Maria Atkinson
Chairperson, Board of the Holcim Foundation; Sustainability Business Advisor; and Founding CEO, Green Building Council of Australia
Maria Atkinson
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5th Holcim Forum 2016 “Infrastructure Space”
Maria Atkinson AM, Chairperson of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, Sustainability Business Advisor, and Founding CEO, Green Building Council of Australia was a member of the concluding panel at the 5th Holcim Forum held in Detroit in April 2016.
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Global Silver Awards 2015 prize ceremony – Post-War Collective: Community library and social recuperation, Ambepussa, Sri Lanka
Maria Atkinson, Member of the Global jury and the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation commended the project for creating a skilled and motivated workforce through an educational program and the thoughtful deployment of specific construction techniques.
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Global Holcim Awards jury meeting 2012
“The Holcim Awards is an amazing opportunity to contribute ideas, but also to learn from others and to celebrate those that win.” Maria Atkinson AM, Co-Founder, Green Building Council of Australia at the Global Holcim Awards jury meeting in Zurich, 2012.
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Global Holcim Awards jury meeting 2012
Hans-Rudolf Schalcher, civil engineer, Professor em. for Planning and Management in Construction at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Switzerland and Maria Atkinson, administrator, Group Head of Sustainability, Lend Lease and Managing Director, Sustainability Solutions, Australia at the Global Holcim Awards jury meeting 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland.
She was also a member of Holcim Foundation Awards juries in 2012, 2015, 2021 and 2023, participated in the concluding panel of the 5th Holcim Forum 2016 on “Infrastructure Space” in Detroit, USA and was a keynote panel moderator at the 6th Holcim Forum 2019 on “Re-materializing Construction” in Cairo, Egypt.
She has been a member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation since 2013, and is a Sustainability Business Advisor, Co-Founder and Founding CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia, of which she is now a Life Fellow.
Maria Atkinson AM was appointed as a Net Zero Commissioner to the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water in 2024. Directly accountable to state parliament, the Commission will prepare annual reports on the State’s progress and will provide critical recommendations on how NSW can achieve net zero goals in Australia’s most populous state.
She joined the Advisory Board to the Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) in 2021. Planet Ark facilitates ACE Hub and aims to support the transition to a circular economy in Australia by providing a platform for sharing information and inspiration, and for celebrating the efforts of all those working towards this vital transition.
It’s important that we shine a spotlight on projects and solutions that illustrate new ways of thinking in the building sector that lead to a more sustainable tomorrow. Maria Atkinson Chairperson, Holcim Foundation Board
She is an impact investor with the intention to generate measurable social or environmental impact alongside revenue growth and profitability.
She was an executive at Lendlease, a global real estate and investment business as the Global Head of Sustainability. More recently, she was the “Eastern City District Commissioner” helping co-create and implement strategic plans for Sydney to be more productive, sustainable, and liveable.
Maria Atkinson has over 20 years’ experience with international corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and government authorities. She was the Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative until July 2011, and a member of the Singapore Building & Construction Authority’s International Panel of Experts for Sustainability in the Built Environment (2007-09). She also chaired the discussion about the Future of Sustainable Construction at the World Economic Forum Inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai (2008).
Maria Atkinson studied Environmental Biology at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney, Australia. She is also a graduate of the Executive Development Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ecogradia Podcast – The sustainability whisperer
We need a transformational shift: a rethink of the way we work, the goals we set, the processes we deploy. But how should we push forward? Who can help us get to where we need to be?
Maria has donned many hats in her career. It is this diversity of roles – consultant, advocate, advisor – and the many platforms – commercial, institutional, non-profit – she’s engaged with that make her uniquely qualified to lead a conversation on the future of buildings and cities.
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