Balancing Mega-Project Ambition With Community Reality

Anna is an Associate Professor in the School of Management at Queensland University of Technology. Her passion lies in helping project leaders and decision-makers navigate uncertainty and competing tensions without being forced into binary choices. She develops practical approaches that strengthen organisational learning in project-based organisations, enabling teams to learn more effectively from past projects and improve project performance.

Anna delivered high-impact webinars on project-based learning and managing ambiguities in projects. Her research in these areas has directly influenced project management training and practice. Her work is also embedded into teaching project management units in the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at QUT.

Anna has successfully led a range of externally funded projects. These projects have produced practical outputs for organisations including a process model for innovation adoption in mining, training manual to help project managers manage ambiguities in their projects, and a catalogue of learning mechanisms to enhance project learning. Anna proudly serves the project management community. As a member of the Editorial Board of the Project Management Journal, Anna provides expertise and insights on emerging trends and topics in project management. She also offers mentorship and guidance to several PhD students and early career academics. Anna has published over 50 articles in journals and conference proceedings across various disciplines, including organisational learning, paradox management, project management, and innovation adoption.

Tania Orr is the Group Executive, City Planning and Economic Development Services at Brisbane City Council, where she leads the teams responsible for shaping Brisbane’s future through city planning, development assessment and economic development.  
 
In this role, Tania provides strategic leadership to integrate urban growth with economic opportunity and is playing a key role in leading host city readiness for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, helping position the city for a successful and enduring Games legacy. 
 
With more than 20 years’ experience across local and state government in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, Tania has led complex portfolios spanning transport, infrastructure, planning, property and major projects. Prior to her current role, she led Council’s Infrastructure Services and Transport Planning and Operations functions. 
 
Her career highlights include leading one of Australia’s largest infrastructure programs to develop and operationalise a new fast rail network for regional NSW (valued at more than $100 billion), delivering a 10-year $65 billion asset strategy for the regional road’s portfolio, and negotiating complex commercial property arrangements exceeding $600 million for the Victorian Government. Since joining Brisbane City Council in 2022, she has led key city-shaping initiatives including Race to Gold — Brisbane’s Games Transport Legacy, the Story Bridge Restoration Program and the Smarter Suburban Corridors Program. 
 
Tania holds a Senior Executive MBA from Melbourne Business School and is a Certified Associate in Asset Management (Engineers Australia).

Mick Allen is a senior executive with more than 25 years’ experience leading complex, place-based infrastructure, regulatory reform, and regional economic development programs across Queensland. Known for aligning diverse stakeholders and breaking through systemic silos, Mick specialises in navigating the strategic tensions that define mega-program delivery—balancing immediate operational pressures with long-term community, economic, and social legacy.

Across roles spanning statewide building regulation, digital infrastructure, manufacturing industry development, environmental compliance and regional service delivery, Mick has consistently delivered outcomes where governance, risk, and community expectations intersect. As Executive Director of Regional Services at the QBCC, he integrated eight regional offices, uplifted workforce capability, and strengthened governance frameworks while managing disaster responses across 34 LGAs—demonstrating the ability to orchestrate large, distributed systems under immovable time pressures. His earlier work designing and delivering the MHGP grants program generated more than $153 million in economic value to the Qld economy which also protected/created over 1,100 jobs, while his leadership at NBN Co secured and delivered more than $6 million to transition remote communities from satellite to fibre infrastructure—examples of aligning investment, capability, and long-term regional benefit.

Mick is recognised for his ability to respectfully work with First Nations partners, industry, local government, and community stakeholders to co-design solutions that balance “world-class” ambition with local relevance. His leadership approach centres on strategic influence, relational intelligence, and values-led decision-making—ensuring that infrastructure, regulatory systems, and digital capability uplift deliver enduring community outcomes well beyond the immediate program horizon.

He holds an MBA from Griffith University and has formal qualifications in Urban and Regional Planning and Environmental Engineering, and has been acknowledged through multiple government and industry awards for leadership, innovation, and community

Jean Stuart is a seasoned supply chain professional with over 15 years of experience spanning planning, supplier management, contract negotiation, inventory optimisation, and logistics across the mining, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture sectors. Currently working with an ASX 100 company, she leads strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing efficiency and operational performance.

Jean has successfully driven Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) initiatives that strengthen cross-functional alignment, enable data-informed decision-making, and improve supply chain resilience. Renowned for her ability to build strong supplier and stakeholder relationships, she delivers practical solutions that support continuous improvement and create long-term value.

A committed advocate for gender equity and workplace inclusion, Jean actively promotes diverse perspectives in decision-making processes to foster more inclusive and effective outcomes.