With a professional team of over 40 staff, Elton Consulting has a reputation for the rigorous and ethical approach it adopts towards its projects, and for working in co-operation with clients to achieve practical and effective results.

Directors

Brian Elton is one of Australia’s most highly regarded social planners, strategic advisers, facilitators and engagement specialists. He has played a crucial role in mediating diverse interests and conflicts on some the nation’s most challenging projects. He is sought after regularly by the most senior levels of government and industry to provide strategic advice, drive consultation processes and assist with organisational change. Prior to creating Elton Consulting, Brian held senior planning positions in both the UK and Australia and is a former General Manager of the NSW Department of Housing.

James Evans has 30 years international experience of community engagement and capacity building. He has a history of innovation, being the founder of number of local employment and enterprise development organisations, including a business enterprise centre in Sydney and the microcredit organisation First Business Finance. He co-authored and managed the production of the award winning Community Engagement in the NSW Planning System website and handbook. He is an experienced project manager whose work has included delivering Elton's input to major projects such as the NSW State Plan, Metropolitan Water Plan, infrastructure projects, and the range of services required to plan for new communities.

Peter Cranko is a management and research consultant with a focus on social policy, urban and organisational issues. He has worked extensively in human services and local, state and federal government sectors on large and small reform and strategy projects.

He works with organisations to consult their stakeholders and customers, review their current performance and develop new strategies. Peter has extensive experience designing complex engagement and research processes, and developing organisation and service delivery arrangements to help organisations resolve complex policy issues and translate them into practical implementation frameworks.

His experience includes working as a management consultant in Deloitte, and as a senior executive service level public servant in Premiers Departments in both NSW and South Africa. He has an M.Sc. planning and public policy degree.

General Manager

Kim Anson has recently joined Elton Consulting in the new role as General Manager. Kim has had an extensive career in executive management, principally in local government in NSW. Kim has an in depth knowledge of the local government sector, having spent 18 years in senior positions including the last 8 years as General Manager of Waverley Council and then Marrickville Council. Kim’s local govt, strategic planning and business management expertise will be integral to Elton Consulting’s strategic direction.

In addition to her extensive career in the local government sector, Kim has held several state government roles including a senior position in housing policy as Executive Director, Policy and Strategy for the NSW Department of Housing. Earlier in her career, Kim worked in indigenous community development in the inner city of Sydney and in the Northern Territory, where she managed an Aboriginal Community Council and an Aboriginal owned enterprise.

Associate Directors

Brendan Blakeley has extensive expertise in the organisation, facilitation and recording and reporting of community engagement processes. He has a background in working with people with disability and in the areas of aged care and mental health. Brendan has spent a number of years working in rural and regional Australia and has a particular interest in the issues facing these communities. Since joining Elton Consulting in 2001 he has assisted in evaluations of government programs and managed numerous consultations focused on strategic and urban planning and community development projects.

Kim Houghton is an economist with a passion for small business and an accomplished communicator. Kim has a deep interest in small businesses and small communities, having written a book in 1997 on the importance of small businesses in regional economies called Jobs in Our Regions:  Building on the Small Business Base. Kim has expertise in creating and running programs that support the growth of micro and home-based businesses and is particularly passionate about the new growth areas in the economy – business services, personal services and ‘the experience economy’. Prior to establishing Strategic Economic Solutions in 1997, Kim worked at the Australian National University in Pacific economic relations, and in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Kim is well known for presentations and workshops which are entertaining as well as informative, drawing on Kim’s experience as researcher with a PhD in Economics, his own entrepreneurial experiments, his background in community mediation and his reputation as a performance poet.

Chris Manning specialises in social policy, community development and housing. She holds an honours degree in Social Studies and a Masters in Environmental Planning, and has held a number of senior positions in the public sector, responsible for the development, management and funding of a range of housing and community services programs. She has extensive experience in human services and community facilities planning.

Trish Oakley has been providing strategic communications and issues management advice to public sector, corporate and non-government clients since 1999.  Prior to establishing a well-recognised consultancy, Trish was Chief of Staff of the Deputy Premier’s office and managed policy development, media and political strategy in the portfolios of Health, Urban Affairs and Planning, Housing and Aboriginal Affairs. From 1979 to 1990, Trish was a journalist with the ABC, working in radio and television, both news and current affairs. 

Jenny Rudolph joined Elton Consulting in late 2009 as an Associate Director leading our growing statutory and strategic planning practice, particularly in Sydney and Darwin.

Jenny has extensive experience in strategic planning and policy, social development, project management and facilitation, master planning and residential development, having worked for over 19 years in both the public/government and private sector. Jenny’s strategic and statutory planning experiences in Australia and South Africa include managing, planning and implementing large projects in the planning and development phase, as well as developing planning policies for government.

Prior to joining Elton Consulting, Jenny worked in a range of senior planning roles for the NSW Department of Planning and Landcom. Jenny served as state manager and national planning manager at MacroPlan and has also run and managed her own consultancy business.

Manager - South Australia

Simone Fogarty has recently joined Elton Consulting to manage our new practice in South Australia. Simone Fogarty is an urban and environmental planner with over 21 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Specialising in strategic urban planning, statutory policy planning and major project approvals, Simone is highly regarded for her ability to navigate Government and public processes to deliver quality results.

Simone has worked for a number of large consulting firms based in SA and WA and has a very strong appreciation of infrastructure planning, the mining industry and project approvals. In addition, she has a strong network of contacts in State and Local Government developed through her previous role as Director, Policy in the South Australian state planning department. As Director, she worked with Local Government to introduce a successful major reform program to improve the rezoning processes in SA.

Associates

Michelle Feenan is an Associate in Queensland taking a lead role in our extensive Australia wide engagement practice. Michelle Feenan is a community engagement specialist who has ten years experience facilitating workshops, forums and other strategic planning sessions across Queensland and the Northern Territory. Recent projects include designing and facilitating training programs for the Local Government Association of Queensland, stakeholder workshops for the review of the controversial Endeavour Park Sporting Precinct Master Plan, Cairns Regional Council and community consultation and stakeholder management for the relocation of Amberley State School, Queensland. Michelle has also conducted numerous research projects, investigating Community Development Issues as part of the North West Development Initiative. She has worked at a management level in the public service in NSW and Queensland including the Queensland Department of Family Services & Aboriginal & Islander Affairs. Michelle also held a management role in local government at Thuringowa City Council.

Jane Jose joined Elton Consulting, following three years with the City of Sydney as Senior Strategist with responsibility for writing the Local Action Plans and editing the final Sustainable Sydney 2030 Vision. Jane is a specialist in strategy, business development, communications, community engagement and facilitation. Her work is focused in the areas of urban, community and cultural development. Jane is skilled in writing tenders, corporate plans and vision documents. A former Deputy Lord Mayor of Adelaide and member of the Central Sydney Planning Commission, Jane has worked extensively with local government in SA and NSW. She has more than 20 years experience as a decision maker and with providing high level strategic advice to corporate and government clients across Australia. In addition to her work with Elton Consulting, Jane continues to mentor in leadership programs for women, as well as for the Institute for Aboriginal Development Press. She also serves on the boards of Belvoir Street Theatre Limited, The Australian String Quartet and Object: Centre for Australian Craft and Design.

Our newest team members

Ross Minett has recently joined our team as Manager of our Darwin practice. Ross has extensive experience in Statutory Planning and property development predominantly in Western Australia. His planning career has taken him from Ministry for Planning (WA) to City of Stirling as well as the City of Fremantle, culminating in owning and managing his own planning practice in Perth TPC URBAN, The Planning Coordinators Town Planning & Development Consultancy. His consultancy specialised in statutory planning projects, community mediation and consultation, property development and research.

Ross' recent experience has been working in Canada on a research project for the University of Saskatchewan. Called Smart Cities Healthy Kids, Ross worked as an urban planning consultant conducting field research and detailed policy analysis to investigate whether or not the City of Saskatoon, through its planning processes, was building a city that allowed for active physical lifestyles for children.

Ross holds a Bachelor of Arts (Urban and Regional Planning) from Curtin University of Technology WA and is a Certified Practicing Planner (CPP) with the Planning Institute of Australia.

Marion Lourens has recently joined our team as a Senior Planner in our Darwin practice. Marion has extensive experience in local government and private sector statutory and strategic planning in Australia and the UK. Previous roles in Queensland have been with Mackay City Council and Department of Natural Resources and Water. In NSW, her previous roles have been with Insite Planning Engineering Economic and Social, Harpers Somers, and the City Councils of Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, Campbelltown and Shellharbour.

She is a Certified Practicing Planner and holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from University of New England Armidale.

Project Managers
(Senior Consultants and Principal Consultants)

Clare Crawford	MPhil - Intellectual History and Political Thought, University of Cambridge; BA (Hons 1) - History of Ideas, University of Sydney
Vicky Critchley	Masters of Environmental Science, Yale University; Masters of Environmental Law, Macquarie University; Graduate Diploma - Environmental Studies and Urban Planning, Macquarie University; Bachelor of Science, University of Sydney
Lisa Giacomelli	Bachelor of Laws, Macquarie University; Bachelor of Social Science (Youth Work), University of Western Sydney, Macarthur; Certificate IV in Assessment and Training, Western Sydney Institute of TAFE
Tony Gilmour	MA History, University of Cambridge; MBA Business for University of Manchester; MA Architectural History, University of Sydney; PhD Urban Planning, University of Sydney
Lucy Greig (Melbourne)	Bachelor of Social Science and Policy in Social Science and Political Science (Honours), University of New South Wales; Diploma in Arts in Design, National Art School – East Sydney Technical College
Elaine Holmes	BA Environmental Zoology and Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin; Masters in Regional and Urban Planning, University College Dublin; BA (Ord.) Legal Studies, Dublin Institute of Technology; Member, Royal Town Planning Institute
Dianne Knott	BA Honours (First Class), Communication, University of Technology, Sydney; Candidate in Masters of Management, Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Katherine Martin	Bachelor of Arts (Communications), University of Technology, Sydney
Ross Minett	Bachelor of Arts (Urban and Regional Planning), Curtin University of Technology, WA; Certified Practicing Planner (CPP), Planning Institute of Australia
Deborah Palmer	Barrister and solicitor in South Australia and New South Wales; Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice College of Law, Sydney; Bachelor of Law (Honours), University of Adelaide; Bachelor of Management majoring in Labour Relations (Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management), University of South Australia
Steve Rossiter	Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of New South Wales, Majoring in Psychology and History; Graduate Diploma in Education, University of Sydney; Masters of Science in Community and Regional Planning, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture
Fiona van der Hoeven	Bachelor of Arts (Geography) Hons, Flinders University of South Australia; Masters Town Planning, University of Tasmania
Jenny Vozoff	Masters of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales; Bachelor of Arts - Sociology and Economics, Macquarie University
Simon Watts	Master of Policy Studies, University of New South Wales; Bachelor of Social Work (Hons), University of Sydney; Bachelor of Arts, University of New England; Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors
Oliver Young	Masters of Teaching, University of Sydney; Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Government, Economics, University of Sydney