Organising Committee

Helen Lardner (Chair) - Past President Australia ICOMOS

Helen Lardner is the past president of Australia ICOMOS, an ICOMOS World Heritage Advisor, member of ISC20C and a long standing, active ICOMOS member. A heritage architect, Helen is Chair of the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Conservation Advisory Committee and a member of the Victorian Design Review Panel. Helen is the director of HLCD Pty Ltd, established 1991, which is an award winning, innovative Australian heritage consultancy with a focus on high quality conservation and adaptive reuse of complex places.

Previously Helen was an expert member of the Australian Heritage Council, the Victorian Heritage Council and a sessional member of Planning Panels Victoria. She is the Australian National Representative for TICCIH.

Helen is committed to ethical and collaborative, multi-disciplinary heritage practice. She is passionate about the environment and believes that appreciation of cultural diversity and shared values is strongly needed today.

Prof Richard Mackay, AM - GA2023 Convenor

Richard Mackay is the Director of Possibilities at Mackay Strategic Pty Ltd, ICOMOS World Heritage Adviser, Member of the National Executive Committee of Australia ICOMOS, Adjunct Professor at Deakin University, and Commissioner of the NSW Independent Planning Commission. With more than 30 years’ experience in cultural heritage practice, Richard was co-founder and Partner at GML Heritage Pty Ltd, and has provided facilitation and strategic direction for heritage projects and place management throughout Australia and in Asia, working for government and non-government agencies and corporations at places ranging from Angkor, Cambodia to Sydney’s Luna Park. Richard has formerly served as Chair of the Australian World Heritage Advisory Committee, Chair of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area Advisory Committee, heritage theme author for the 2011 and 2016 Commonwealth State of the Environment reports, non-Executive Director of the National Trust of Australia (NSW), Member of the NSW Heritage Council, inaugural Chair of the NSW State Heritage Register Committee, and Getty Conservation Scholar. Richard had been honoured with the inaugural ‘Sharon Sullivan Award’ for his contribution to Australia’s national heritage, a National Trust voluntary service medallion and Membership of the Order of Australia for services to archaeology and cultural heritage. Richard was the Chair of the Bid Committee for the successful Australia ICOMOS bid to host the ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium.

Suzi Heaton – Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Suzi Heaton is the acting Branch Head of the Heritage Branch in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. In that role, Suzi is responsible for management of the Commonwealth’s responsibilities for World, National and Commonwealth heritage places under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and support of the Australian Heritage Council in its work program. Suzi has worked for the environment portfolio for 14 years in various policy and program roles. Most recently, she was Environment Counsellor in Australia’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris focusing on World Heritage matters.

Leanne Burrows – Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Leanne Burrows has worked across a number of areas of heritage policy and regulation in the Australian Government for over 12 years. Currently Director of Historic Heritage in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Leanne provides strategic direction and advice on historic heritage matters nationally, including on listing and management of Australia’s World, National and Commonwealth Heritage places, and our significant underwater cultural heritage. Leanne has degrees in Arts and cultural heritage management from the University of Canberra.

Tim Smith - Director Heritage Operations at Heritage NSW, Department of Premier & Cabinet (DPC)

Tim is Director Heritage Operations at Heritage NSW, Department of Premier & Cabinet (DPC), Sydney and drives recognition, activation and sensitive change to the State’s most precious heritage assets. Highly regarded for his personal engagement style, his passion, and executive leadership, Tim is committed to building strategic relationships and improving customer journeys within the heritage system. Tim has national heritage credentials having held senior executive roles in both the NSW and Victorian heritage agencies, most recently as Director of Heritage Victoria in Melbourne (2013-17). Tim is regarded internationally for his volunteer work on international projects over 30+years. Highlights include the discovery of Australia’s submarine AE1 (1914) off New Guinea; as Maritime Director of the AE2 submarine Silent Anzac team in Turkey; leading the underwater survey of ANZAC Cove in Turkey (Project Beneath Gallipoli); and the M24 Japanese midget submarine (1942) at Sydney. Tim is a Member of ICOMOS Australia, has received a UNESCO Award of Distinction for heritage management, and an Order of Australia (OAM) in 2017 for service to government heritage administration and promotion.

Peter Phillips, AO – ICOMOS International

Peter Phillips, AO is the Secretary General of ICOMOS. He was previously a Vice-President of ICOMOS, and is also a past President of Australia ICOMOS. In his spare time he is the principal of Orwell & Peter Phillips, an architectural practice that has been active in building conservation since the 1950s. Peter has degrees in architecture and building science from the University of Sydney, and lectures on conservation and heritage to post-graduate students in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney. He has undertaken conservation work on some of Australia’s most significant sites, including Fort Denison, the Australian Museum and Sydney Customs House, as well as several properties in The Rocks and Millers Point and a number of historic railway stations. He has served as a heritage adviser to government at local, State and Commonwealth levels. In 2011 Peter was made a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects for his contribution to architectural conservation.

Tony Smith – City of Sydney

Tony Smith, B.Arch (UTS) is the Urban Design and Heritage Manager in the Planning Assessments Unit at the City of Sydney. He grew up in the historic city of Parramatta in NSW and lives in Sydney. Tony is an architect and has worked in heritage conservation in Sydney architectural practices including Howard Tanner & Associates (now TKD), Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners and Suters Architects. He has worked on heritage places including Sydney GPO, Sydney Town Hall, Rookwood Necropolis and Walsh Bay.

Tony has worked at the City of Sydney since 2002 and manages a multi-disciplinary team that advises the planning team and other stakeholders on heritage, urban design and landscape design. He is also responsible for the City’s comprehensive physical and electronic models. Travelling to learn from ICOMOS world heritage sites is a particular passion and recent trips have included Borobudur, Havana, Tallinn and Kronborg Castle at Helsingør.

Michael Queale – Australia ICOMOS National Executive

Michael is a heritage architect with 30 years of experience in architectural conservation, contextual design and heritage advice and policy. As Principal Heritage Conservation Architect at Heritage South Australia, Michael is directly involved in public policy reform and is a vocal advocate for Australia’s built heritage. Michael is an active member of Australia ICOMOS and is a member of the GA2023 Organising and Executive Committees and is directly responsible for planning the associated Heritage Exposition and Trade Fair. 

Gabrielle Harrington – ICOMOS emerging professional

Gabrielle Harrington is the ICOMOS emerging professional representative on the GA2023 Organising Committee. Gabrielle specialises in built heritage and is currently working at Extent Heritage, based in Sydney as a Heritage Advisor. Prior to this she has worked at a number of major heritage sites including Cockatoo Island, Elizabeth Farm and Rouse Hill House and Farm. In 2018, she completed a joint master’s degree in Cultural Heritage and World Heritage at Deakin University and Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany. Gabrielle has also co-edited an issue of Historic Environment (2018 30, Vol 3) and was a Young Professional Journey Reporter for the Culture-Nature Journey at the GA2017. She is passionate about engaging with and involving  young and emerging professionals within the heritage field.

Sue Jackson-Stepowski – Jackson-Stepowski Heritage Planning

Sue is a past Secretary of Australia ICOMOS, a member the International Scientific Committees for Shared Built Heritage (and its immediate past President), Historic Towns & Villages, Cultural Landscapes, and on the Pacifika Co-Operative Reference Group.   Sue’s involvement in international ICOMOS delegations and seminars include those in China, Cuba, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa and the Nordic countries.  Sue has worked in United Kingdom, Middle East and Switzerland.  Her company deals primarily with diverse heritage matters for local governments.