Marching forward at Hassell: Equity in action on International Women’s Day

Gender equity isn’t just a commitment for us at Hassell — it’s a movement led by the incredible women shaping our industry every day.

As we welcome International Women’s Day’s call for action to unlock equal rights and opportunities to empower the next generation of women, Hassell’s Managing Director Liz Westgarth shares her vision for an equitable future and the strategic decisions the business has made to support the progression of female talent at Hassell. 

“Gender equity is a personal issue and one that I am truly passionate about improving — not only at Hassell but across the broader industry.”

— Liz Westgarth, Managing Director

“We’ve been intentional in developing a strategic Gender Equity Framework that is continually evaluated, and that holds us accountable for our decisions,” says Liz. ​“It is critical for us to continue to introduce and maintain vital policies to support flexible work, equal access to parental leave, the elimination of bias — and myriad other levers that we have available to make positive change and achieve our ambitions of an equitable future. 

“We’ve made strategic decisions to invest in future female talent across the business, and in 2024, we made the bold decision to increase our gender equity targets to 45:45:10, which seeks to ensure 45% representation for each gender across all levels of our organisation, with the remaining 10% adaptable to any gender identity. We aim to reach this by the end of 2028. 

“We are on a journey to help grow our female talent and ensure we continue to offer great project opportunities and career progression. We provide assistance — including financial support — to help female graduates achieve registration sooner to broaden their career opportunities. 

“Our industry-leading 16-week paid leave for all parents, irrespective of their role as primary or secondary carers, is not just a benefit — it’s a catalyst for real societal change. 

“In the last financial year alone, we promoted eight women into leadership roles, which shows dedication to our strategic framework.”

“We’ll continue our determination to be a more progressive design practice,” says Liz. ​“Our vision is clear, our commitment is real, and we’re here to make a difference.” 

So, in the spirit of this year’s theme, ​‘March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls’, we’re celebrating the significant progress women are making across our industry by spotlighting some of the talented females making their mark at Hassell. 

Date

March 07, 2025

Head of Design Chair and Principal – Sydney 

Sharon is a landscape architect with a wealth of global experience having worked in our London and Sydney studios (she now calls Sydney home), contributing to high-profile international projects such as the highly awarded and visionary Victoria Park project in Australia and the transformative Croydon South End project in London. Having started at Hassell 18 years ago as a Senior Landscape Architect, Sharon’s role as Head of Design Chair focuses on the quality of our design work throughout our network of international studios. She helps to develop and drive our unique design process—coaching and inspiring our talented designers across all our multidisciplinary projects. 

Principal – Brisbane

A passionate advocate for equity and inclusion, accessible design and co-design processes in the typically male-dominated urban transport sector, Tanya is a leading female voice in the industry. Having started at Hassell six years ago as an Associate Architect, Tanya won the prestigious AIA Emerging Architect Queensland Award in 2022. Her knowledge of urban transport contributed significantly to Hassell’s reputation in the sector.

Board Director, Commercial and Workplace Sector Leader, and Principal – Melbourne

Ingrid is a formidable presence who has played an important part in defining our culture. That’s how she’s helped us achieve exceptional results on projects as diverse as SEEK headquarters and the revitalisation of 120 Collins Street in Melbourne. She is a member of the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Division Council, sits on the awards committee for the Australian Institute of Architects and in 2022 was admitted as a Life Fellow in their Victorian Honours. 

Managing Principal – Perth

Natalie is known around the practice as a great collaborator. She’s been key to iconic Perth projects like One the Esplanade, Murdoch Square, Ezone at UWA and Fiona Stanley Hospital. Starting at Hassell nearly 20 years ago as a Graduate Architect, Natalie believes in creating spaces that inspire and empower people. She believes cities should promote health and wellbeing. Natalie is an active member of the WA State Design Review Panel. She works within the industry with the Committee for Perth, the Property Council of WA, and various universities to support good design. She is also a past president of the National Association of Women in Construction in WA.

Managing Principal – Shanghai 

Minmin’s expertise and knowledge of local market dynamics are crucial to our success in China. She plays a key role in ensuring our efforts are concentrated on clients, opportunities and projects that are aligned with our purpose, values and business goals. She strategically navigates the competitive landscape and is invaluable in our pursuit of excellence and sustained success.

Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, Managing Principal – Brisbane

As Managing Principal of Hassell’s Brisbane studio Lucy leads with an empathetic viewpoint and designs with a people-centric lens. Recently elevated to a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects she sees her work as a real privilege; a chance to work with dynamic, committed clients ready to push the limits of what design can do to spark innovation, partnerships and sustainable performance. Her leadership on projects such as the University of Queensland’s Student Central in Australia and Brighton University’s Business School and Mithras Student Village in the UK exemplify her commitment to collaborative design, fostering close partnerships with clients to create agile and innovative learning environments.

Head of Design and Principal – Sydney 

Emily is an award-winning interior architect with more than 20 years of experience working for many of the biggest names in business, such as Deloitte, Commonwealth Bank and Morningstar. She’s a creative thinker with a strong grounding in methodology, which explains her proven success in turning great ideas into highly functional environments. A leader in the practice as one of our Heads of Design, she’s been involved in some of our most recognised workplace projects, including Lendlease’s global HQ, where benchmarking research shows the environment’s powerful impact on employee satisfaction and productivity.

Principal – Sydney 

Having recently been promoted to Principal, Zoey’s journey at Hassell began as a student, but her impact has been anything but ordinary. Rising through the ranks, she has become recognised as an innovative leader — proof of the opportunities available at every level of our practice. Beyond her design expertise, Zoey’s strength lies in client and market engagement, where she’s driving meaningful change and making a lasting impact across the broader business.

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