Guest: Irene Tartiris
Irene Tartiris on women in construction, respect on site and career progression
Irene Tartiris joins Jake and Daniel for Episode 14. She talks about moving from Greece to Australia without speaking English, studying architecture and reaching out to builders to find her first opportunity in construction.
From coordinating finishes at Mirvac to progressing into a senior project coordinator role, Irene shares the challenges and support behind her career. The conversation explores respect on site, leadership, mentorship and the personal sacrifices that come with ambition.
From this episode
- Irene shares her path from architecture studies into residential and commercial construction.
- The conversation covers project coordination, managing pressure and the support that helps people grow.
- Irene discusses setting boundaries on site, mentoring younger women and working towards project management.
Show notes
What does it take to earn respect as a young woman in construction?
In Episode 14 of Behind the Facade, Jake from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install sit down with Irene Tartiris for an honest conversation about women in construction, earning respect on site, career progression, leadership and the sacrifices behind building a career in the industry.
Irene takes us back to moving from Greece to Australia at 11 without speaking English, studying architecture and messaging construction companies on Instagram to get her first opportunity. She shares how she balanced work, retail shifts and studying late into the night, then worked her way from residential projects into larger commercial builds.
We get into her time at Mirvac, where she took responsibility for around $40 million in finishes and coordinated multiple subcontractors. Irene opens up about the pressure of those first three months, questioning whether she could do it, and how a supportive project team helped her build the confidence to deliver. She also explains what project coordination actually involves, from procurement and design changes to negotiating variations, managing defects and keeping work on program.
The conversation tackles the challenges Irene has faced as a young woman in construction, including unwanted attention, inappropriate comments and learning to set boundaries. She talks about being the only woman in a room of 30 men, supporting younger women on site and why having someone you can turn to makes such a difference. Jake and Daniel share their perspective on site culture and the responsibility leaders have to build teams where people feel respected and supported.
We also explore Irene’s progression into a senior project coordinator role, knowing when a company can offer genuine growth and when it is time to move on. She shares the personal cost of long hours and ambition, her goal of becoming a project manager, and the residential client-side project management service she has started building alongside her career.
If you work in construction, facades, cladding, glazing, subcontracting, trades, architecture, estimating, project management, operations or business ownership, this episode offers a firsthand look at career progression, workplace culture and the support people need to succeed in the industry.
Timestamps:
00:00 Moving from Greece to Australia at 11 without speaking English
03:13 Studying architecture, messaging builders and getting her first opportunity
08:53 Mirvac, $40 million in finishes and learning to handle the pressure
13:54 Backing yourself, asking for opportunities and refusing to stand still
16:48 Women in construction, unwanted attention and earning respect on site
27:38 Becoming a senior project coordinator and working towards project management
35:23 Bridging architecture and construction, design details and buildability
40:51 Supporting women in construction and the importance of mentors
45:51 Managing pressure, long hours and giving graduates proper support
58:18 Knowing when to stay loyal to a company and when to move on
01:04:51 Leadership, loyalty and helping people succeed as a business grows
01:17:13 The sacrifices behind career progression and starting a business
ABOUT BEHIND THE FACADE
Behind the Facade is a construction podcast hosted by Jake Gorry, Director of Proline Group, and Daniel Alizzi from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd. The podcast goes behind the scenes of the facade, cladding, glazing and construction industry, sharing real conversations about business, leadership, site work, project delivery, culture and the people building the industry from the ground up.