Women in Planning Network WA Awards
Recognising and promoting female professionals.
About the Awards
The WPN WA Awards are a first of their kind. The Awards recognises the outstanding leadership and achievements from established and emerging female professionals based in WA, who demonstrates a holistic and long-term commitment to diversity within the planning profession and related built environment sectors. Two award categories exist:
Leadership Award – proudly sponsored by Shape Urban, this award seeks to recognise the outstanding achievements and leaderships by a female professional from across the planning and allied sectors. For further information, see the award's brochure.
Achiever Award – proudly sponsored by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, this award recognises the contributions of an emerging female professional who is delivering outstanding achievements and building a profile as a future leader. For further information, see the award’s brochure.
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These Awards are supported by the PIA WA but are separate from the annual PIA WA Awards for Excellence.
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Nominations for the 2026 Awards will open in late 2025.
2025 Winners
Thank you to everyone who nominated themselves or their colleague for the Award. Congratulations to Sam Thompson and Karsen Reynolds - our winners of the WPN Award for 2025! You can read more about Sam and Karsen's contributions and achievements below.
Leadership Award
Sam Thompson - Taylor Burrell Barnett
With over 30 years of urban planning experience, Sam has been with TBB since 1992, contributing to the company’s evolution ever since. After starting as a planner, she became a Director in 2010, and in 2023, she made history as the first female Managing Director. Her long-serving career reflects her dedication and passion for advancing the planning industry and fostering meaningful, positive change.
Whether it’s delivering outstanding outcomes for clients, inspiring and supporting her colleagues to achieve success, or advocating for a more progressive planning approach and workplace culture, Sam brings a rare combination of empathy, passion, and care to everything she does. She is proud to lead an organisation that has no gender pay gap, and successfully translated the company’s gender equity aspirations to action. This makes Sam not just an exceptional leader but also someone who leaves a positive, lasting impact.
This award is possible thanks to the kindness of the Shape Urban – the 2025 Leadership Award sponsor.
Achiever Award
Karsen Reynolds - City of Vincent
This year’s winner is a passionate, long-servicing public servant and engaged leader in the industry and community. Positively contributing to good built form and supporting local communities is what drew Karsen to a career in planning and has kept her engaged since.
The judges acknowledged that Karsen has a track record for achieving exceptional development outcomes due to her collaborative approach, strategic thinking, and honest communication. Her primary focus is to think and act as an enabler, rather than a traditional local government regulator. She’s has led the delivery of several best-practice projects including WA’s first Small Business Fast-Track stream and ‘Green Track’ initiative which seeks promote environmentally sustainable design in residential developments. Karsen is an advocate for sound local planning and promoting positive change, a valued mentor in the Inner-City Mentoring Program, and the President of the Local Government Planning’s Association.
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This award is possible thanks to the kindness of the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage – the 2025 Achiever Award sponsor.
Past Recipients
2024 Leadership Award Winner – Cath Evans – Hatch
2024 Achiever Award Winner – Ingrid Van Dorssen – Uniting WA
2023 Winner - Karen Wright - Urbis
2023 Winner - Maria Cooke - City of Kwinana
2023 Commendation - Bronwyn Slater - element Advisory
2022 Winner - Elyse Saraceni (nee Maketic) - Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage