International engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon was named The Australian Financial Review Most Innovative Company in Australia and New Zealand for 2020.

Aurecon beat out all the other industry winners to the title of Australasia’s Most Innovative Company for 2020.

Aurecon was also ranked #1 in the Professional Services Category and won the award for Best Social Impact Innovation for Project Gilghi, its off-grid water purifying system for use in remote Indigenous communities.

In announcing the award at a live-streamed event on 8 October, the Financial Review stated that whilst Aurecon scored well for its award-winning Project Gilghi innovation, it was their impressive innovation program which secured the overall award this year.

Aurecon group Chief Executive Officer William Cox believes this recognition reflects the long-term commitment the firm has made to place innovation at the centre of its strategy.

“These awards are a testament to Aurecon’s people and their passion for exploring ideas and creating unique solutions for our clients.

“Project Gilghi is an off-grid water purifying system for use in remote indigenous communities. It improves water security, health outcomes, community amenities and overall quality of life,” Mr Cox said.

"Our people are inspired to make a difference to the communities in which we live and work. That's what drives us. So we're doubly proud to be recognised for innovation that has a social impact," added Louise Adams, Chief Executive, Australia & New Zealand.

The Australian Financial Review BOSS Most Innovative Companies list ranks the most innovative organisations from across industries in Australia and New Zealand. The competition is judged and compiled by Inventium – Australia’s leading innovation consultancy. In 2020, over 1000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand entered the competition.

This is the fourth year in a row that Aurecon has been named on the list.

Innovation is part of our DNA

“Our innovation aspiration for Aurecon is that our clients, and the communities we impact, must see benefits from our focus on innovation and the design solutions we create,” said John McGuire, Aurecon’s Chief Design Officer.

Aurecon’s design solution for Project Gilghi was developed in partnership with Ampcontrol. It aligns with the Australian Government’s ‘Closing the Gap’ commitments and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal which aims to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. The off-grid water purifying system delivers a reliable and unlimited supply of potable water to the Gillen Bore community for the first time in its history.

“Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. Water is taken for granted in cities and towns. Without it, cities and towns would quickly become uninhabitable,” said Mr McGuire.

“Our Gilghi unit is perfectly suited for use in remote communities, outback stations, mining, oil and gas sectors, drought or disaster recovery. Its market is potentially millions of people. More broadly, this award-winning solution speaks to Aurecon’s passion to explore the unknown, seek new solutions to old challenges and puts human-centred design at the heart of our design intent,” added Mr McGuire.

Project Gilghi recently received the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) 2020 Chris Binnie Award for Sustainable Water Management.

This international recognition is in addition to the project already having won the Australian Water Association New South Wales Infrastructure Project Innovation of the Year in 2020. Engineering Australia's Australian Engineering Excellence Awards 2020 also recognised the project. At the 2020 Good Design Awards within the Social Impact category, the Project Gilghi unit was recognised as a breakthrough design.