Back yourself: Urban Core Founder Dominique Gill on achieving a thriving career

Dominique Gill is the Founder and Managing Director of Urban Core, a multiple award-winning construction company with $80 million in annual revenue and offices in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Dominique is a pioneer of diversity and inclusion – Urban Core, a female-led builder, employs 50% women. A vocal champion for the industry, Dominique promotes the importance of a career in construction to schoolchildren through NexGen, a Not-For-Profit she launched in 2022.

Dominique will join a panel discussion about empowering the next generation of women in construction at the 2nd Annual Women in Construction Summit 2025 in Melbourne.

Ahead of the event, we caught up with Dominique to find out more about her career journey from architect to founder of a construction company, and discover what makes her a true champion for women in construction.

Can you tell us about your career path?

I started off studying business and architecture at university. However, even though I finished my degree and became a fully registered architect, I did not practice as an architect for long. I always felt more drawn to project management and really wanted to see buildings come out of the ground.

So in 2009, I began working as a Project Coordinator for Built and became involved in a major refurbishment project at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. That’s when I had my epiphany. We were installing escalators, and I remember the chaos of closed-off streets, the huge cranes, workers running around, and the excitement of it all. I remember seeing these escalators, suspended by 2 cranes, hovering in the heritage atrium and thinking this was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I knew at that moment that I was exactly where I wanted to be. The tangibility of construction—the actual building part and no longer the designing— became my new passion and I knew that construction was where I belonged.

I've often talked about how people perceive construction as being dirty and hands-on, but in reality, so much of it is about planning, project management, and supervision. I love the minutiae of it all; I’m very practical-minded, and it’s rewarding to see the end result of your work, on a daily basis no less!

Taking the leap to start my own business was quite a journey. When you dive into entrepreneurship, there’s a level of ignorance—you don’t really understand the reality until you start. I often joke that “it’s because of what I didn’t know that I did it”! Nonetheless, I was determined to back myself and do this.

Now, Urban Core has around 50 employees, with an annual turnover of about 80 million. We just celebrated our 8th anniversary.

You've won several awards. Can you share more about that?

Absolutely! At an individual level, and most notably, I received the 2021 Crystal Vision Award from the National Association for Women in Construction at both State Level (NSW) and Nationally. It was a good year! Last year I also won the French-Australian Excellence Awards for entrepreneurship which was a nice connection back to my French Heritage. I was also a finalist for CEO of the Year 2024 for Construction, Transport and Logistics.

As a company, Urban Core has won multiple Excellence in Construction awards from the Master Builders Association – we are up to 6 now!

I’m a firm believer in putting your hand up for these awards. There are loads of great builders out there, but standing out among your peers sends a strong signal to the market. Plus, it’s a big morale boost for the team, especially in an industry that can be pretty unforgiving. External validation really matters.

Tell us about NexGen. What inspired you to start this initiative?

NexGen is something I kicked off in 2022. What inspired me? Only 12% of the construction workforce in Australia are women, and the numbers are even lower in trades—only 3%. This disparity was a big motivator for me to get involved with schools and talk to students before they make their career choices.

I often ask kids how many want to go into construction, and just a few hands go up. But when I ask how many want to cure cancer, loads of hands shoot up. I point out that to cure cancer, you’ll need hospitals and labs, which means construction!

The NexGen model connects industry professionals with school kids. We’re offering internships at Urban Core as a long-term strategy to show secondary students what construction really entails. A lot of people don’t realise there are many roles beyond just what they see on-site. They often ask me why I’m not wearing a toolbelt.

What do you see as the important issues facing the construction industry right now?

There’s a lot to unpack. First off, diversity is crucial. Construction is about building structures for everyone, and given that half the population is female, it makes sense to have women involved in the process. Studies show that diversity of experience and thought leads to better outcomes, and increased innovation.

Sustainability is another big one. We’re working on ways to reduce our carbon footprint, and I’m excited about innovative materials like industrial hemp, which has a quick turnaround and is carbon negative. We’re also looking into using low-carbon materials like eco-friendly plasterboard and low-emission paints.

We’re focused on retaining core structures in refurbishments to reduce waste. With the government pushing for sustainable buildings, this is potentially a huge area of growth for us.

How important is building your personal brand?

Building my personal brand has been quite important but has happened organically. In the beginning, pitching to clients was tough—they often didn’t take me seriously as a builder because I didn’t look like a burly male. But today, the conversation has flipped; I stand out as a woman in a field where that’s still rare. At Urban Core, we’re proud to have 50% female employees and be 100% female-owned.

My presence has inspired other women to want to join us. If I aim to change the culture of construction, I need to be visible and share my story. Role modelling is crucial, and I look up to other women in the industry as well.

What’s next for you and Urban Core?

Onwards and upwards! I want to grow the company to reach $150 million in revenue in the next three years. We recently opened an office in Queensland and have been active in Victoria for four years. There’s a lot of opportunity to build a quality business.

I take pride in running a well-managed construction company that’s also a fun place to work (check out the Harlem Shake video we posted recently or our flashmob from the 8th Anniversary party). It’s all about being pragmatic and walking clients through projects with pride.

We recently won an award for Humphrey’s Hotel, which was incredibly fulfilling.

Finally, what’s one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self?

Back yourself. When I started out, I faced a lot of self-doubt and had to deal with people who said I didn’t know what I was doing. But determination can get you through anything. Now, when I have a tough conversation with a client about changes or costs, I remind myself to stand my ground and be confident in my work. If you want to start a company, dig deep and back yourself—you’ve got this!

Connect with and hear from 35+ expert speakers, including Dominique Gill at the 2^nd Annual Women in Construction Summit from 29 April – 1 May 2025 in Melbourne. Learn more.

To access the detailed conference program, download the brochure here.