Environmental Team profiles: Emma
Introducing our Canterbury Environmental Manager, Emma.
There’s no single path into environmental management at Naylor Love – Emma Williamson’s journey is a great example of that. Emma started on the tools as a labourer, completing a carpentry apprenticeship before moving into project management. It’s a background that still shapes how she works today, bringing a practical lens to sustainability to make sure things work in the real world.
After returning from parental leave, Emma put her hand up to take on the new Canterbury Environmental Manager role. It was driven by a simple but powerful motivation – to make a difference at a time when there wasn’t much good news about future of the planet. What started as just eight hours a week dedicated to environmental sustainability has since grown into a full-time role supporting our Christchurch and Nelson teams to implement both environmental and social sustainability initiatives.
What really stands out with Emma is how she connects with people. She knows that sustainability isn’t a one-size-fits-all conversation; it’s about tailoring the message so it resonates with each audience. Whether it’s focusing on costs, outcomes, or using data and dashboards to bring carbon impacts to life on site, Emma meets people where they are.
And just as importantly, she’s big on celebrating wins with her team. Not just the big milestones, but the small, everyday progress too. That’s what builds momentum and turns into bigger change.
