Romilly Madew, the chief executive officer of the Green Building Council of Australia, has won a prestigious International Leadership Award from the US Green Building Council at the annual Greenbuild Conference in Washington D.C.

The award recognises outstanding individuals and organisations that embody vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green buildings and communities. It has been running for the past 13 years.

Chief Executive Officer and Founding Chairman of the USGBC Rick Fedrizzi praised Madew’s "open mind, innovative spirit and infectious passion for sustainable development."

"Romilly’s long-term leadership of the green building movement in Australia, and her clear success with Green Star, have been instrumental in helping us advance global market transformation of the building industry," said Fedrizzi. "Romilly has become a powerful global advocate for green building and communities, and her work in multiple capacities with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is having measurable results – with more than 1.3 billion square metres of green building space now certified around the world."

Madew wrote the first business case for sustainable design and construction in Australia, Dollars and Sense of Green Building. She has led the GBCA since 2006. Madew was the inaugural Chair of the WorldGBC’s Council Development Committee, and today sits on its board of directors. She is also Deputy President of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council and the Independent Chair of the Currawong State Park Advisory Board (Pittwater, NSW). She is a Steering Committee member of the federal government’s Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub, sits on the 2xEP (Energy Productivity) Roadmap Steering Group and is a member of the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Roundtable.

"While other industries continue to debate the business case for sustainability, the property and construction industry in Australia has shown real leadership," said Madew. "With a steadfast commitment to collaboration and innovation, we now have a building industry that leads the world in sustainability. This award is not just for me, but acknowledges the Australian industry’s achievements on a global stage."