As the CEO of Australia’s largest privately owned civil contractor, Scott Power is leading BMD into a bold new chapter – one grounded in innovation, diversification and a deep commitment to people, partnerships and community. With projects spanning from major transport infrastructure to housing solutions and international expansion, Scott’s vision for the future of construction is both ambitious and refreshingly grounded. In this exclusive interview, he shares insights on navigating industry challenges, embracing new technologies, championing gender equity and Indigenous engagement, and why the 2032 Olympics present a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Australian-owned contractors. Read on to discover how Scott is powering futures and creating enduring legacies – one project at a time.

FuturePlace: Scott, thank you for your time. Can you tell me more about your role as CEO of BMD?

FuturePlace: As CEO, I am responsible for all aspects of BMD’s performance across our business, which collectively delivers more than 100 projects each year.

With an employee base of more than 2,300, my role involves establishing growth strategies to drive our business forward and building the right leadership teams and frameworks to ensure we provide our clients and partners with exceptional outcomes. This includes ensuring we have the best engineering, construction and professional teams providing solutions across project design, estimating, tendering and delivery.

With a strong commitment to growth and opportunity, I am focused on ensuring our project portfolio remains varied across the business – both geographically and by capability. This has long been a priority and point of difference for BMD, ensuring we remain capable of delivering a broad range of projects within the Australian market, and internationally.

We believe in the power of teamwork and the strength of partnerships with clients, suppliers and subcontractors – this has always been a key differentiator for us. Our diversification strategy also allows us to expose our people to a broader breadth of experience.

FuturePlace: What strategic areas are you focusing on in your role as CEO?

Scott Power: BMD is responsible for delivering some of the biggest and most diverse projects in Australia and the Philippines, and we’ve been expanding into more complex sectors and new markets such as the UK.

Our strategic focus is centred around growth across the pillars of people, partnerships, process and performance. These pillars provide a roadmap for our business, all tying strategically back to our purpose – to power futures and create enduring legacies through a commitment to collaboration.

By aligning our strategic objectives with our purpose, values and culture, we’re ensuring our business remains aligned, goal-orientated and future-focused.

We’re a high-performance organisation, and excellence is a key driver in everything we do. From wellbeing and safety to technology, innovation, partnerships and diversification, we strive for excellence. Our point of difference lies in our people and our collaborative approach.

Our strategy is designed to sustain a winning business by supporting our people to deliver exceptional performance for our stakeholders. The power of BMD lies in the strength of our relationships, and our goal is to create better experiences and deliver even better outcomes for our clients, partners and communities.

FuturePlace: How important do you think your projects and infrastructure are in supporting residential construction and helping to address the housing crisis in Australia?

Scott Power: Our property business, Urbex, creates value for the Australian development market and continues to innovate through the delivery of best-practice residential and commercial developments.

Our business is unique in that the BMD Group’s business units work collaboratively to deliver value-for-money and innovative engineering solutions across the property development sector -from land development and engineering design through to the delivery of housing options for Australia’s growing population.

We’re contributing to addressing the housing crisis and adapting to evolving demographic trends in Australia by exploring modular housing solutions and considering various options for future implementation. This includes evaluating a range of integrated housing models to meet diverse market needs and support sustainable urban development.

We’re also looking to support residential construction by assessing land lease options to provide more affordable housing and enhance land use efficiency.

FuturePlace: What opportunities or challenges do you see across the industry today?

Scott Power: We are seeing increased investment in Defence, water and renewable energy projects. Our ability to work across a range of capabilities allows us to capitalise on this growth, and we are well-positioned to support Australia’s energy transition.

In the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we also see a significant opportunity for local businesses to play an integral role in delivering the required infrastructure.

As an Australian-owned contractor, I’m a strong advocate for creating a more sustainable industry through policy changes – so that companies like BMD, and our Australian-owned peers, can continue to provide employment and procurement opportunities for Australians.

Australian contractors like BMD play a leading role in supporting local businesses and fostering local employment. We actively engage with industry associations and governments on policies that support the growth and development of Australian contractors.

FuturePlace: How do you see innovation and technology supporting these opportunities and providing solutions to some of the challenges the industry faces, like labour shortages and productivity?

Scott Power: Any tools that enable us to access data quickly and effectively are vital to our digital transformation – and to the broader construction industry, which has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies.

We’re focused on implementing digital platforms that enhance project efficiency and scale with our business growth. This represents a real opportunity to improve productivity and deliver better performance outcomes on our projects.

As Australia’s largest family-owned civil contractor, we feel a responsibility to address the growing skills and labour shortage by actively working to attract more people to the construction industry. One way we’re doing this is by leading the way in fostering a culture of equality, respect and opportunity for all.

A fundamental challenge is that only 14% of engineering students are women, and even fewer pursue trades. These numbers don’t reflect our society or communities.

BMD has prioritised the implementation of a Gender Equality Action Plan, with a strategy to foster a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace by increasing female participation, ensuring equitable career development, and promoting non-traditional career pathways for women.

Embracing gender equity at BMD means providing equal opportunities and actively backing initiatives that support women in construction and engineering.

We’re building partnerships and programs with schools and universities and taking active steps to level the playing field in decision-making. Our partnerships extend beyond early talent – we also invest in women’s sporting teams, in alignment with a shared goal of increasing visibility and participation of women in underrepresented industries like sport and construction.

FuturePlace: BMD owns its own travel company, sponsors the Broncos, and has Dart Johnson focused on employing Indigenous Australians. You clearly have a strong community focus – what aspects of BMD are you most proud of?

Scott Power: BMD is a people-first business with a truly unique culture and entrepreneurial spirit. Our partnering approach has long been a cornerstone of how we operate, and we’re proud of it. We’re passionate about powering futures and creating enduring legacies by supporting communities through our impact.

Our Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan has been approved by Reconciliation Australia, and we’re set to launch it in the coming months. This is a significant milestone for our business, building on the achievements of our reconciliation journey and setting new commitments to develop strategic partnerships with Indigenous businesses and foster cultural understanding across the organisation.

A great example of this approach is our work as part of the Fitzroy Bridge Alliance (FBA), where we made a commitment from the outset to deliver economic and employment outcomes for the local community. The project involved constructing a new bridge to reconnect a community following severe flooding in the Kimberley region, and was delivered six months ahead of schedule.

With an ambitious Aboriginal employment target of 25%, the FBA’s proactive approach paid off – 260 local workers were employed, with 25% of construction hours worked by Aboriginal workers. We also exceeded our target spend for Aboriginal enterprises, achieving 22% (or $36 million) of the total project value of $166 million.

We’re incredibly proud of this project. We believe that we’ve retained our position as a leading family-owned business not just through our integrated engineering, construction and urban development capabilities, but through our collaborative approach to delivering infrastructure that connects and transforms communities.

Our true strength lies in the power of our team, and the long-standing partnerships we’ve built with clients, subcontractors and suppliers.

FuturePlace: What excites you most about the industry and the year ahead?

Scott Power: As a privately owned business founded in Brisbane, the investment in local infrastructure associated with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is exciting. I’m optimistic about the opportunities this will bring for BMD and other local businesses.

We recently launched our fourth logo in our 45th year of operations, marking a refreshed brand identity – the first in 22 years. This new identity comes at a time when we’re aligning our business to a future-focused strategy based on collaborative partnerships, diversification and international expansion. It reflects our vision for shared success with clients, partners and communities, and I’m excited to bring this brand to life.

I’m also looking forward to our continued international growth, particularly in the UK, where we’ve implemented a ‘learn and return’ model. We’ve embedded our team into nuclear projects in the UK to prepare for a key role in the AUKUS program here in Australia.

The experience we’re gaining in the UK will allow us to leverage our strengths in delivering defence projects, now enhanced with nuclear expertise, and contribute meaningfully to Australia’s strategic initiatives.

FuturePlace: Thank you for speaking again at FCON25. What parts of the summit are you most looking forward to?

Scott Power: I’m looking forward to hearing from the thought leaders and industry experts who help shape Australia’s construction sector. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be in a room with industry peers, collaborate, share learnings and work together.

FuturePlace: Lastly, if you had a crystal ball, what predictions do you have for the industry over the coming decade?

Scott Power: Australian-owned contractors like BMD will continue to play a leading role in supporting local businesses and fostering local employment.

I’m hopeful that, through continued advocacy, we’ll see a more sustainable industry shaped by policy changes – ones that ensure companies like BMD and our Australian-owned peers can keep delivering employment and procurement opportunities here at home.

We remain active participants in this space, working closely with industry associations and government to ensure policy decisions continue to support the growth and development of Australian contractors.

Scott Power’s passion for purpose-driven leadership, strategic growth and meaningful industry reform makes him a powerful voice in Australia’s construction landscape. At FCON25 (taking place 20th -21st May in Brisbane), Scott will join a powerhouse panel of industry leaders – including Mark Baker (CEO, BESIX Watpac), Treaven Martinus (CEO, Martinus), John Anderson (CEO, DT Infrastructure), and Kylie Yates (CEO New South Wales, Civil Contractors Federation) – for the Construction Leaders session. Moderated by Sally Krajačić (AEC Industry Lead at Workato), the panel will unpack the critical trends shaping the future of construction: from housing and infrastructure delivery to the energy transition, net zero targets, efficient procurement, and fostering a more diverse and resilient workforce. Don’t miss this chance to hear directly from the CEOs shaping the next era of Australian construction.

Learn more about FCON25 here.