Urban Circular Economy

Laura de la Plaza

Head of Urban Planning & ESG in JLL | Bridging Urbanism, Strategy & Sustainability

Based in Spain

I am a Senior Architect and Urban Planner with over 20 years of experience bridging the gap between technical design, strategic urban consulting, and ESG. Currently, I serve as the Head of Urban Planning & ESG at JLL in Madrid, where I lead multidisciplinary teams in managing complex infrastructure projects, masterplanning, and asset repositioning. My work sits at the intersection of city-making and corporate real estate strategy. At JLL, I drive business development and integrate urban planning with wider real estate advisory services. My technical portfolio spans from large-scale zoning due diligence and viability studies for land-use changes to the design of comprehensive ESG strategies, including risk analysis and decarbonization action plans for asset portfolios. Beyond my corporate responsibilities, I am deeply committed to knowledge sharing. I co-authored the book "Elements of Sustainable Architecture"(Routledge, 2019) and served as an Associate Professor of Urbanism and Sustainability at the Pontifical University of Salamanca (UPSAM) for five years. I am also an active contributor to the industry dialogue, recently serving as a speaker on Net Zero Carbon (NZC) strategies at "The District" and as a member of the ULI Sustainability Product Council. What defines my career—and what I aim to share as a mentor—is the diverse path I have traveled. I have navigated roles ranging from rigorous academic research to pragmatic, market-driven real estate strategy. This trajectory has granted me a comprehensive 360-degree vision of the industry. My goal is to help you leverage this multifaceted perspective, bridging deep market knowledge with sustainability applied to urban planning.

Nicolas Kersting

Project, Acquisition & Development Manger

Based in Germany

I am Nicolas Kersting, an urban planner and project manager at Superwien Urbanism, working at the intersection of public space, sustainable mobility, and climate-resilient urban development. Over the past years I have supported cities and partners across Latin America, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa—helping shape diagnostics, action plans, and pre-feasibility packages that translate ambitious visions into implementable projects. My work combines technical structuring (from concept to costing and implementation planning) with strong participatory practice. I have designed and facilitated co-creation processes with municipalities, universities, communities, and multidisciplinary expert teams—turning stakeholder insights into street redesigns, green corridors, inclusive public spaces, and nature-based solutions for heat and stormwater challenges. I also support proposal development for donor-funded assignments (including World Bank, ADB, IDB and others), aligning teams, narratives, workplans, and compliance requirements. As a mentor, I support emerging urban professionals in three areas: (1) building a clear professional direction and portfolio, (2) strengthening practical skills in stakeholder engagement, project structuring, and delivery, and (3) navigating international urban-development work with confidence, cultural sensitivity, and realism—without losing purpose.

Tanya Jimenez Salas

Based in Netherlands

Tanya Jimenez is an urban development and circular economy professional with experience supporting cities, regions and international organisations in the design and delivery of sustainable urban strategies, with a particular focus on housing, the built environment and inclusive urban transitions. She has worked closely with local governments and international partners to develop evidence-based programmes, project pipelines and policy frameworks that translate strategic ambition into practical implementation. Her work combines strong analytical and research skills with hands-on stakeholder engagement and facilitation, enabling collaboration across public authorities, communities, financial institutions and private sector actors. Tanya has contributed to multi-stakeholder initiatives that strengthen urban resilience, improve housing systems and accelerate circular solutions within complex governance environments. She brings a structured, collaborative approach to project delivery, with strengths in urban analysis, programme coordination and the design of participatory processes that help cities move from strategy to action.

Didier Vancutsem

Based in Germany

Patricia Gimenez Franco

Senior Urbanist | Architect | International Advisor

Based in Paraguay

Urbanism is about people’s everyday life — and that conviction has shaped my professional journey. I am an architect and senior urbanist with over 20 years of experience across architecture, urban and territorial planning, and geography. I have built an international career working in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments, living and working in different countries, with strong language skills and high geographical mobility. My professional path spans the public and private sectors, advising cities, governments, development projects, and international cooperation programs in Latin America and Europe. My core areas of expertise include urban policy, planning and design; housing, land management; real estate; public space; urban regeneration; urban governance; resilience; capacity building, among others. I have contributed to complex urban initiatives with institutions such as the WB, IDB, UNDP, UN-Habitat, EEAS, the EU, LILP, KRIHS, and Gehl, among others, through projects, advisory roles, workshops, and learning programs. Beyond academic frameworks, my work is grounded in practice and real-world complexity, shaped by governance constraints, institutional dynamics, implementation gaps, and the relational dimension of urban management — understanding not only how cities are planned, but how they actually work. I write to reflect on practice, translate complexity, and share urban knowledge. As a mentor, I support professionals navigating career transitions, international and consulting pathways, and complex decision-making processes, offering clarity, grounded strategic thinking, and a pragmatic understanding of how urban work unfolds in practice. My mentoring approach is reflective and structured, helping mentees work through moments of uncertainty or stagnation by reconnecting skills, experience, and direction. Despite extensive experience, I continue learning from practice, context, and people — because urban work is dynamic, and context matters.

hemalatha M C

Master Planner

Based in India

Policy, Planning and Design professional in the fields of Urban Development, Industrial corridor planning, Smart Cities, Master Planning including Project Management Consultancies and Project Management Units. Experience working in Middle-east, India, Zambia and Nepal. Team mentoring, and Project Structuring. Experience formulating and strategizing projects from inception upto project implementation methods. Supports program management through conducting Techno Economic Feasibility studies, Land suitability/Capability studies and detailed Site assessments. Company representative and Client fronting.

Merve Akdag

MSc Architect and Urban Researcher

Based in Turkey

Merve Akdağ is an interdisciplinary designer with a background in architecture (B.Arch, Istanbul Technical University) and a Master’s in City and Architecture from Özyeğin University. She has led teams and developed public strategies as a design professional. As the founding leader of Şehrine Ses Ver, she has initiated award-winning participatory projects, interdisciplinary workshops, and interactive urban panels. Her work is grounded in inclusive design, urban justice, governance, public engagement, and data-driven design. She is committed to authentic thinking and effective coordination in shaping equitable urban environments. Her studies focus on producing innovative content, fostering team & community engagement, and developing and detailing unique artificial programs and collaborations in The Spatial J/U/S/T Art & Design Collective.

Konstantinos Kourkoutas

Coordinator of a Strategic Research Community of Sustainable and Smart Cities

Based in Spain

City enthusiast working currently as the coordinator of a multidisciplinary strategic research community of more than 30 groups, research centers and institutes in the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain, impulsing open urban innovation processes, promoting quadriple helix implication and citizen co-creation. Design Thinker, strategic vision and social catalyst. Experience in masterplanning of ecological mixed-use and residential settlements. Involvement with smaller scale urban and architectural design projects, utilizing bioclimatic criteria. Experience in energy performace analysis and calification for residences and tertiary sector buildings. Research experience in territorial,regional and urban studies in European and National Research programs.

Jorge Pérez Jaramillo

Based in Colombia

Angela Lopez

Associate - Urban Planner and Designer at ARCADIS | Architect LEED AP BD+C | MSc Cum Laude Urbanism + Technology in Sustainable Development (TISD) Specialization

Based in Mexico

Urban designer & planner committed to make a positive impact on the people around me and my environment: my city, my country and the world. My wish is that my dedication to sustainability and sustainable living at home and at my workplace ‘practicing what I preach’ will inspire others to follow my lead. My goal is to encourage sustainable designs and practices as my way of making a difference in my professional practice. During my years of professional experience in the construction industry I have sought to combine the success of clients with improving the quality of life of people and caring for the environment. With more than 15 years of professional practice, I have had the opportunity to accumulate experience in the design and development of Interior Design, Architectural, and Urban Design & Planning projects, as well as their execution and coordination. I enjoy new challenges, as evidenced by my educational and professional experiences abroad. As a result of my multi-cultural background I am extremely adaptable which has been essential for my professional career. During my role as the Urban Design Team Lead and Sustainability Coordinator for a small practice in Mexico City I was part of an interdisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to the development of Sustainable Master Plan projects in multiple Mexican cities such as Colima, Culiacán, Durango, Mérida, San Luis Potosí and Mexico City. I joined IBI Group (now Arcadis) Mexico City practice in December 2020. Since then I have participated in master planning, urban design, and sustainability & resilience consulting projects in North America and Latin America, mainly in Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil. The Pedestrianization and Parking Management Consultancy for Oaxaca Historic City Center in Mexico was one of my latest projects where I played a key role as the project coordinator between the client (IDB), the beneficiaries (Municipality) and the community involved.

Joan Watetu Gachoki

Based in Kenya

Joan Watetu Gachoki is an Urban Planner and Sustainability Consultant specialising in climate governance, sustainability transitions, and ESG frameworks. She has over five years of experience spanning government, consultancy, and applied research, supporting climate-informed decision-making across the built environment, energy, and environmental sectors. She is the Founder and Lead Consultant at Eliye Consults, where her work focuses on climate policy analysis, ESG disclosure, sustainability reporting, and green building certification. Her expertise includes GRI Standards, CSRD, ISSB, EDGE, G-SEED, and environmental impact assessment, with a strong emphasis on translating complex regulatory and policy developments into practical implementation strategies. Joan previously served as a Senior Physical Planner with the Government of Kenya, contributing to national land-use and climate-related policy development and supporting county governments in aligning local plans with national frameworks. As a Visiting Researcher at Aalto University (Finland) under the World in Transition programme, she co-authored and published research examining climate governance and political-economy dynamics, using Nairobi River regeneration as a case study (World in Transition Working Paper Series, ISBN: 978-952-64-3026-3).

Saira Vilchis

Expert in urban development and mobility

Based in Mexico

I have 17 years of experience in designing, evaluating, and implementing strategies for more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable cities. My work focuses on the intersection of technical knowledge, with a strong emphasis on generating evidence for public decision-making. Since 2013, I have been collaborating with the Mario Molina Center in project coordination, where I have developed technical analyses, designed methodologies and indicators, and accompanied private companies in the design of sustainability strategies, especially in the social component. I have participated in international programs such as Women in Motion – Urban Leaders and Urban95, an initiative promoted by the Van Leer Foundation and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) for the design of cities focused on early childhood. I also participated as a specialist in the technical groups on transportation and gender of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) for the development of the Sustainable Taxonomy of the financial system in Mexico, a pioneer in integrating the gender perspective into a financial instrument. I integrate gender perspective, care approach, and territorial justice across the board, promoting urban policies that respond to the differentiated needs of women, girls, boys, and other historically excluded groups. As a mentor, I combine my technical expertise with soft skills development, recognizing that while technical knowledge can be acquired, leadership, communication, negotiation, and networking skills require an intentional development process. I accompany mentees in defining career strategies, professional leadership, strategic communication, and decision-making in complex environments, with the aim of strengthening urban leadership committed to territorial, climate, and social justice.

Mariana Gomes

Based in Brazil

Mariana Gomes is the Associate Director of Development at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Latin America. An urban planner with 15 years of experience in urban planning, public policy, and fundraising, she works to mobilize strategic partnerships for conservation projects, socio-environmental justice, and sustainable development. She has led initiatives focused on territorial equity, social inclusion, sustainable mobility, and nature-based solutions in institutions such as the City Hall of Fortaleza and the International Society for Urban Health. She holds a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Birmingham (Chevening Scholar), an MBA in ESG from Ibmec, an MBA in Project Management from FGV, and a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Federal University of Ceará. She is a member of the Women's Leadership Network at Columbia University in New York.

Salvador Herrera

CEO at Urbanística

Based in Mexico

I am an urban planner with a professional journey spanning over more than two decades at the intersection of law, ethics, governance, and urban design. Trained as a Planner, with a graduate specialization in Urban Management in France and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture. My experience bridges public institutions, international organizations, and professional practice. I have held senior roles in municipal planning agencies in Mexico, worked with multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, CAF, and UN-Habitat, and since 2014 I lead Urbanística, a Mexico-based planning firm that develops urban, territorial, housing, mobility, and regulatory strategies across Latin America and beyond. My work covers the full planning cycle: diagnosis, legal and normative design, participatory processes, implementation instruments, and capacity building. Cities, regions, and national governments have relied on my expertise to translate policy goals into actionable spatial and regulatory frameworks. As a mentor to other urban planners, I offer three concrete forms of value. First, professional clarity: guidance on how to build a coherent planning profile that goes beyond technical silos and responds to real institutional constraints. Second, practice-oriented judgment: mentoring planners on how to navigate complex political, legal, and social environments without compromising ethical standards or professional integrity. Third, strategic growth: helping emerging professionals understand how to move between academia, public service, international cooperation, and private practice, and how to translate planning ideas into credible projects, instruments, and careers.

Tiago Mota Saraiva

Based in Portugal

Tiago Mota Saraiva is an architect, urbanist, and founding partner at Ateliermob and Working with the 99% co-op. Over the past two decades, his practice has been deeply engaged with participatory processes, community-led design, and cooperative housing in Portugal. He has advised municipalities and institutions on housing policy and is a vocal advocate for structural public support of collective forms of living. Tiago has taught, published, and curated extensively on architecture, urban politics and territory. Nowadays he is Invited Associated Professor at the Architecture School of Lisbon University.

Shefali Ahlawat Batra

Based in Netherlands

I’m Shefali - an architect by training, an urban strategist by passion, and a global infrastructure advisor by profession. What began as a love for designing spaces evolved into a drive to understand how entire cities function, how systems shape daily life, and how policy decisions create long-term impact. That curiosity led me to pursue a master’s in Urban Management and eventually into the world of consulting. For more than seven years, I’ve worked with Big 4 firms like Ernst & Young and KPMG, advising governments and institutions across the globe. My work spans policy design and assessment, regulatory reviews, feasibility studies, PPP structuring, stakeholder engagement, and transaction advisory for major infrastructure projects. Consulting has taught me how to operate in high-pressure environments, translate technical concepts into actionable strategies, and collaborate across diverse teams. I enjoy the mix of analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, and real-world impact and I bring that same clarity and energy to everything I do. Beyond my advisory work, I’m passionate about mentoring. Having navigated my own career pivots - from architecture to urban development to global consulting - I understand the challenges of finding clarity, confidence, and direction. I help people make career decisions, prepare for interviews, transition into corporate roles, and articulate their professional story with purpose. Today, I continue to work at the intersection of cities, policy, and infrastructure while supporting individuals who want to build meaningful, future-ready careers. I build systems that strengthen cities - and I help people design careers that strengthen their potential.

Misha Mittal

Based in United Arab Emirates

Misha Mittal is a senior urban strategist and city advisor with over 17 years of experience shaping policies, mega-scale developments, and sustainability-led urban transformation across the UAE, India, and international markets. She currently serves as Senior Manager – City Advisory at Expo City Dubai, where she works closely with mayors, city leaders, multilateral organizations, developers, and technical experts to design and deliver future-ready urban strategies, flagship initiatives, and global partnerships. Her work focuses on translating long-term urban vision into implementable and investable outcomes across land use, mobility, infrastructure, and climate resilience. In parallel, Misha leads the G100 Smart and Sustainable Cities Mission in the UAE as the Country Chair, advancing women-led leadership, city diplomacy, and systems thinking at the intersection of governance, climate action, built-environment, technology and economic resilience. She has led intellectual property development that integrates urban planning, ESG, finance, governance, and communication into structured frameworks and digital metrics and has been a member of several national and emirate-wide task force. A Certified Circular Economy Professional and sought-after speaker, Misha is known for bridging strategy with execution. Her expertise spans climate-conscious real estate, heat and water resilience, circular economy models, and nature-positive urban systems, as well as building effective public–private and international partnerships. As a mentor, she supports mid-career professionals, emerging leaders, and founders in urban planning, sustainability, infrastructure, and real estate, helping them move from technical roles to trusted advisory and leadership positions. Her mentorship is strategic, candid, and grounded in real-world decision-making, focused on navigating complex institutions, leading in ambiguity, and creating meaningful, long-term impact.

Cornelia Dinca

Sustainable & Smart Cities

Based in Netherlands

I am an urbanist, consultant and educator focused on sustainable urban development. I am the founder of Sustainable Amsterdam, a boutique consultancy specialized in transferring Amsterdam and Dutch approaches to sustainable urban development internationally through experiential learning programmes. I have extensive experience working with governmental and semi-governmental partners such as the City of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Smart City, with a strong focus on international collaboration and knowledge exchange. Throughout my work, I have been involved in various mentoring roles, including as mentor city representative in the EU Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC), supporting other European cities in their urban innovation and sustainability journeys. I have also mentored startups through different EIT and New European Bauhaus programmes. I also support individuals in their career development paths, particularly (young) professionals moving to Amsterdam / the Netherlands who are navigating the local urban and sustainability ecosystem. My mentoring approach combines practical urban experience with reflection, learning and personal guidance in complex sustainability transitions.

LAURELINE LHUILLIER

Based in France

I am an architect and urban planner specialized in urban resilience, climate adaptation, and water governance, with over ten years of professional experience across Latin America and Europe. My work lies at the intersection of urban planning, architecture, public policy, and applied research, with a strong focus on how cities can respond to climate and social challenges in systemic, inclusive, and realistic ways. I have worked extensively in Mexico—including Monterrey, Mexico City, and the Caribbean region—on metropolitan resilience strategies, water-related urban systems, and climate-vulnerable territories. These contexts, shaped by water scarcity, flooding, rapid urbanization, and institutional complexity, have deeply influenced my understanding of cities as living systems. Collaborating with local governments, planning agencies, international organizations, and community actors has given me first-hand insight into how urban visions are negotiated, implemented, and constrained in practice. Alongside this, I have contributed to projects and research initiatives in France, Spain, and Ecuador, focusing on resilience frameworks, nature-based solutions, and territorial adaptation. Working across diverse geographies has strengthened my ability to connect scales, disciplines, and stakeholders, while keeping social equity and long-term impact at the center of planning processes. As a mentor, I offer a practice-based, honest, and non-linear perspective on building a career in urban planning. My own trajectory has been shaped by international mobility, interdisciplinary work, uncertainty, and professional reinvention. I support early-career urban planners in clarifying their professional positioning, navigating complex institutional environments, and transforming strong values into coherent and sustainable career paths.

Jens Aerts

Based in Ethiopia

Experienced in international urban development assignments with a diversity of key actors, I combine technical knowledge and human skills to support multi-stakeholder projects towards sustainable urbanisation, corridor development and green transformation. With a sharp analytical focus, I am good at data analytics, strategic thinking and clear reporting. I have been trained as a Master in Civil Engineering Architecture in Belgium and a Master in Urban Planning in Spain. With my 20 years of experience in practice, policy and research, I have been managing complex projects with cities and municipalities, international institutions, NGOs and project developers in different international contexts. Currently I provide technical assistance to the European Union, World Bank, Cities Alliance and the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation, focusing on regional development, urban climate resilience and urban mobility. I am regularly asked to provide technical assistance in spatial research, local policy development and innovative urban development practices, to help shape investment programs and planning policies based on principles of sustainability, inclusion and economic feasibility. Nowadays I commute between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Brussels, Belgium.

Giselle Sebag

Executive Director | Founder

Based in Spain

I’m Giselle Sebag (MPH, LEED AP)—an architect, urban planner, and public health practitioner focused on improving health by design. I work at the intersection of urban planning, public health, mobility, climate resilience, and equity, helping cities and civil society partners translate evidence into place-based strategies that improve everyday life—how we move, what we breathe, how safe we feel, and how connected we are. I serve as Executive Director of the International Society for Urban Health (ISUH), a global network advancing the field of urban health and strengthening the bridge between evidence and real-world action. I also founded Vital Cities, an evidence-driven advisory practice that partners with city governments, the private sector, and mission-driven organizations to ensure urban investments deliver the greatest possible impact—improving health, quality of life, and economic outcomes. My career has been built in the “in-between spaces” where change is hardest—and most promising: between planning and health, policy and design, infrastructure and community life. I’m especially interested in how practical shifts—safe walking and cycling, public-space activation, access to nature, healthier housing and neighborhoods, and inclusive community life—can transform places and reduce inequities. I’m based in Barcelona and New York and work internationally. What I offer as a mentor: Strategic, practical support for mentees who want to create measurable impact across disciplines. I can help you (1) clarify your direction and refine your professional story, (2) translate research and data into implementable urban strategies, (3) navigate cross-sector stakeholder dynamics, and (4) apply a place-based approach that breaks down silos and builds shared purpose. Bring a real challenge—an initiative that’s stuck, a career crossroads, or a project that needs a sharper strategy—and we’ll work together to move from insight to action.

Betty Chemier

Director at ReURBE

Based in Panama

Hi, I’m Betty—a self-made urban professional from Panama City. I started the journey that led me here because there was no park in my neighborhood, so I decided to build one. Together with my neighbors, we planned it, raised funds, and built and planted the park we had been dreaming of. That was my first real experience with participatory planning, co-design, and tactical urbanism (I only learned those terms after we finished). That project changed my life. I leaned into learning—taking courses with Gehl, Project for Public Spaces, and participating in design charrettes at Harvard—then came back home and founded a social enterprise, ReURBE. With my team, I’ve led projects across the country focused on creating more livable, inclusive, and meaningful places. Later, I joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Accelerator Labs network, where for three years I helped test and scale practical solutions for challenges that shape our cities—disaster risk reduction, circular economy, waste management, and more—using systems thinking, experimentation, and a “learn fast” mindset. I’m now back in my own practice with ReURBE, working with clients on projects that mix place activation with sustainability strategy—turning big goals into real-world pilots, partnerships, and measurable impact for the territories and people they serve. If you’re a young professional who wants a mentor to help you navigate participatory processes, design projects with communities, structure experiments, or bridge urban practice with sustainability and systems thinking, I’d love to support your growth.

Oliver Lah

Based in Germany

Oliver Lah coordinates the Urban Urban Living Lab Center, a UN-Habitat Collaborating Center co-hosted by Technical University Berlin, Wuppertal Institute for Climate Environment and Energy and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative and an Adjunct Professor at the Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH). Prior to that Oliver worked with UN-Habitat, UN Environment, UNDP, OECD/ITF and GIZ on urban mobility and climate change issues. He was a lead author for the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report, was a member of the Habitat III Policy Unit on Urban Services and Technology and worked at the Ministry of Transport of New Zealand and the Minister of State to the German Federal Chancellor. Oliver holds a Bachelor of Art in History from Humboldt University, a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Science and a Master of Environmental Studies from Victoria University of Wellington and a PhD in Urban Ecology from Technical University Berlin.

Joann Johani

Vice President, Sector & Enabler Development

Based in Malaysia

I am a strategic planning and urban development professional with over 15 years of experience in delivering large-scale, infrastructure-led economic development projects, particularly within the energy and industrial sectors. My work sits at the intersection of planning, policy, and investment, with a strong focus on translating long-term strategies into implementable outcomes within complex, multi-stakeholder environments. A significant part of my career has been shaped by my involvement in the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC), one of Southeast Asia’s largest energy / downstream oil and gas developments. I was involved from the early stages of conceptual planning during my time with the Johor State Economic Planning Unit and later continued this journey within Johor Petroleum Development Corporation (JPDC), where I contributed to the development, coordination and execution of key planning frameworks, including the PIPC Master Plan 2.0 and PIPC Strategic Plan. My role extended beyond technical planning. I was deeply involved in stakeholder coordination, land acquisition strategy, and community resettlement planning areas that required not only technical understanding but also empathy, negotiation, and the ability to balance competing interests. These experiences shaped my perspective that development is never purely technical; it is inherently human, political, and often imperfect. Over the years, I have worked across multiple dimensions of planning, including macroeconomic analysis, spatial planning, infrastructure and utilities strategy, housing and social infrastructure planning, as well as investment facilitation. This has given me a holistic understanding of how large-scale developments evolve from visioning and planning to execution and long-term positioning. Currently, I serve as Vice President, Sector & Enabler Development at the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), where I am involved in shaping sectoral strategies and enabling ecosystems within the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ). One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that real-world planning rarely follows a linear path. While academic frameworks provide structure, the reality on the ground involves navigating institutional constraints, shifting policies, market volatility, and diverse stakeholder expectations. Often, the biggest challenges are not technical but relational. Aligning different agencies, managing expectations, and building trust can be far more complex than developing the plan itself. As a mentor, I aim to bridge this gap between theory and practice. I am particularly passionate about supporting young professionals and early-career practitioners in understanding how planning concepts translate into real-world decision-making. I can offer guidance in areas such as urban and regional planning, economic development strategy, infrastructure planning, stakeholder management, and navigating large, multi-agency environments. I also recognise that career journeys are rarely straightforward. I have experienced transitions, institutional changes, and moments of uncertainty including navigating organisational restructuring and shifts in mandate. These experiences have taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of staying grounded in one’s core skills and values. As a mentor, I am open to sharing these experiences honestly to help others better prepare for the realities of professional life. Beyond technical guidance, I see mentorship as a space for reflection and growth. I aim to create an environment where mentees feel comfortable asking questions, exploring different perspectives, and building confidence in their own voice. I believe that good mentorship is not about providing all the answers but about helping others think critically, make informed decisions, and develop their own approach to challenges. I am particularly interested in mentoring individuals who are navigating careers in planning, development, sustainability, and economic policy, especially those who aspire to work on large-scale or transformative projects. I also welcome mentees who are still exploring their direction, as I believe early exposure to real-world insights can be incredibly valuable. Ultimately, my goal as a mentor is to support others in becoming not only competent professionals but also thoughtful practitioners, individuals who understand the broader impact of their work and who are able to navigate complexity with both technical skill and human sensitivity.