Maria Atkinson AM has been a member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation since 2013. She is a Sustainability Business Advisor, a Co-Founder and Founding CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia, of which she is now a Life Fellow.

She joined the Advisory Board to the Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) in 2021. Planet Ark facilitates ACE Hub and aims to support the transition to a circular economy in Australia by providing a platform for sharing information and inspiration, and for celebrating the efforts of all those working towards this vital transition.

Maria Atkinson was awarded the Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for “service to the construction and real estate sector, particularly as a leader and contributor to environmentally sustainable building development in Australia” in 2012.

She is an impact investor with the intention to generate measurable social or environmental impact alongside revenue growth and profitability.

Maria Atkinson studied Environmental Biology at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney, Australia. She is also a graduate of the Executive Development Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She was an executive at Lendlease, a global real estate and investment business as the Global Head of Sustainability. More recently, she was the “Eastern City District Commissioner” helping co-create and implement strategic plans for Sydney to be more productive, sustainable, and liveable.

Maria Atkinson has over 20 years’ experience with international corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and government authorities. She was the Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative until July 2011, and a member of the Singapore Building & Construction Authority’s International Panel of Experts for Sustainability in the Built Environment (2007-09). She also chaired the discussion about the Future of Sustainable Construction at the World Economic Forum Inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai (2008).

Holcim Foundation engagement

Maria Atkinson participated in the concluding panel of the 5th International Holcim Forum for Sustainable Construction on “Infrastructure Space” held in Detroit (2016) and was a keynote panel moderator at the 6th International Holcim Forum on “Re-materializing Construction” held in Cairo (2019).

Maria Atkinson was a member of Holcim Awards juries (2012, 2015 & 2021), and will be a member of the Holcim Awards 2023 jury for Asia Pacific.