On International Women’s Day, we speak to five of our members: Isobel Oldfield MEIANZ CEnvP (NZ Chapter); Tahlia Walsh MEIANZ CEnvP (WA Division); Ana Spataru PhD (VIC Division); Dr Sheridan Coakes MEIANZ (NSW Division); and Cassandra Wadrop (SA Division) about their work, what motivates them, and taking on challenges in their roles. Like so many of our members, they share a passion for the environment and a desire to make a difference.

Isobel Oldfield MEIANZ CEnvP

Isobel has been an EIANZ member since 2012 and is a Certified Environmental Practitioner. She has served on the EIANZ Board as Vice-President (New Zealand) since 2019. Isobel currently works as a Lead Policy Advisor for Taumata Arowai with a focus on wastewater. She has previously worked as an environmental consultant and as a policy analyst for the Ministry for Primary Industries working on the Essential Freshwater package.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the environment sector?

I pursued a career in the environmental sector because I wanted to work in an area I was passionate about where I felt like I would be making a difference. Working in the environmental sector gives me the opportunity to tackle complex problems in a way that will hopefully make a difference to everyone.

What do you find most rewarding about a career in the environment sector?

I enjoy the opportunity to make a difference and also to be able to work with a wide range of passionate experts. Working in the environmental sector has allowed me to learn a lot and has enabled me to work across a wide range of topics. Since moving into policy I also have the opportunity to bring together evidence from a wide range of subjects to try to identify solutions that will work.

What has been a challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

I am still learning how to find balance. I am passionate about the work I do and also enjoy volunteering my time to work for incredible organisations like the EIANZ and Bats without Borders. I am finding as I get older that I need to learn to take on less so that I can really focus on delivering strongly on the things I care about while also having time for my family!

Any additional thoughts?

There are so many amazing people working in the environmental profession, I feel hopeful about the future and our ability to overcome the challenges we face.

Tahlia Walsh MEIANZ CEnvP

Tahlia has been an EIANZ member since 2018, a Certified Environmental Practitioner since 2020, and is Secretary of the EIANZ's WA Division. Tahlia works as a Government Approvals Specialist with Rio Tinto – securing approvals for various projects under the Mining Act, Part V of the Environmental Protection Act and Rights in Water and Irrigation Act.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the environment sector?

Being in nature was, and still is my happy place. I knew if I could combine this love for the outdoors with my career, I would be content. I have been fortunate enough to work in some of the most remote but spectacularly beautiful places in the country, which has been incredibly inspiring.

What do you find most rewarding about a career in the environment sector?

As someone who is passionate about the environment, conservation and sustainability, it is often a challenge working in the resources industry. What I find rewarding though is the ability to make change from within. You are in a unique position whereby you are able to be part of the solution by making improvements to the way things are done and if you have patience, you can slowly change behaviours and culture. Even if this results in only a small improvement to the environment in which you work, you have done your job. 

What has been a challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

A challenge at times has been getting buy in and cooperation from stakeholders for certain things you know are important from an environmental perspective, but perhaps they may not see the value. An extremely important tool is education and appropriate communication. If you can tailor your communication and/or an education package to your target audience and clearly outline why you need certain things done in a certain way, you are more likely to get the help and cooperation you need in order to gain better environmental outcomes.

Any additional thoughts?

For any women considering a career in science and/or in the environmental sector, I say go for it as it is the most varied and rewarding career path. Always strive for better and always challenge the status quo. Just because something has always been done a particular way, it doesn’t mean there is a not a better way out there to do it. 

We are in an age of continuous improvement, of research and development and scientific advancements and we live in a society where environmental issues and associated management is getting the attention it needs and deserves. Embrace it!

Ana Spataru PhD

Ana has been an EIANZ associate member since 2018 and is Vice-Chair of the EIANZ VIC Division's Student and Early Careers Committee. Ana has recently joined Solar Victoria as a policy officer for the zero emissions vehicle program: "So far I have been learning how transport and energy come together and what we need to do to make sure transport emissions don't continue to pose a threat to our climate and health".

What inspired you to pursue a career in the environment sector?

It happened slowly and probably without a lot of thinking. I surrounded myself with caring and kind people, with those that passionately advocate for environmental justice and work in different environmental fields. So I would say it chose me before I chose it. It's also one broad field where I can always keep exploring new topics. I have had an irregular path to where I am, moving from environmental science to sustainable agricultural policy to renewable energy and now to electric vehicles. I even toyed with circular economy principles and I am constantly doing other things in the food system space. Overall, the elegancy of nature is my inspiration and awe. 

What do you find most rewarding about a career in the environment sector? 

Being surrounded by people better than me, louder than me, creative and process driven people. I find immense satisfaction in learning how to amplify my impact from the very best and we are lucky to have so many that tirelessly fight for our planet. The environmental sector offers many career growing opportunities, it helps me test my limits and it's never a dull moment. With so many issues at hand, my mind is in constant flux and for me that is rewarding.

What has been a challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

As an early career professional in a foreign country, I found it challenging to have a supportive network. I joined the EIANZ because I knew this would fill that gap and would help me stay connected with people across many disciplines I am interested in. I joined the Student and Early Career Committee and now I coordinate the Mentoring Program together with another member.

I believe we are best when we are connected and collaborate with one another. I have made it through my PhD, the pandemic and getting my proverbial foot in the door by always being open to possibilities and constantly building my peer network.

Dr Sheridan Coakes MEIANZ

Sheridan has been an EIANZ member since 2018 and is the Convenor of the EIANZ's Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Community of Practice. Sheridan is the National Social Practice Lead at Umwelt where she heads a national team of social scientists working in the area of SIA and community engagement practice.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the environment sector?

As a psychologist by training, I was always interested in the application of psychology at a community level and early in my training was specifically focused on procedural justice and fairness in environmental planning and decision-making processes.  Having completed a PhD in the area, I was fortunate to land a job with the Commonwealth government very early in my career, where I was responsible for developing the SIA methodology for the Australian Regional Forest Agreement process in the late 1990s, with a period also spent with the Bureau of Resource Sciences in Canberra.

My early work in forestry demonstrated the value of applying social science thinking to natural resource management issues (forestry, agriculture, biotechnology, fisheries, water management, etc.), and so after a stint in government, my consulting career began, resulting in me directing my own specialist national social consulting practice for 13 years, before joining Umwelt in my current role.

What do you find most rewarding about a career in the environment sector?

I have been fortunate to have worked with some terrific public and private sector clients and communities in Australia, across a diverse range of sectors and contexts, to ensure that social impacts are adequately considered in EIA processes and that key stakeholders and communities have a voice in the projects that affect them.  Understanding impacts from the perspectives of those most affected, most vulnerable and/or marginalised, and integrating local and technical knowledge in assessment processes, is what drives me, with the aim of delivering better project design and improved social and environmental project outcomes. 

Positive change can be realised in different ways, and my career has focused on working closely with industry to highlight the value of good social assessment through a project’s lifecycle and in working with communities to better manage the social impacts of change and transition; ensuring project benefits are shared and enhanced at the community level.      

What has been a challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

As a social practitioner, there have been many challenges along the way, a key one being the need to educate clients and other professionals about the value of effective and integrated social practice, and the importance of appropriately considering social impacts.  This has required tenacity and commitment to keep the path and to stay true to social science – demonstrating its value through development and utilisation of creative engagement and social assessment methodologies, presentation and integration of social data with other environmental and economic inputs, and putting ‘people and their perspectives centrally in the picture’.

Any additional thoughts?

The establishment of the SIA Community of Practice by the EIANZ has provided much needed recognition of the role that social science can play in the environmental sector.  Legal precedent and other recent events have also facilitated greater consideration of SIA and its role in Impact Assessment.  At present, I am working with a terrific group of SIA practitioners from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to develop a specialist certification for SIA – the first social certification of its kind internationally. It’s an exciting time to be a social practitioner in Australia.

Cassandra Wadrop

Cassandra started with the EIANZ as a student member in 2015 and became an associate member in 2018. Cassandra is an Environment and Sustainability Consultant, dually working in the construction and environmental regulation sectors: "The environment side of my role allows me to address the ‘now’, while my sustainability role allows me to focus on the ‘future’".

What inspired you to pursue a career in the environment sector?

Like many in the field, I chose a career in environment with the purpose of making a positive difference for the environment. As my career has progressed my inspiration has evolved, with a focus on leaving a legacy. This has guided the roles I have taken and the projects I work on giving me the opportunity to create positive change and influence for the environment.

What do you find most rewarding about a career in the environment sector?

The opportunity to educate colleagues, clients and the wider industry is a driving passion. As a single person, the impact I have is limited, however if I can inspire others to create positive change for the environment, then that impact is magnified infinitely. I am also dedicated to mentoring early career professionals, to develop the environmental advocates and leaders of the future.

What has been a challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

The biggest and most consistent challenge I face in my career is making sure environment is considered a priority on the projects I work on and that environment is ‘on the table’. The key strategies I use to tackle this challenge is communication and education. This includes developing meaningful relationships with team and project members and making sure I am present and in the room for decision making. The increasing societal expectations around environment and climate change has growing momentum which is making this challenge easier to address.

EIANZ Membership

No matter what your experience, professional recognition and support can be exceptionally valuable when dealing with the complexities of environmental practice. As an EIANZ member, you are part of a supportive, professional community contributing to the development and implementation of good practice environmental management by government, industry and the community.

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