Yukiko Kojima Comments on Diversity & Inclusion In P3 Industry
Yukiko Kojima was prominently featured in P3 Bulletin’s September 2020 issue, which focused on diversity and inclusion in the P3 industry. She was interviewed in the “Leading Lights” feature, which brought together “a panel of the top women leading the industry” to discuss “improving gender balance within infrastructure.” In addition to Yukiko, the panel included industry leaders such as Nuria Haltiwanger, CEO of ACS Infrastructure Development; Sallye Perrin, Senior Vice President, WSP USA; and Jennifer Aument, President for North America, Transurban.
During the interview, Yukiko reflected on how the infrastructure industry promotes women, and efforts she has seen in this area change over the last several years. “I have had the privilege of meeting and working with many outstanding female professionals in the P3 and infrastructure industry. While men continue to outnumber women in the industry, over the past few years, I have seen an increasing number of talented women in leadership roles on high-profile projects on the client side and advisor side, as well as at leading industry organizations, albeit to a lesser extent on the developer side of projects.”
She also discussed why she thinks gender balance is important in organizations, stating, “P3 and infrastructure projects involve policy and implementation decisions that directly impact the broader public. Therefore, ensuring balanced representation at the table—including balanced gender representation—is critical to ensuring that decision-makers take into account the broader public’s diverse experiences and needs.”
Commenting on the highlight of her career over the past five years, Yukiko spoke of her work on the “successful procurement and completion of the high-profile, $1.3 billion University of California’s 2020 Merced Campus Expansion Project, for which Nossaman served as legal advisor to the university.” She added that the project “was championed by UC Merced Chancellor Emeritus Dorothy Leland from inception through implementation, and led by a University project team that included exceptional women in key roles.”
She closed the interview by saying that the P3 and infrastructure industry can help in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by “addressing infrastructure needs made more urgent by the impact of COVID-19 and climate change. COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on minorities and economically disadvantaged communities, and has highlighted the need for investment in transportation and transit infrastructure that is affordable and accessible to all.”