The Last Mile

Champions of Change Architecture Group
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A series of six interviews focusing on the ‘The Last Mile’ – the challenging transition from being an outstanding second-in-command to becoming an owner. Developed by the Champions of Change Architecture Group, these interviews with six women in leadership illustrate how sponsorship strategies can support meaningful cultural shifts towards a more equitable industry. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Quiet achievers – Christina Cho

    Listen to The Last Mile with Christina Cho, a lively conversation about supporting the ambition of quiet achievers. I believe sponsorship grows out of mentorship. It’s a relationship that needs time to develop, to mature, because it involves a champion who’s willing to share more of themselves to help someone else progress in their career. And for me, it’s a really powerful form of advocacy in the workplace that builds trust and mutual respect with my staff to help them advance a career. But most importantly, their advancement aligns with their own ambitions and values. The important aspect of this is that they’re happy. They’re content, they have a sense of purpose, allowing them to reach the full potential, which then equally contributes to the positive growth of our practice.The term sponsorship is probably not one that was overtly used through my own career, and reflecting back on my experience, sponsorship came to me in many forms at different times of my career and through many people .Those of us who are more reserved, soft spoken or appear less proactive in perusing professional goals aren’t necessarily lacking ambition. Christina speaks about how sponsorship can cultivate a culture of support, mentorship and advancement that provides recognition for ‘quiet achievers’.  – Christina Cho is a Director of Cox. She is passionate about creating active, inclusive and inspirational environments and leads projects using an open and collective design process. She is a third-generation architect, born in Seoul and raised in Brisbane. Her Korean-Australian heritage has significantly shaped the way she perceives the world and her practice in architecture. Christina is the winner of the 2018 Australian Institute of Architects, National Emerging Architect Prize and recipient of the Australian Financial Review Young BOSS Executive. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

  2. 3d ago

    Honest communication – Catherine Love

    Listen to The Last Mile with Catherine Love, a wide-ranging conversation about alternative career paths and sponsorship models. I am notorious for being fairly open and transparent – within what I can be as a director, understanding that certain things are not for public knowledge. And I find some staff want to know, and others get quite agitated if you reveal too much. So you really have to be aware of each staff’s personality, and tailor how you’re communicating with them to their personality, what they really want to know.Sponsorship allows people to explore outside the boundaries of a traditional career trajectory. Catherine examines alternative approaches to sponsorship that can have a positive impact, especially for women in part-time roles. In analysing these approaches, she talks about the importance of open and honest communication between the sponsor and sponsee. – Catherine Love is a Director, Sector Lead Hospitality of PTW. Her expertise is well recognised in a diverse range of building types from hospitality, mixed use including high rise residential and retail; social housing, educational and health. Appointed a PTW Director of the Sydney and Ho Chi Minh office in 2016 and Sector Lead Hospitality, Catherine was previously Design Director of the Shanghai office and Deputy General Director for Vietnam. Catherine regularly contributes to industry forums such as Women in Construction and Design (WIDAC), Design Inn, Australia Build Week Online and has participated as a tutor, lecturer and guest critic in a range of architectural education courses at UNSW and other Sydney universities and TAFE programs. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

    Honest communication – Catherine Love

  3. 3d ago

    Supporting talent – Georgia Singleton

    Listen in to the Last Mile conversation with Georgia Singleton about the benefits of sponsorship for all involved, and the joy of supporting people’s talent and giving them opportunity. If somebody wants to do something, that is important, and I can actually give them a voice. So we test people out and then let them go. It’s like getting on a bike – you hold them, ride with them, you know, hold the back seat, and then let them go.Georgia discusses the many personal and professional rewards sponsorship can bestow on both the sponsor and sponsee, and the benefits that fostering a culture of sponsorship and advocacy can bring to a practice as a whole.  – Georgia Singleton is a Director, Global Leader – Education & Science of Woods Bagot. Considering the impact of architecture on user experience, she is interested in understanding how the workplace environment can affect the behaviour of researchers and practitioners within health precincts and using that information to inform the way space is configured. Having worked on a diverse range and scale of architectural and interiors focused projects, Georgia seeks to push traditional building and fit-out typologies with dynamic, highly integrated and research-driven solutions.  The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

    Supporting talent – Georgia Singleton

  4. 3d ago

    Success & part-time work – Bianca Hung

    Listen to the second episode of The Last Mile, an engaging conversation with Bianca Hung about building a career and attaining leadership roles while working part-time. I took a career break when I was already a director principal, so that looked a little bit different, rather than getting pushed out and kept trying to come back in as I was progressing. Certainly, COVID also changed a lot of things. But at Hayball, we try to look at flexible work policies that are more genuine. So they’re inclusive, but are targeted at females tried to juggle family life and part-time work and perhaps, you know, doing more than just part-time work. Certainly, working less than three days in an office is very difficult when leading a major project. So I think it’s trying to provide that support where, particularly females, if they’re coming back part time can have those opportunities.Bianca’s story conveys the need for practices to be more creative in terms of supporting people working part time. Circumstances needs to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis – the power of sponsorship is providing the support to ensure people are doing the right roles, doing what they want to do, and succeeding. – Bianca is a Director of Hayball. Over the course of more than ten years in practice, she has worked on a broad variety of projects, with a focus on the residential sector, from single dwellings to large scale multi-residential developments. She has a particular interest in interiors and much of her work reflects this focus. Bianca is well-versed in working alongside upper-tier developers and relishes the challenge of balancing requisite time and cost restraints with good design outcomes. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

    Success & part-time work – Bianca Hung

  5. 3d ago

    Finding your people – Sally Campbell

    In this lively episode Sally Campbell talks about two requirements for unlocking your true potential - finding your people and an environment where you feel safe to fail. Unlocking potential is different for everyone. She discusses what it takes to elevate people into whatever they want for their careers, exploring a range of ideas, experience and motivations.  I felt I could put my best foot forward. And it also means, I felt I could fail, and that I could openly ask for help, or I could get access to things when I needed them.It gave me confidence to be myself in that environment, which really mattered. We’re all different and different practices are a bit different fit for us. Finding the right fit matters because it gives us that confidence to unlock our potential. Sometimes the right fit for us is different at different times in our lives as well. –  Sally is a Principal of BVN. Her enthusiasm for design and the vision of the projects she leads is contagious. She is naturally personable and effortless in her ability to engage clients, stakeholders, consultants, and project teams at all stages of a project. She is an advocate for spaces that leave lasting impressions and believes everyone should have the benefit of living in, working in, or occupying well designed spaces. — The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

    Finding your people – Sally Campbell

  6. 08/21/2025

    Life & work – Cathryn Drew-Bredin

    In this episode, Cathryn speaks about the need for a flexible type of sponsorship that acknowledges the phase of life you are in. Life can get in the way of our professional goals – and this can be tough, no matter how temporary. Cathryn therefore advocates continued career support for women while navigating life outside of work. Once you know what you really need, you start to get better at advocating for yourself in your career. So then you can articulate that – drawing on your influencing skills, your negotiation skills – to say, ‘Hey, listen, I’m a valuable member of staff, I offer these skills, I bring this to the table, I need x, y and z in my personal life in order to bring my best self to work.’You do get to a point in your career where you have that experience, and you draw on all that experience to be able to advocate for yourself. And that’s really important. If you can crystallise that, you can get somebody to understand where you’re coming from and what you need. You can always negotiate. And I think that’s a good thing to remember that you have a value and it’s just understanding what that value is so that you can properly articulate that. Cathryn Drew-Bredin  is a Director of DesignInc. She has over two decades of experience delivering integrated, transport design solutions that create vital, coherent and enlivened spaces. A project director and registered architect, she guides highly collaborative design processes, contributing deep insight and understanding of complex airport operations and wider transport interchange systems. Leading large multidisciplinary teams, she champions innovative, commercial and sustainable solutions. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Champions of Change Architecture Group Sponsorship Action Group. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

    Life & work – Cathryn Drew-Bredin
  • 6 Episodes

About

A series of six interviews focusing on the ‘The Last Mile’ – the challenging transition from being an outstanding second-in-command to becoming an owner. Developed by the Champions of Change Architecture Group, these interviews with six women in leadership illustrate how sponsorship strategies can support meaningful cultural shifts towards a more equitable industry. The Last Mile is an initiative of the Sponsorship Action Group of the Champions of Change Architecture Group. BVN, nettletontribe, Bates Smart, PTW and Woods Bagot were all involved. Interviews were conducted by Brian Clohessy, Isabella Aliberti, Tia Soulakellis and Sam de Jongh and are published in collaboration with Parlour.

Information

  • Creator
    Champions of Change Architecture Group
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Parlour
  • Show Website
    The Last Mile