Women in Planning Past Award Winners

2025 Winner

Rebecca Wardle MPIA

Rebecca Wardle MPIA is the Co-Founder and Director of Cogency, a purpose led, climate action-focussed planning and engagement consultancy. In less than three years, Cogency has grown from two founders to a team of twelve, leading projects across Australia. 

Rebecca is a fierce advocate for women in planning. She sets a fine example of an exceptional planner, business owner, climate change activist, mentor and parent. She proactively seeks out opportunities to advance women in planning, and manages to successfully balance her many competing demands in a way that ensures success on all fronts. She is a visionary leader whose actions and initiatives has made a tangible difference and drive positive change in the industry.

Rebecca co-founded the networking group Women in Renewables (WIR) Victoria after realising that planners working in the renewable energy sector faced a male-dominated industry, with an under-representation of women in senior roles. WIR started with a handful of women over a small irregular lunch, but has quickly grown to a major group with over 340 members. 

Rebecca realises that to really drive change, you need to extend beyond your immediate circle. And so, she initiated, organised and chaired a seminar at the 2024 All Energy Conference entitled ‘Powering Progress: Empowering Women in Renewables through Insights Networking and Insights’. 

Rebecca managed the Cogency team, hired to lead planning and engagement for the $650 million Hazelwood North Renewable Energy Hub, the largest proposed solar farm in Victoria, and recipient of a PIA Commendation at the PIA Awards for Excellence 2024. 

Starting a planning consultancy from scratch is a significant achievement, and Rebecca was determined from the outset that Cogency wasn’t just another planning consultancy. She pushed to create a purpose-led small business that had a distinct specialisation. In championing sectors such as renewable energy, green property, clean-tech and circular economy, Rebecca has demonstrated to the industry that planning consultancies can be active drivers of change. This includes explicitly turning down work that didn’t align with her values - a brave feat for a new business owner supporting a young family. 

Through her role as Director of Cogency, Rebecca fosters a culture of inclusivity and diversity, creating initiatives and programs to support women and non-binary people in the workplace. Rebecca is never too busy for her staff, setting a positive example as a thoughtful, caring manager and epitomising a modern, successful leader. Congratulations Rebecca.

2025 Commendations

Amanda Kern 

Amanda Kern is Manager of Planning and Building at Yarra Ranges Council.

Amanda has played a pivotal role as the planning lead in the co-design and delivery of myLot, the world-first online planning enquiry tool that uses generative AI technology to guide the user on the planning controls relevant to their property and proposed development. 

In 2023, Amanda had experienced first-hand the ongoing shortage of planners at Council, a situation compounded by significant population growth at Yarra Ranges which had led to extremely high volumes of customer enquiries and applications. With a complex planning scheme and frustrated planners, Amanda knew she had to do something differently to change the future course. The opportunity to design an online planning enquiry tool from the ground up here in Australia was a challenge she welcomed and relished.

As part of the project Amanda requested a gender impact assessment of the tool to check for bias, inequality and any unintended consequences. The tool, funded by the Department of Transport and Planning, was launched in 2024 and has put the State of Victoria on the map as a leader in digital planning and is being implemented in other Councils across Australia. 

Farahnaz Sharifi MPIA

Dr Farahnaz Sharifi MPIA is an urban analyst working at Swinburne University and Moonee Valley Council. Her research highlights disparities in access to public transport and green spaces, providing evidence-based insights to support planning strategies that prioritise equity and inclusivity.

Beyond academic research, Farah has applied her expertise to local government projects, such as the Moonee Valley Open Space Strategy. She ensured that data-driven methodologies addressed disparities in open space distribution, translating her academic insights into practical applications. 

By identifying these inequalities and championing equitable solutions, Farah has elevated the importance of inclusivity in planning practices across Victoria. Her ability to blend rigorous academic research with practical implementation has resulted in tangible improvements to urban planning processes, ensuring fairer outcomes and healthier communities

As part of the project Amanda requested a gender impact assessment of the tool to check for bias, inequality and any unintended consequences. The tool, funded by the Department of Transport and Planning, was launched in 2024 and has put the State of Victoria on the map as a leader in digital planning and is being implemented in other Councils across Australia. 

2024 Winner

Emily Hobbs MPIA

A Victoria’s Women’s Planning Network (WPN), is pleased to announce that Emily Hobbs, Associate and Partner at SGS Economics & Planning was announced as the 2024 Female Achiever of the Year.

Emily was nominated by her colleague Natalie Blanco at SGS who identified Emily as epitomising excellence in planning, demonstrating unwavering commitment, exceptional leadership, and profound support for her colleagues and the broader community.

Emily has led numerous complex regional housing and planning projects and has demonstrated an exceptional capacity to navigate complex challenges with finesse. Her expertise in social and affordable housing is evident through her collaboration with community housing providers and initiatives like the secondment opportunity with the City of Melbourne. She has mentored aspiring planners through the PIA mentoring program as well as within her organisation.

Emily has made significant contributions to the planning profession in Victoria. Actively serving as a committee member and contributor to the Policy and Advocacy Sub-Committee, she has presented insightful papers at conferences, including the MAV Regional and Rural Planning Conference and the Ballarat Diverse and Affordable Housing Forum. Her contribution to the broader profession has also included engaging with undergraduate planning schools where she actively promotes planning and supports the development of future professionals

2024 Commendation

Rachel Butler MPIA

Receiving a commendation for the 2024 Female Achiever of the Year Award was Rachel Butler from ARUP.

Rachel is an exceptional planning leader with a passion for environmental sustainability. She currently leads Arup’s Planning team in Victoria and is also Arup’s Australasian Connect Disability Leader.

She is an advocate for gender equality in the industry and uses her role as a leader in her organsiation to create avenues for the professional advancement of female emerging professionals and underrepresented groups. She has been recognised for her contribution to diversity and inclusion within her organisation and has actively assisted female planners through formal and informal mentoring relationships. She continually advocates for the role of planners, presenting project outcomes at key forums, including a recent global seminar on Major Transport Projects.

Rachel is actively engaged in the industry, and has participated in events and committees including the PIA National Congress, state conferences, PIA’s Major Project Delivery Industry event, has sat on congress selection committees, been a mentor in the PIA mentoring program and participated in career sessions for students at Melb Uni. She also sat on VPELA’s Young Professional Committee for a number of years.

Our Congratulations to Rachel.

2024 Nominees