SiteLeadershipPathway
Developingthenextgenerationofconstructionleaders
Building on more than a century of investing in people.
Hutchies has built industry-leading constructors since 1912. From the beginning, the business has grown its own people.
Training and succession go right back to those early years. The sons of our founder, John ‘Jack’ I Hutchinson I – Jack Hutchinson II and Eric Hutchinson – both joined the company as apprentices, learning the trade on real projects. This approach has shaped how Hutchies operates ever since.
Over more than a century, we have invested in apprentices from their first day through to long careers in site and project leadership, as well as team leadership and even company leadership.
Many of our most experienced Site Managers started this way. Our Chairman, 4th generation Scott Hutchinson, has always valued longevity, marking so many people building their careers with Hutchies as one of our proudest achievements.
Our company members have built their professions here over decades, growing with the business and helping shape it along the way.
Hutchies’ Site Leadership Pathway is the next step in that evolution and builds on the vision of Jack Snr (Scott’s father) when he took over Hutchies back in the 1960s and continued the focus of developing people.
JackSnr–1960scompanystrategy"Invest in our people to better serve our clients."
Creating a clearer path forward.
This program amplifies what already exists at Hutchies. Leaders have always progressed from Apprentice to Leading Hand, to Foreman and then to Site Manager and beyond. That progression is well understood, but until now it has largely been informal.
At the same time, the need to formalise this pathway has never been more critical. Australia’s construction pipeline is expected to exceed $400 billion over the next decade and contributes around 8% of the nation’s GDP. The scale of work ahead will require more of the best site leaders and construction professionals.
Construction offers dynamic, rewarding careers, built on practical skills, real responsibility and visible outcomes. For many, it provides the opportunity to lead teams, shape projects and build something that lasts.
As part of our broader career development strategy, we identified an opportunity to formalise the journey. Apprenticeships provide a structured starting point, but the next stage in a career has not always had the same clarity.
Our Site Leadership Pathway fills that gap. It creates a more structured, visible progression beyond apprenticeship, helping people understand where they are heading and what it takes to get there.
RussellFryer,ManagingDirector"We have been working hard to become a more resilient builder… most importantly, investing in the development of our people who we believe are some of the best in the industry."
Built on long careers and deep experience.
One of Hutchies’ strengths is the experience held within our site leadership group. Across the business, we have more than 100 Site Managers, with an average tenure of 11 years. This is a unique wealth of knowledge and experience we want to recognise, capture and pass on to the next generation of future leaders who follow in their footsteps.
That continuity is not by chance. It reflects a long-standing approach to building people from within. Hutchies always invested in developing company members through real opportunities, training and lived experience on projects.
These long careers are part of how the business operates. Experience is built over time, on real projects, through real challenges and with genuine trust. It sits with people who started on the tools, learned their trade from the ground up and grew into leadership roles over many years.
This is not a new idea.
It has been happening at Hutchies for generations.
There are countless examples throughout our history of people progressing through the ranks. Hutchies’ Managing Director Russell Fryer (COTY 2010) is one of the clearest.
He joined Hutchies as a cadet in 1998 and built his career across multiple roles in the business before stepping into MD. His journey reflects what is possible at Hutchies. We grow the right people for the right role over time.
This approach goes back even further. As Jack Hutchinson Snr reflected, two standout apprentices, Barry Butterworth (COTY 1996) – who joined Hutchies in the 1960s – and Peter Moran, were already “running jobs” early in their careers.
They were identified, trusted and given responsibility well before many would expect. Barry spent more than 50 years at Hutchies, one of our longest serving people.
This is how Hutchies sustains long careers, good people with strong leadership and consistent performance across projects.
There are countless more examples of apprenticeships becoming long and successful careers.
One of the most recognised is Arthur Basil Hamilton, known as George, who started his apprenticeship at Hutchies in the 1920s and – incredibly – remained with us until his retirement in 1980. For many years, he was the company’s only construction manager and built a reputation for his loyalty, capability and problem solving on projects.
Working in an era before modern equipment, George became known for finding practical solutions where others could not. He could lift and place heavy elements using simple tools, pulleys and a small team, often leaving others wondering how it was done.
His influence on Hutchies was significant and long lasting, shaping the way projects were delivered and remembered by those who worked alongside him, including Scott Hutchinson during his time as a labourer on school holidays in the 1970s.
Looking to today, a current example is Finlay Ross, who completed his apprenticeship with Hutchies Training in 2025 and is already running his first project independently.
Finlay won the 2025 Apprentice of the Year at the Hutchies Training Awards, topping a highly credentialled field. He is well respected by his team and the subcontractors he works with, and he actively supports other apprentices to succeed.
Now accepted into the Site Leadership Pathway pilot, Finlay shows what this progression can look like in practice – from apprentice to foreman, with the capability and character to lead teams in the future.
And this is why the Site Leadership Pathway matters.
It connects emerging leaders with experienced Site Managers who have built their knowledge over decades in the industry. That knowledge is practical and hard‑earned.
It can’t be found in books, or in generic off the shelf training programs. It comes from real decisions, real pressure and real outcomes on projects.
The pathway creates a clear line between generations. It ensures that experience is not lost, but shared and strengthened over time. In doing so, it continues a long‑standing Hutchies approach, now formalised into a structured development program for the first time.
Building relationships and connecting new leaders with Subject Matter Experts from across the business, the aim is simple: pass on what has been learned.
Developed by Hutchies, for Hutchies.
The Site Leadership Pathway has been shaped by Hutchies’ site leaders from across the business. Their input ensured the program reflects the realities of working on projects and focuses on the skills that matter most.
It is structured in modules so learning can happen progressively, at the right time and in the right context. This makes it practical to balance development with project responsibilities.
The program is led by Peter Haidley (COTY 1999), one of Hutchies’ veteran Site Managers who joined Hutchies in 1994. It brings together foremen, leading hands, junior foremen and in future years, leadership ready fourth year apprentices who are already stepping into leadership roles on projects.
The program prepares high-potential company members for future leadership roles while strengthening Hutchies’ capability and expertise across the business.
It is also backed by Hutchies’ Workforce Development team and dedicated registered training organisation, Hutchies Training. Established in 2007, more than 2,000 people have graduated through its programs. Hutchies Training is the only enterprise-based construction skills provider in Australia, and is a two-time winner at the National Training Awards.
From delivering school programs through to guiding and training our own apprentices, and for the first time this year – Hutchies Training graduated a number of students who completed their Diploma of Building and Construction.
SeanCummiskey,NationalWorkforceDevelopmentManager"I’m lucky to be part of a team building a first-of-its-kind program, powered by over 100 years of Hutchies know-how. Our culture and history of developing people really come to life, and our most trusted site leaders and SMEs pass on the real, hard-earned experience to the next generation."
While historically focusing primarily on accredited qualifications, licencing and short courses across key construction roles and skills, the team are now equipped to work alongside SMEs from across Hutchies to develop customised learning programs for Hutchies, made by Hutchies – just like the Site Leadership Pathway.
Learning is built around real, hands on experience on live projects, backed by more than a century of industry knowledge and evolution.
A strong start.
The first cohort includes 16 emerging leaders working across a wide mix of projects, including health, education, residential and modular construction.
Most are already foremen or junior foremen leading teams on site. For them, the pathway is a natural next step. It builds on their current responsibilities and prepares them for future Site Manager roles.ErinRichardson,ForemanandSiteLeadershipPathwayparticipant"I joined Hutchies in 2016. I started as an apprentice carpenter and moved my way up through to Foreman and site management roles across various projects. You work hard and you get rewarded for it… I’ve been really lucky with the team and the people that have seen my potential and encouraged me."
Looking ahead.
The Site Leadership Pathway formalises what has always been part of Hutchies. We grow our leaders from within.
By combining structured development with real project experience, the program strengthens that approach and carries it forward.
It ensures the knowledge built over decades is not lost. Instead, it is shared, developed and passed on to the next generation who will lead Hutchies into the future.