ABOUT

The Better Cities Initiative is a not-for-profit organisation established by writer and academic Dr Elizabeth Farrelly backed by a diverse board of seven and an executive team of city making professionals.

Meet the Board

Frederick Sharpe
Chair

  • Freddy is a Director of the Climate Friendly group, a profit-for-purpose company that he established and grew to being, now, Australia’s leading carbon project developer. Freddy is a highly experienced business leader with over 40 years of hands-on expertise in carbon and energy markets in Australia and internationally. Freddy is a regular presenter and writer and is frequently invited to speak, appear on panels and debate on climate change, sustainability and related topics.

Elizabeth Farrelly
Founder + CEO

  • Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is an award-winning writer, columnist, critic, academic, broadcaster, public intellectual and former political candidate. Trained in architecture and philosophy, she is a former City of Sydney Councillor, former Director of the National Trust NSW, occasional academic and author of several books including Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city’s soul (2021). She is currently presenter of The Sydneyist on Eastside Radio and columnist for ArchitectureAU and for The Saturday Paper.

Professor Stuart Khan

  • Stuart Khan is Professor and Head of School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at UNSW and a Hans Fischer Fellow at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Stuart is a member of the NSW Independent Metropolitan Water Advisory Panel and previous member of the National Water Grid Advisory Body. Stuart is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

John Engeler

  • John joined Shelter NSW as CEO in early 2020, having been involved in the formation, development and operation of Social, Affordable & Specialist housing for most of his professional life. He has a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and has undertaken post-graduate legal studies. Having spent a number of years in the private, public and community sectors, he especially enjoys the opportunity to contribute to innovative housing responses, delivering solutions to those for whom the market falls short.

Melissa Neighbour

  • Melissa is an urban planner, community builder and sustainability specialist. She is the owner and Director of Sky Planning, a purpose-driven town planning consultancy based in Sydney, and co-founder of Sydney YIMBY. Melissa is a radical free thinker driven by an optimistic vision of the future. She has developed and implemented award-winning sustainable development projects across Australia, and is a strong advocate for building progressive, inclusive cities that unleash and amplify your peak potential as a human being, while regenerating the natural environment. Melissa regularly consults to government and industry and presents at major fora including TEDx, on the innovations, trends and forces that are shaping urbanism and defining our communities.

Susan Carroll

  • Susan brings expertise across the government sector at the international, national and state levels. With enterprise board positions and senior executive roles in Strategy, Public Policy and Law, she is proficient in advising at the macro level, navigating through change and the uncertainty of evolving environments. She brings a depth and breadth of perspective across multiple portfolios from the central agency lenses of Treasury and The Cabinet Office to the complexities and challenges of policy and law reform, major infrastructure projects and stakeholder engagement. Experienced in top tier legal practice, she has operated as trusted strategic and legal counsel in the public and private sectors.

Meet the Executive Team

Elizabeth Margaret Farrelly
Founder + CEO

  • Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is an award-winning writer, columnist, critic, academic, broadcaster, public intellectual and former political candidate. Trained in architecture and philosophy, she is a former City of Sydney Councillor, former Director of the National Trust NSW, occasional academic and author of several books including Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city’s soul (2021). She is currently presenter of The Sydneyist on Eastside Radio and columnist for ArchitectureAU and for The Saturday Paper.

Joanne Taylor
Director, Operations and Strategy

  • Joanne is an innovative and strategic driven senior leader, dedicated to enabling inclusive, sustainable, and

    equitable places for people and communities.

    She has expertise in evidence-based research and methods, emerging technologies, place governance and

    collective impact approaches for tackling complex, place-based social issues. She also has extensive experience in

    co-design and collaboration, including fostering effective cross-sector partnerships for knowledge

    translation and joint action through targeted policies, partnerships, strategies, and program delivery.

    Joanne has completed a Masters of Architecture at University of Technology Sydney and is equipped with multiple years’ experience in industry, including as CEO of Place Leaders Asia Pacific and more recently Principal, Cities at WSP.

    Joanne has continuously operated at the nexus of research, policy and practice, and has been at the forefront of emerging and contemporary methods and practices to ensure cities and neighbourhoods are liveable and support community wellbeing.