Common Ground x International Women's Day 2024

To mark International Women's Day on 8 March, our Global Design Director Kirsten Bauer participated in Common Ground, an event focused on collaboratively empowering women in the design industry to develop leadership skills.

The cross-industry event was organized by EmGAN (the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network), AILA Fresh (Australian Institute of Landscape Architects), and Young Planners (Planning Institute of Australia). Kirsten was joined by other notable design leaders Claire Scorpo (Agius Scorpo Architects) and Gerhana Waty (Hansen Partnership), and moderator Gumji Kang (Snohetta).

This conversation was followed by informal mentoring sessions led by a range of experienced women leaders from each discipline. This provided emerging professionals with the opportunity to share stories, gain insights, and ask for advice. The evening raised over $1200 for the First Nations Foundation for Indigenous Women’s Financial Wellness.

As a practice, we are passionate about growing and empowering our next generation of leaders. Reflecting on the United Nations theme of "Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress," we believe developing leadership skills at an early career stage is key to bringing gender equality to the industry.