Those of us who are more reserved, soft spoken or appear less proactive in perusing professional goals aren’t necessarily lacking ambition. Christina speaks about how sponsorship can cultivate a culture of support, mentorship and advancement that provides recognition for ‘quiet achievers’.

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Christina Cho is a Director of Cox. She is passionate about creating active, inclusive and inspirational environments and leads projects using an open and collective design process. A third-generation architect, born in Seoul and raised in Brisbane, Christina's Korean-Australian heritage has significantly shaped the way she perceives the world and her practice in architecture.

 Christina is the winner of the 2018 Australian Institute of Architects, National Emerging Architect Prize and recipient of the Australian Financial Review Young BOSS Executive. 

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Sally talks about the importance of two requirements for unlocking your true potential - finding your people and an environment where you feel safe to fail. Unlocking potential is different for everyone. She discusses what it takes to elevate people into whatever they want for their careers, exploring a range of ideas, experience and motivations. 

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Sally is a Principal of BVN. Her enthusiasm for design and the vision of the projects she leads is contagious. She is naturally personable and effortless in her ability to engage clients, stakeholders, consultants, and project teams at all stages of a project. She is an advocate for spaces that leave lasting impressions and believes everyone should have the benefit of living in, working in, or occupying well designed spaces.

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Georgia alludes to the many personal and professional rewards sponsorship can bestow on both the sponsor and sponsee, and the benefits that fostering a culture of sponsorship and advocacy can bring to a practice as a whole. 

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Georgia Singleton is a Director, Global Leader – Education & Science of Woods Bagot. Considering the impact of architecture on user experience, Georgia is interested in understanding how the workplace environment can affect the behaviour of researchers and practitioners within health precincts and using that information to inform the way space is configured.

Having worked on a diverse range and scale of architectural and interiors focused projects, Georgia seeks to push traditional building and fit-out typologies with dynamic, highly integrated and research-driven solutions. 

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Cathryn speaks about the need for a flexible type of sponsorship that acknowledges the phase of life you are in. Life can get in the way of our professional goals – and this can be tough, no matter how temporary. Cathryn therefore advocates continued career support for women while navigating life outside of work.

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Cathryn Drew-Bredin  is a Director of DesignInc. She has over two decades of experience delivering integrated, transport design solutions that create vital, coherent and enlivened spaces. A project director and registered architect, she guides highly collaborative design processes, contributing deep insight and understanding of complex airport operations and wider transport interchange systems. Leading large multidisciplinary teams, she champions innovative, commercial and sustainable solutions.

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Bianca’s story conveys the need for practices to be more creative in terms of supporting people working part time. Their circumstance needs to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and that the power of sponsorship is providing the support to ensure people are doing the right roles, doing what they want to do, and succeeding.

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Bianca Hung is a Director of Hayball. Over more than ten years in practice, she has worked on a broad variety of projects, in particular within the residential sector, from single dwellings to large scale multi-residential developments. Bianca has a particular interest in interiors and much of her work reflects this focus. Bianca is well-versed in working alongside upper-tier developers and relishes the challenge of balancing requisite time and cost restraints with good design outcomes.

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Sponsorship allows people to explore outside the boundaries of a traditional career trajectory. Catherine examines alternative approaches to sponsorship that can have a positive impact, especially for women in part-time roles. In analysing these approaches, she talks about the importance of open and honest communication between the sponsor and sponsee.

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Catherine Love is a Director, Sector Lead Hospitality of PTW. Her expertise in a diverse range of building types from hospitality, mixed use including high rise residential and retail; social housing, educational and health is well recognised. Appointed a PTW Director of the Sydney and Ho Chi Minh office in 2016 and Sector Lead Hospitality, Catherine was previously Design Director of the Shanghai office and Deputy General Director for Vietnam. 

Catherine regularly contributes to industry forums such as Women in Construction and Design (WIDAC), Design Inn, Australia Build Week Online and has participated as a tutor, lecturer and guest critic in a range of architectural education courses at UNSW and other Sydney universities and TAFE programmes.

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The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved.

Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.