Winner of the Young Leaders’ Award, Rachel Ezzard, is a Development Manager at Stockland in Western Australia and has ensured WA has won the National Young Leader Award for the second successive year and third time in the last four years.
Ms Ezzard has worked on a range of major masterplanned communities in and around Perth and has a passion for sustainability and innovative thinking.
Ms Ezzard reflects genuine leadership qualities, her passion for mentoring, and her proactiveness to improve industry is impressive and inspired the judges.
“Rachel was very open with the judging panel in sharing her success and learnings from her career to date and recognises the importance of celebrating progress,” Ms Steinbeck said.
“She has a desire to do things differently, particularly in the areas of sustainability to address the climate crisis and future proofing housing for the next generation which is impressive and timely,” Ms Steinbeck said.
In awarding Ms Ezzard, the judges said that she demonstrates the attributes of a great leader, while being authentic to herself to establish rapport and trust amongst her peers. She is respectful of other perspectives and encourages a variety of voices to be heard. Rachel is progressive in her thinking and application, engaging her team to collaborate and brainstorm ideas that enhance outcomes.
“I am so proud that Western Australian projects and people are being recognised among very elite peers on a national stage,” Ms Steinbeck said. “Our winners are a fantastic example of where our industry is moving.”
Head to the UDIA National LinkedIn page for an overview of all of the winners on the night, here.
Read our exclusive interview with Ms Ezzard in our magazine article, here.
For more from this week’s Urban Express, click here.