Sue has been working in planning, in local government (in both the UK and Sydney) and in Consulting since the age of 18. She has done so whilst being married - to one person - and has two, now adult, sons, none of whom are planners or anything close.

Her professional life has been split evenly between government and consulting and this has provided her with a unique understanding of the implementation of planning, particularly in NSW. She has been the Planning and Development Director of two metropolitan Councils (North Sydney and Warringah), a Director of Planning Workshop and a founder of City Plan Strategy and Development with David Ryan, in 2008.

She has sat on the Residential and Planning Committees of the NSW Property Council for 10 years, taken over the planning powers of an inner-city Council (Burwood) as Chair of one of four s118 Panels in 2007 and, since 2009, has sat on a total of four versions of the Regional Panels of which she remains an Alternate on all. She currently Chairs three (3) Local Planning Panels (Wollongong since 2008, Georges River and Blacktown, since 2018) and is a member on five others (Mosman, Central Coast, Camden, Parramatta and Strathfield). She is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a Member of the Company Directors’ Association and a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia.

She believes that planners, whether in government or consulting, should be problem solvers not problem creators. More than that, she believes that as a planner, in any work environment, you have a professional responsibility to put ‘planning’ first. Whether making the decision or assisting others to do so, Sue believes the outcome should be the same.