North People: Michelle Carroll | Building a Bridge to the Future

No-one loves a challenge more than Michelle Carroll - which is just as well! As newly appointed Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Services Stream lead for South Australia, she is tasked with taking North Projects to new levels of diversity and collaboration.

With years of experience in the complex area of community and stakeholder management, Michelle brings a wealth of public and private expertise to the role. 

She’s expert in nuanced collaboration, strategic planning and conflict resolution. As the go-to person for project delivery, she will draw on her considerable skills to drive North Projects forward.

Cooperation and communication are key

For more than 15 years, Michelle has worked with various Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors, along with Victorian and South Australian Government departments.

She regards project delivery as her strength, bringing all the stakeholders together in a “truly collaborative approach”. 

“Everyone needs to be aware of what’s happening, so we can get feedback and mitigate or manage things differently if the impact is too great. Often, it involves working with the community, the contractor, and client to explain why things can’t be changed, and that can be the most challenging part.”

As communicators, facilitators and negotiators, Michelle and the C&S team liaise between the various groups involved in each project, managing client expectations, government regulations and community response.

She cites Melbourne’s Westgate tunnel project as hugely instructive in her own career growth. 

“Working within the contractor team, and working closely with Transurban and the Westgate Tunnel Authority, was a great learning curve for me. It was a $10 billion project involving a very big team, with plenty of issues to work through.”

As tough as it gets

Michelle regards the removal of nine Victorian level crossings and building five new stations between Caulfield and Dandenong as a particularly emotive and challenging project.

 Skyrail was hailed as the state government’s flagship project at the time, generating plenty of controversy from community groups and home owners lining the route.

“Working hard up against people’s properties, we were operating in an environment of heightened emotion and sustained public opposition. We had to deal, sensitively and systematically, with many obstacles – finally helping to achieve a great outcome," she says.

“I regard this as a prime example of dealing with change in a positive way. Despite all the initial objections, Skyrail is now regarded as one of Victoria’s most celebrated achievements. Negotiating this adversity also helped forge lasting team relationships and greater resilience, as a result of really working through the problems.”

Pride in the team

Strong teamwork is everything, Michelle insists. “It’s the strength of the team that wins projects, achieves great results and sees projects through to completion.”

The power behind the North Projects C&S team lies in its breadth of skills, with cross-sector experience in government, universities, education, health, policy and planning and contract management.

“Kath Moore can be credited with laying this great foundation as she now steps into a national strategic stakeholder advisory role. My goal is to continue to grow the team and expand the opportunities we have, with team members coming to work happy and satisfied,” she says.

“We recruit based on attitude as well as qualifications, and we’re looking for people with diverse skills. We want people to be part of the decision-making, to feel supported and included. 

“The company has a truly collaborative culture, and this extends to how we work with clients. As colleagues, we support each other, jumping in to help when needed. Nobody is too precious to do the hard work that is not always the most interesting - and that’s how it should be.”

Michelle acknowledges North Projects’ great achievements in transport infrastructure and urban renewal, including land development, bridges, rail and roads. 

Now, she’s also keen to look for opportunities in the health, defence and mining sectors in South Australia – new territory, where multiple opportunities await!