NSW Emerging Planners Committee

Erica Lacuna PIA (Assoc.)
Emerging Planners Co-convenor

Erica is a Strategic Planner who works towards cultivating equitable spaces. A career chameleon, her varied experiences across the service industry, allied health and sport help her become a better planner by amplifying small voices in big places. Academically, Erica’s research has encompassed creative placemaking, planning for a circular economy, universal design and urban play – earning her the Dean’s Medal for academic excellence. At Council, she has contributed to wide ranging policies including affordable housing, night time economy, and environmental resilience. Away from work, you'll find her birdwatching, bushwalking, and looking forward to a big bowl of noodles. Erica looks forward to co-convening the committee for 2026 and driving impactful industry change.

Kajal Antil MPIA
Emerging Planners Co-convenor

Kajal is a Strategic Planner at the City of Newcastle. Her work involves developing long-term land use strategies and enabling growth in well located areas to create thriving and resilient communities. She is also a Local Pathways Fellow with SDSN Youth, contributing to global sustainability initiatives. She actively advocates for diversity and inclusion in the profession through her involvement in the Women in Planning Network and serves as a Peer Mentor, supporting and empowering emerging professionals. When she’s not planning cities, she’s planning adventures, whether hiking scenic trails, camping under the stars or taking long drives to discover hidden gems. Always on the lookout for the next adventure, this year she took on a new one as Co-Convenor of the NSW Emerging Planners Network Committee 2026. She looks forward to championing the voices of young and emerging planners and driving policy conversations about the profession’s future.

Aaron Petersen MPIA

The Planning Institute of Australia's 2024 NSW Young Planner of the Year and 2025 Australian Emerging Planner of the Year, Aaron is an Infrastructure Planning Officer at the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). Aaron's work revolves around planning and funding for state infrastructure requirements across NSW to enable thriving, sustainable and productive communities.

Amber Nehal MPIA

Amber is a Senior Planner at Mecone and has over four years’ experience within the planning industry and has been involved in preparing mixed use, residential, commercial and industrial project approvals for private sector clients and State Government, across New South Wales. Amber holds a Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) from UNSW. She has a passion for cities, dance and video games.

Ayesha 'Yeng' Songalia PIA (Assoc.)

Yeng is a student planner with extensive experience bringing students into direct conversation with the contemporary issues facing our neighbourhoods. They have a deep commitment to stepping beyond theory and engaging with marginalised communities, acting as a volunteer and citizen researcher for organisations tackling homelessness and urban heat. 
They are currently interested in the intersection of emerging technologies and its effects on city and culture, and how care economies can recenter urban life around mutual aid, interdependence, and collective well-being. Yeng’s ultimate aspiration is to harness their skills and experiences in pursuit of a vibrant and dignified future for all

Hannah Painter MPIA

Hannah is a Senior Consultant at Urbis working across wide range of projects in Greater Sydney and NSW. Graduating as a mature-aged student from the University of New England in 2023, Hannah is passionate about broadening access to the planning profession and seeks to actively champion alternative pathways into the industry, drawing on her own career journey to inspire and support others.

Jack Freckelton PIA (Assoc.) 

Jack is an urban planner with 10 years-experience in the built environment. Jack has expertise in statutory planning, strategic advisory and project management across a range of projects in Greater Sydney, Newcastle and regional NSW. Jack is passionate about denser neighbourhoods, affordable housing and sustainable urban renewal.

Justin Tse PIA (Assoc.)

Justin is Student Planner at Mecone and is currently completing a Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) from the University of New South Wales. His interests lay in affordable housing and mixed-use developments, which he works on both a state and local level.

Kaitlin Aldous MPIA 

Kaitlin is a town planner with seven years of professional experience across local government and consultancy. She has a demonstrated ability to deliver value-driven outcomes in strategic and statutory planning settings across metropolitan, regional and rural areas. Kaitlin is an advocate for equitable and accessible planning education and currently serves on the PIA Education Committee.

Lizwin Kurian PIA (Assoc.)

Lizwin Kurian is an Urban Strategist. She is also an academic tutor at UNSW. With over 5.5 years of experience as an architect and urbanist, Lizwin is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and people-focused design solutions. Her expertise spans strategic urban research, placemaking, strategy development, community and stakeholder engagement, and project management.

Luke Pritchard  PIA (Assoc.) 

Luke is a Bachelor of Planning student at Maquarie University. He is passionate about urban design and planning vibrant, well connected communities that serve all groups of people, and considers justice to be one of his key values. As an emerging planner, he hopes to connect early career planners, students as well as those looking for a rewarding career.

Matthew Le Guay PIA (Assoc.)

Matthew holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Sydney and brings over three years of experience in both strategic and statutory planning. He currently serves as a Strategic Planner at Inner West Council and has an interest in how the planning system can bring more equitable housing outcomes for all.

Mia Liu PIA (Assoc.) 

Mia is an Environmental Planning Officer at Randwick City Council with more than three years’ experience in local government. She is passionate about community, culture, and thoughtful urban development. Outside work, Mia loves journalling, yoga, and wandering through laneways to uncover the character of different neighbourhoods.

Mikail Tarpis  MPIA 

Mikail is a member of the PIA NSW Emerging Planners committee.

Rishi Gujarathi PIA (Assoc.) 

Rishi is a Senior Urban Planner and Design Integrator with 10+ years of experience in the built environment. He specialises in strategic planning and is passionate about creating sustainable, resilient, and inclusive places, applying a multidisciplinary approach to deliver impactful outcomes.

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Sarah Goldsmith PIA (Assoc.)

Sarah Goldsmith is a Trainee Strategic Planner with Mid-Western Regional Council and a planning student at the University of New England. Her diverse background across multiple industries has fostered adaptability, curiosity and a deep appreciation for community-led planning. Sarah is passionate about helping regional communities thrive through inclusive and forward-thinking approaches.

Susanna Sudhakar (Assoc.)

Susanna Sudhakar is Lead Designer at 1Eight, working on sustainable tourism infrastructure in regional Queensland. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Sydney and works across scales, from site planning to broader place-based strategies. She is passionate about creating inclusive, equitable spaces and embeds sustainability and circular economy principles in her work.

Tanmay Sawant PIA (Assoc.)

Final-year Master’s student in Urbanism with an architectural background, passionate about inclusive, resilient, and community-focused cities. I value placemaking, public engagement, and heritage conservation, and take a holistic, sustainable approach to planning. I aim to contribute to equitable, culturally rich, & adaptive urban environments through thoughtful, people-centred design.