Recognising 2024 Suplier Diversity Advocate of the Year

Beca’s bold push for inclusive procurement

For Sarah Lang, supplier diversity isn’t a feel-good extra, it’s about shifting systems. As Business Director for Government Advisory at Beca, Sarah has spent the past four years quietly but purposefully reshaping how one of Aotearoa’s largest engineering consultancies thinks about social and sustainable procurement.  

In 2024, her efforts were recognised when she was named Amotai’s inaugural Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year. For Sarah, it was never about the accolade.

Winning the award gave me a platform to speak about a cause I care deeply about,” she says. “Suddenly people were paying attention to what Beca was doing around supplier diversity and I could talk more openly about how every procurement decision is a chance to support a more inclusive economy.”

A long game that has a ripple effect 

Sarah has spent more than 20 years championing diversity and inclusion, but it was attending an early Amotai event that sharpened her focus on supplier diversity. 

“The supplier voices in that room weren’t the ones you usually hear in infrastructure boardrooms,” she recalls. “I realised I could use my position to open those doors.” 

Since then, Sarah’s influence has extended far beyond a single role or team. She’s brought supplier diversity to the forefront of government advisory work, supported procurement reform across major projects, and worked to ensure that Māori and Pasifika businesses are not just included, but central in conversations about infrastructure and development. 

“I don’t come in waving a flag. I come in asking questions, and quietly changing the direction of the conversation,” she says.  “You don’t have to be the most senior person to make a difference. Influence happens sideways and underneath, it’s not just top-down.” 

Beca team at Meet the Buyer

Procurement as a lever for change 

What sets Sarah apart is her ability to reframe procurement as a values-based decision.  As a tool for equity, inclusion, and impact. 

“Procurement is too often treated as a technical process. But every dollar we spend shapes the future of our economy,” she says. “It's not just about buying things, it’s about who we buy it from and how that aligns with our values.” 

Sarah has worked closely with clients like Auckland Transport and the Ministry of Education to support procurement processes that include diverse suppliers from the outset. She's helped co-create market engagement approaches that reduce barriers and shift how public sector clients define value. 

“Early conversations are key,” she says. “If we bring Māori and Pasifika businesses into the design process, we can create something that works better for everyone.” 

Embedding values within Beca 

Sarah's influence runs deep within Beca. Alongside her government advisory work, she has helped elevate supplier diversity as a strategic business priority. 

“The win in 2024 helped us reframe procurement, not as something that quietly happens in the background, but as a powerful enabler of inclusion, equity, employment, and social impact.”  

The award also gave Beca the momentum to build on this foundation.  With the appointment of Alice Bray-Paroli as Group Procurement Manager, the organisation signalled it’s intention to scale ambitions.   

“Sarah helped lay the groundwork,” says Alice. “Now we’re embedding those values into our systems and processes. It’s slow, deliberate work, but it’s the kind of structural change that will help us grow our impact going forward.” 

Together, Sarah and Alice are helping Beca rethink how it designs procurement systems, collects data, and defines what responsible supply looks like across Aotearoa, Australia, and the Pacific. 

“The award really opened up the conversation about employing someone like Alice, an expert in the field of social and sustainable procurement to come on board and take us to the next level,” says Sarah.  

Backing Amotai and the supplier diversity movement 

Sarah credits Amotai with helping shape and support her journey. She’s contributed to buyer training workshops, provided critical feedback on strategy, and championed Amotai suppliers in procurement panels and project teams. 

“Amotai has been fundamental to our success,” she says. “The summits, the resources, the database and the training has helped us grow our understanding and capability.” 

“We’ve benefitted from Amotai connections with incredible suppliers across the country and they’ve held our hand as we’ve grown our understanding and really challenged us to do better.” 

The challenges and realities 

Sarah is upfront about the challenges of shifting an organisation of Beca’s size. 

“When I joined Beca four years ago, no one really knew what social procurement was. So it was a lot of educating and meeting people where they were at,” she says. “Progress wasn’t flashy. It was slow and sometimes invisible.” 

She emphasises the need for patience and persistence when influencing senior leaders and embedding new approaches. “It’s about asking the right questions at the right time: Who else could we bring in? How could we do this differently?” 

Sarah (right) with fellow 2024 Awards winners

Continuing the journey 

Winning the award not only validated the work that Sarah was doing, it made her stop and look back at what Beca had achieved and also what more can still be done. 

“Sometimes a lot of the work is under the radar,” she says.  “It’s about converting people one by one, helping the penny drop which takes time in an organisation of 4,000 people.” 

Now with a new procurement lead, strengthening systems, and a growing community of internal champions, Beca is well positioned to lead by example. 

“The award helped put this topic on the radar for the wider industry,” Sarah adds.  “We’ve seen more competitors getting involved in this space, which is fantastic.” 

“I’m excited to see others stepping in, that’s how we grow the movement.”