapologetically yourself and to be confident within yourself and the work you do. After hearing a quote from Paul Hogan about taking your job seriously, but not yourself, Loren has started to live out those expectations within herself and her career. 

Loren’s proudest career moments

Alongside the well-deserved NAWIC and John Holland awards, there has also been little moments along the way such as mentoring and being available, open and transparent within the construction industry, especially for other women and young people starting out, where she can give advice and help guide them in growing their careers. 

How Loren manages her busy schedule 

Wearing many different hats, Loren has a form of time management that works best for her - her family is very 50/50 in day-to-day jobs and has a great family support network around her to help her out in navigating parenthood. Being in construction, everything has a deadline, and the way Loren frames her time management around that is “self-sacrificing.” Another important thing is having a to-do list that includes both work and personal commitments, having a clear calendar and learning how to say no. 

The biggest impacts on Loren’s career 

Although Loren has had no “real” form of mentor, she has had a lot of people along the way who she has sought advice from and would seek advice from individual people for individual purposes. Thinking about where her career is and how it got to where it is, her parents had a big influence on the integrity of things of her career. Loren’s husband also plays a big part in the success of her career and the life they have built for themselves and their children, through his support of Loren being a “working mum.” 

Rapid fire questions with Loren

 
What does Loren Hickey do to relax

Netflix – Especially Manifest

What are you currently reading?

Never read a book!

If you weren’t a civil leader what’s your dream job?

Property Developer

Hidden talent? 

Being angry (according to her daughter LOL) and beer-skulling thanks to university

Greatest fear?

Messing her kids up, the dark, clowns and tsunamis

What advice would you pass on to an 18-year-old Loren Hickey?

Be unique and don’t waste time trying to fit it.

Loren’s personal vision for the industry moving forward

Right now, it is about how are we going to maintain productivity in these busy times. To maintain that productivity, the industry needs to be heavily involved in resourcing and finding those who want to come into the sector by making it attractive and breaking the stigma around certain issues within the industry. She also has a big vision to encourage women to get into the industry, by closing the pay gap and showing them there are major opportunities within the sector to be able to support themselves and their families.