Five years after Blue Haven Pools CEO Remonda Martinez was recognised among the Top 100 Women in 2021, the conversation around women in Australia’s construction industry remains highly relevant.
Women today are increasingly visible across design, engineering, project management, leadership, customer experience and construction. At the same time, current industry data shows that women continue to represent a relatively small proportion of Australia’s construction workforce.
Jobs and Skills Australia reports that approximately 1.37 million people work in Australia’s construction industry. Infrastructure Australia reports that women represent approximately 13% of the construction workforce and only around 4% of trades workers.
For Blue Haven Pools, the subject has a personal connection.
It forms part of the story of Remonda Martinez, her journey through the family business and her leadership of a company that has been part of Australia’s swimming pool industry since 1973.
Blue Haven’s story
From the Family Business to Leading Blue Haven Pools
Blue Haven Pools was founded in 1973, decades before homeowners could research swimming pools online, explore designs digitally or begin planning a pool project from their phone.
Remonda grew up around the family business and began learning how the swimming pool industry worked from an early age.
The original Blue Haven story records that she began working as a receptionist for the company at the age of 16.
Over the years, her experience expanded into different areas of the business, including customer service, council applications, pool concepts and design, working with builders, pool sales and after-sales service.
That experience gave her exposure to many of the different stages involved in operating a swimming pool design and construction business.
In 2011, leadership of Blue Haven passed to Remonda.
Blue Haven’s own company history records that the business remained under the same founding family, with Remonda continuing the company into its next generation.
Her progression through different parts of the organisation before taking leadership is an important part of the Blue Haven story.
Swimming pool construction is not simply about the finished pool.
Behind every project are conversations with homeowners, design decisions, planning and approvals, site conditions, construction stages, contractors, technical considerations and ongoing customer communication.
Experience across those different areas helped form the foundation for Remonda’s leadership of Blue Haven.
The Top 100 Women Recognition in 2021
Ten years after taking leadership of Blue Haven, Remonda reached another significant milestone when she was recognised among the Top 100 Women in 2021.
Blue Haven’s company history records the recognition as an acknowledgement of women making a significant impact within Australia’s traditionally male-dominated construction industry.
The recognition was particularly meaningful because it reflected a journey that had started many years earlier inside the family business.
Remonda had progressed from working within the company as a teenager to learning multiple areas of the business and ultimately leading Blue Haven.
The 2021 recognition therefore represents more than a single moment.
It forms part of a much longer story of experience, leadership and involvement in the Australian swimming pool industry.
Innovation During a Changing Construction Industry
The way Australian homeowners research and plan construction projects has changed considerably during Remonda’s time leading Blue Haven.
Digital technology has transformed how customers discover builders, compare designs, research products and begin conversations about their projects.
Blue Haven also embraced this shift.
The company developed an online approach that allowed homeowners to explore swimming pool options and begin the pool-buying process digitally.
Blue Haven’s original 2021 article highlighted this innovation as an important development during Remonda’s leadership.
It reflected a broader principle that remains important for established construction businesses today: longevity does not mean standing still.
Companies that have operated across different generations need to continue adapting to changes in technology, customer expectations, design trends and the way people make purchasing decisions.
What Does the Construction Industry Look Like for Women in 2026?
Australia’s construction industry is substantial.
Jobs and Skills Australia reports employment of approximately 1.37 million people in the industry, making construction an important part of the Australian workforce.
However, women remain underrepresented.
Infrastructure Australia’s 2025 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report states that women represent approximately:
- 13% of Australia’s construction workforce
- 4% of trades workers
Infrastructure Australia also notes that women’s participation in construction trades has remained comparatively low over a long period.
This is why visible examples of women working across different areas of construction continue to matter.
Construction offers far more career pathways than many people may initially associate with the industry.
Those pathways can include:
- trades
- architecture
- engineering
- pool and landscape design
- estimating
- administration
- customer experience
- sales
- project management
- construction management
- operations
- technology
- business management
- executive leadership
The range of opportunities reflects how many different skills are required to take a construction project from an initial idea through to completion.
Women in Construction Across NSW
Increasing women’s participation in construction is also an ongoing focus in New South Wales.
The NSW Government’s Women in Construction Program is designed to increase the participation and retention of women in trade and non-traditional construction roles.
Recent NSW Government reporting states that women represent approximately 12.3% of the NSW construction sector, with women holding around 4% of trade-based roles. The program includes initiatives designed to improve participation, workplace culture, retention and leadership opportunities.
These initiatives reflect a broader recognition that Australia’s future construction workforce can benefit from attracting people from a wider range of backgrounds and career pathways.
Why Representation in Construction Matters
Construction businesses depend on people with very different skills.
A swimming pool project is a good example.
Delivering a pool may involve designers, engineers, council or planning processes, excavation teams, builders, plumbers, electricians, interior specialists, landscapers, project coordinators, customer service teams and many other professionals.
There is no single background that determines whether someone can contribute meaningfully to that process.
Greater representation can also make it easier for younger people to imagine themselves pursuing careers they may not previously have considered.
When people can see women working across design, construction, management and leadership roles, those career paths become more visible.
That is one reason stories such as Remonda’s remain relevant beyond an individual award.
What Remonda’s Journey Represents
There is no single pathway to becoming a construction-industry leader.
Remonda’s journey through Blue Haven demonstrates one possible path.
She did not begin her career by stepping directly into the company’s most senior position.
Her experience developed across different areas of the organisation over time.
The original Blue Haven account of her career describes experience ranging from reception and customer service to council applications, pool design, builders, sales and after-sales service before she ultimately became CEO in 2011.
That progression provides a useful example for people considering careers in construction today.
Some careers begin through a trade.
Others begin in design.
Some start in administration, customer service, engineering, sales, project management or another part of a construction business.
A person’s first role does not necessarily determine where their career can eventually lead.
From 2021 to 2026
Remonda’s Top 100 Women recognition occurred in 2021.
Five years later, it remains part of Blue Haven’s company history while the broader conversation around women in construction continues.
There are now government programs, industry initiatives and employers working to increase women’s participation across construction.
At the same time, the current workforce numbers demonstrate why the topic remains relevant.
Infrastructure Australia continues to report women at approximately 13% of the national construction workforce and 4% of trades workers.
The significance of recognising women already contributing to the industry is therefore not limited to celebrating individual achievement.
It also helps demonstrate the range of careers that exist within construction and the different ways people can build long-term careers within the sector.
More Than Five Decades of Blue Haven
Remonda’s story also sits within a much larger Blue Haven history.
Blue Haven Pools began in 1973 and has continued through different generations of the same founding family.
The industry surrounding the business has changed significantly during that time.
Swimming pool designs have changed.
Technology has changed.
Construction methods and products have evolved.
The way homeowners research pool builders has changed.
And the way customers communicate with companies throughout a construction project continues to evolve.
Blue Haven’s history reflects that evolution.
Remonda taking leadership of the company in 2011 and receiving Top 100 Women recognition in 2021 are two milestones within that broader story.
Looking Ahead
The construction industry of 2026 looks different from the one Remonda entered when she first began working within Blue Haven.
But the importance of experience, learning and leadership remains.
As more women explore careers across trades, design, engineering, project management, operations and leadership, the range of people shaping Australia’s construction industry continues to expand.
Remonda’s journey is one example from within that broader industry.
For Blue Haven, it is also part of a family-business story that has now extended for more than five decades.
From learning different parts of the business to taking leadership in 2011 and receiving national recognition in 2021, her career forms an important part of Blue Haven’s history and its continuing place within Australia’s swimming pool industry.
Discover the People and Projects Behind Blue Haven
Blue Haven’s story has been shaped by more than five decades of swimming pool design, construction, innovation and the people behind every project.
Explore Blue Haven’s story, discover real swimming pool projects across NSW, or learn more about how Blue Haven builds pools.
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