James nominated for ISC Emerging Leader Award
Affectionately known as the “glue that sticks the project team together”, James Thomas embodies what it means to be an emerging leader in the sustainability sector.
James works as part of Winslow Infrastructure’s (WI) team on the Lathams Road Upgrade (LRU) project as an Environmental & Sustainability Advisor and was recently nominated for an Emerging Leader Award with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC).
James was instrumental in leading the charge with WI being awarded a design score of 49.25 from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) for its LRU project earlier this year – this was Winslow’s first ever rating submission as an infrastructure contractor.
ISCA ratings consider the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of both the design and delivery of infrastructure projects.
James has demonstrated leadership skills far beyond his years and has been instrumental in innovating and implementing sustainability initiatives and programs on site.
He set up the ‘office waste’ program that resulted in the LRU project reaching its waste diversion targets and staff changing their daily habits towards rubbish and recycling.
He established the ‘Sustainability in a Snapshot’ dashboard, which tracks key ISC and project targets and is published every few weeks to the wider project team.
Having a simplified dashboard engages the whole project team in sustainability objectives and motivates personnel to get more involved.
James was instrumental in the implementation of Polyrok (a plastic mineral aggregate replacement for concrete) on site at the LRU.
Another terrific innovation led by James, was the ‘Green Power Plan’ for the LRU’s main site office.
While initially turned down by the building manager, James persisted with his initiative and after extensive consultation, the plan was accepted and implemented, helping offset a large portion of the project’s energy use and saving an energy credit.
James was also nominated as a WI emerging leader and participated in WI’s Crazy Ideas College program in 2022, where he led a group of students in a mentor role, as they embraced their passions and work their way through turning an initial thought into a realistic, practical concept that they can pursue and be proud of.