Meet the leaders making their mark on South Australia’s built environment
This year’s UDIA SA individual and company award winners reflect the people, ideas and initiatives shaping better communities.
Leadership, collaboration and a commitment to stronger communities have been recognised at the Urban Development Institute of Australia South Australia’s (UDIA SA) Awards for Excellence, with four individuals and organisations honoured for their contributions to the industry.
The Women in Leadership Award went to Julie Durand, state general manager of Burbank Homes South Australia, while Villawood Properties development manager Sonja Ponikvar received the Stuart Main Young Professional Award.
Stephen Hains AM was recognised with the Greg Waller Award for his longstanding contribution to the state’s urban development industry, while architecture and design practice Hames Sharley won the Diversity in Development Award.
Together, the winners reflect the breadth of skills and experience involved in shaping South Australia’s built environment, from delivering housing and creating communities to influencing industry policy, developing future leaders and fostering inclusive workplaces.
Building a more inclusive industry
For Julie Durand, winner of the Women in Leadership Award, sponsored by Ekistics, leadership has meant combining commercial performance with a commitment to developing people and strengthening the wider construction sector.
With more than a decade of industry experience, Durand has helped transform Burbank Homes South Australia from a startup operation into a profitable, high-performing business, achieving approximately 400 per cent growth over seven years.
She has steered teams through significant industry disruption, including supply chain challenges, labour shortages and changing market conditions, while building a workplace culture focused on collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
A key part of her approach is creating opportunities for women to succeed in traditionally male-dominated areas of construction, including site management, while mentoring emerging leaders and encouraging ongoing professional development.
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Her contribution extends beyond Burbank Homes. Durand is involved in the UDIA Strategic Governance and Reform Committee, HIA Planning Committee, CITB Residential Sector Committee and ATEC Board, contributing to discussions on planning reform, workforce development and industry capability.
Her recognition highlights the importance of leadership that reaches beyond an individual organisation to influence the future direction of the sector.
Diversity and inclusion are also central to the work of Hames Sharley, winner of the Diversity in Development Award, sponsored by SA Water.
The award recognises organisations that put diversity principles and policies into practice to improve workplace culture, systems and processes, as well as development outcomes.
At Hames Sharley, the approach is underpinned by its vision of enabling communities to flourish. The practice believes diverse teams bring different perspectives to complex challenges, helping produce more innovative solutions and better reflect the communities they serve.
Its Champions for Change initiative brings together people from different studios, disciplines, career stages and lived experiences to inform organisational decision-making.
Measures include enhanced leave provisions and structured support for parents returning to work, flexible transitions and keeping-in-touch days. Extended personal leave also recognises circumstances including menstruation, menopause, miscarriage and pet bereavement.
Women hold 33 per cent of executive leadership positions, 36 per cent of titled leadership roles and half of studio leadership and second-in-command positions nationally.
These initiatives demonstrate how workplace policies, leadership representation and accountability can contribute to a more inclusive industry.
Developing the next generation
For Sonja Ponikvar, the Stuart Main Young Professional Award, sponsored by Finlaysons Lawyers, recognises a career built on curiosity, adaptability and a strong interest in how development can deliver meaningful community outcomes.
Now a development manager with Villawood Properties, Ponikvar took a less conventional route into the sector, beginning in customer service before moving through marketing, sales and project management.
Her experience across these areas gave her an understanding of customer needs, product positioning and market drivers, eventually leading her towards development management.
In 2020, she re-enrolled in a Bachelor of Property before joining the Fort Largs team, and then continuing to build her experience at Villawood Properties through work on the large-scale masterplanned community Oakden Rise.
Ponikvar describes herself as a generalist rather than a specialist, believing collaboration is essential to successful development. Her project experience has contributed to developments recognised at state and national levels, and she received the 2023 Colliers Property Prize for academic achievement.
As chair of the UDIA SA Young Professionals Group, she is also committed to helping emerging industry practitioners broaden their horizons, find their voice and learn from experienced colleagues.
Looking ahead, she hopes to continue developing her project delivery skills, contribute to communities where people want to live and eventually play a greater role in shaping policies that support positive community outcomes.
Recognising a lasting contribution
The Greg Waller Award, sponsored by LGA, was presented to Stephen Hains AM in recognition of his longstanding contribution to South Australia’s urban development industry.
A distinguished public sector leader across state and local government, Hains currently chairs the South Australian Urban Renewal Authority, Renewal SA, and previously served as chief executive of the City of Salisbury.
The award recognises the influence of experienced leaders whose work helps shape the systems, decisions and partnerships behind the state’s development.
From urban renewal and local government to housing delivery and community planning, the sector relies on collaboration between public institutions, private businesses and the communities affected by development.
Hains’ recognition acknowledges the value of sustained public service and leadership in supporting South Australia’s urban future.
Art with a message
Adding another creative dimension to the awards, each of the four categories features an artist-designed award, offering a reminder that successful urban development includes culture, identity, environmental responsibility and the communities that give places meaning.
The works reflect themes ranging from environmental responsibility and connection to Country to experimentation, creativity and individual expression.
For the Stuart Main Young Professional Award, Adelaide-based creative Will Physentzou created 1 of 1. No Reprints., a work that satirises popular culture’s obsession with collectables while pointing to the global climate crisis.
Artist Jessie Masri created the award for Women in Leadership. With more than a decade of experience, Masri’s practice is driven by experimentation and learning new techniques.
The Diversity in Development award features work by Latisha Elphick, a proud Aboriginal woman and contemporary artist who works under the name Talented Tidda. Living and working on Kaurna Country, her artworks bring Aboriginal perspectives and stories into everyday spaces.
The Greg Waller Award features work by illustrator, printmaker and writer Sally Heinrich, whose practice spans picture books, commissioned artworks, exhibitions and creative workshops.
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