I am Director, Portfolio Development and Future Projects at Homes Victoria in Australia, a government agency delivering significant investment in social and affordable housing across Victoria. Previously as Director of City Strategy at the City of Melbourne for five years, I led major strategies (transport and affordable housing), policy reform (design, sustainability) and strategic planning for urban renewal precincts across the city.

My Fellowship in 2005 focused on urban renewal projects in Germany and Holland, with a focus on urban waterways, docklands and rivers. At the time, I was working for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment in England (CABE) and working with public agencies to restructure towns and neighbourhoods due to changing economies. I was inspired by the creative transformation strategy in the Ruhr in Germany as well as HafenCity in Hamburg. I was able to transfer this knowledge through running a Seeing is Believing tour to Emscher Landscape Park with senior executives who were grappling with major renewal challenges. The lessons learnt from the Fellowship have been valuable in all my successive roles and influenced outcomes in many urban renewal projects.