March 2026

“We need both allyship and sponsorship to advance equality in our sector” says transport planning veteran

With 25 years of experience as a transport planner and engineer, Nicole Vukic has never found being a woman to be a hindrance in the industry, and nor has it been at the company she co-founded, Avandra Advisory. That said, through her mentorship of women a common trend has emerged – dominant male voices in meetings that drown out their ability to be heard.

Nicole emphasises a need for both allyship and sponsorship – such as advocating for emerging leaders - to advance gender equality in the sector.

“Call it out” is the message from Nicole on an occurrence that happens far too often in transport industry meetings around Australia, and the impact it has on the contribution of women’s perspectives.

“Through my mentoring and sponsorship of women, I find common themes with other females in the industry where in meetings there is always a dominant male voice in the room,” she explains

“Some people I’ve mentored in the past have said they couldn’t get a word in during meetings. They didn’t know how to speak up, how to make their suggestion clear or heard, or how to compete with other voices in the room.”

She says there is “a bit of a way to go” when it comes to improving inclusivity in meetings where the demographics of a room are dominated by men.

“But it also depends on the workplace and the workplace culture and how many people call it out,” she clarifies.

“We talk a lot about allyship, but I think there’s also an element of sponsorship that's required in workplaces to keep women in the industry and also help them progress their careers.

“I've been fortunate to work with many successful women, and they have gone up the ranks. Many of these talented women have had a good, strong sponsor somewhere in the background who has advocated for them in various groups or within management teams.”

Nicole co-founded Avandra Advisory last year with her longstanding colleague Mary Haverland, having built their careers across a range of company types from smaller, specialised firms through to large design houses and consultancies.

Connected by their passion for city-shaping projects and solid processes to facilitate growth, they set the wheels in motion for a new venture.

“Life’s too short. We thought, let’s do it, let’s back ourselves, and make sure we don't look back and have any regrets about not giving it a go,” Nicole explains.

“I don't think it's [being female] a hindrance for us because we've built our relationships up just like any male in our industry has. I just think sometimes females don’t back themselves as much.

“It did take us a lot of time to get the confidence and just have the guts to give it a go. I think that we were probably a little bit cautious. We’re always very calculated about making sure that we've set ourselves up properly in life to be able to take the leap without impacting our personal lives as well.”