Level Crossing Removal Project
Major Transport Infrastructure Authority
Project value: undisclosed
With 18 years' experience working on mega projects, Clare is recognised as a leader in infrastructure advisory, communications, community and stakeholder engagement, First Nations People participation and engagement, and strategy.
Clare empowers infrastructure project teams to navigate complex, ambiguous and sensitive stakeholder environments. She is a trusted advisor and problem-solver across the entire project lifecycle – from feasibility and business case development to Day 1 operations.
She brings a comprehensive knowledge of major transport project community engagement and strategic communications from her extensive work on Metro Tunnel Project (MTP), Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), Regional Rail Link (RRL), Inland Rail and more.
She has proven success in partnering with stakeholders to achieve best for program and best for government outcomes. Uniquely, Clare has worked for all parties – with contractors (CPB), consultants (Jacobs), the rail operator (Metro Trains Melbourne), and with Government directly, so she has a strong appreciation for each player’s interests.
As well as extensive experience on-the-ground directly engaging with impacted and interested stakeholders, communities and First Peoples, Clare is a best practice advisor in social licence for the Victorian Government. Clare sits on the Evaluation Panel for the Victorian State Electricity Commission (SEC) assessing investment proposals against industry best practice guidelines and providing advice to the State to inform investment in large-scale renewable energy projects.
Clare's industry reputation is founded on integrity, collaboration, inclusiveness, hard work, clear thinking and delivery.
Clare provides clients with market leading expertise in:
Communications – Strategic communications and stakeholder engagement outputs that 'cut through the noise' and simplify planning, delivery and interface management. Uses persuasive language that appeals to hearts and minds.
Change management - Plans and executes strategic projects with advanced organisational skills, thriving in high-pressure environments and bringing stakeholders along the journey to achieve change acceptance.
Strategic advisory - Effectively applies experience and knowledge of government, contractor, design and operator to navigate complexity and guide decision-making to effective solutions.
Strategy - proven track record in developing strong project narratives to position a project internally and externally, as well as embed organisational values and behaviours.
Navigating technical complexity - reading and understanding technical scopes, including new and novel solutions such as high capacity signalling, and working with engineers and subject matter experts to extract the needed information and relay this to different audiences in a way that they understand.
Working as part of the Business Strategy Division, Clare collaborated with LXRP teams to understand and document complex strategic issues, priorities and recommended solutions. As well preparing Ministerial and Parliamentary correspondence, Clare supports business cases, cabinet submissions for the Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) and Infrastructure Delivery Committee (IDC), Ministerial correspondence, strategies and reports.
With a reputation for delivering, Clare was further engaged to take on special projects for the LXRP Business Strategy Director and Chief Executive Officer, including industry engagement to highlight LXRP's highly successful model and approach to program alliancing.
Clare was engaged as a best practice advisor to evaluate private sector proposals for different renewable energy solutions against community engagement and benefits sharing industry guidelines. Clare was also involved in assessing Proponents' approaches to building support and partnering with Traditional Owner Corporations and First Peoples, in line with Victoria's Self-Determination Reform Strategy.
Clare provided support and strategic advice to the Strategic Communications Team to establish efficient processes and set the right tone for the project and relationship with the contractors and State Government agencies.
Clare wrote a project narrative detailing year-on-year key program milestones, key messages and themes that will evolve and guide stakeholders over the decade-long project. After five years of project planning, the client reported that this exercise "energised the wider team for project delivery".
Clare completed a strategic review of VHBA's Communications and Engagement Plan highlighting how the Authority and its contractors would engage with the community and stakeholders for the duration of the project.
Clare also helped plan and facilitated collaborative Community Consultative Committee (CCC) meetings and targeted stakeholder workshops, including with First Peoples, to facilitate meaningful feedback from representatives and co-design aspects of the new hospital.
Clare provided advice and collateral to support the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) submission and enable MPC to demonstrate a 'leading' rating. Clare also conducted detailed one-on-one interviews with Community Reference Group (CRG) members and prepared a comprehensive independent report with recommendations to reset and improve CRG engagement for future project packages.
Further, Clare provided strategic guidance to prepare a Technical Appendix to support the Community Chapter of the Environmental Assessment for Stage 2A City to Commonwealth Park.
Clare supported an independent Rail Systems Review, compiling all content into a simplified deliverable to enable targeted engagement with Inland Rail team members.
Clare was seconded to Metro Trains Melbourne's Operations Team for 12 months to coordinate operational readiness deliverables and prepare the rail operator (Metro Trains Melbourne) to operate and maintain the new tunnel when it opens in 2025. During that time, she wrote the Operational Readiness Management Plan and Operational Readiness Implementation Plan for the project.
Clare successfully applied PROSCI's ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement) Model to support change management initiatives. She led multiple Trial Operations deliverables, facilitating input from subject matter experts, including the Trial Operations Management Plan, Command and Control Plan and Trial Operations Strategy. These deliverables enabled the $11b project to meet its Critical Interface Milestones (CIMs) and helped to de-risk Day 1.
Clare created, grew and led a high-performing team of seven communications, engagement and change practitioners. As part of the Project Leadership Team, Clare provided strategic guidance to Project Directors, wrote and oversaw the delivery of the Communications and Stakeholder Management Strategy.
She adopted an innovative approach and challenged business-as-usual, establishing long-term partnerships with RMIT University and an industry challenge team to pressure test the approach to passenger, employee and stakeholder communications.
Clare implemented a range of initiatives to minimise disruptions on rail passengers and on the operational railway during construction. For example, she established long-term passenger services contracts to support successful project delivery, providing cost certainty, stronger project manager and more consistent outcomes for passengers embedding performance targets.
Clare was responsible for all passenger-facing communications materials associated with the project, navigating State Government requirements, and facilitating extensive communications coordination across multiple Project Offices and with State Government Departments and agencies.
Clare was engaged by CPB Contractors as a specialist to resolve a long-standing dispute between local residents, external stakeholders, Local and State Government about vegetation removal on private property.
Clare skilfully implemented a grass-roots engagement campaign to build rapport, respect and trust. She was instrumental in applying the Rail Management Act 1996 (Section 60) for the first time in Victoria's history.
She led all communications and engagement with high impact, high interest property owners. The outcome was that all property owners provided the necessary access to remove the trees, and the project team was able to proceed with civil works during the 40-day Christmas rail occupation, avoiding further significant delays.
Engaged by CPB Contractors, Clare led all communications and engagement for three of the four project regions, overseeing a team of 20 communications practitioners and consultants. She co-wrote the Communications and Stakeholder Management Plan and provided strategic advice to navigate a complex, high-profile project.
Clare led the design, planning and coordination of multiple community events, attended by 2000+ residents over a four-week period. She was also integral to the mobilisation phase of the project, successfully project managing the completion of pre-construction property condition surveys for 2,500 adjacent property owners in a condensed period.
Clare designed and led the engagement for the redevelopment of Clayton Station (on the Victorian State Heritage Register), which included managing the 60-day exhibition period. Clare produced a detailed consultation report to demonstrate that community and stakeholder feedback had been considered and helped shape the design solution, in accordance with State Government requirements.
While employed with Jacobs, Clare was engaged to provide advice to the State in relation to external stakeholder and community engagement planning and response. Clare produced publications and led online stakeholder engagement activities, including internal management and stakeholder coordination.
On the Rowville Rail Study, Clare also managed the public submission process which involved engaging stakeholders, administration, analysis and report writing.
Clare played a leading role in the Communications Team for the Footscray to Deer Park Package. She was pivotal to Bid Team during competitive Target Outturn Cost (TOC) Phase, and then during early works, mobilisation, delivery, and handover and completions.
She established the package-specific Communications Plan, as well as supporting strategies, guides, systems and tools to enable the effective delivery of communications and engagement activities.
Clare delivered all communications activities associated with noise barrier construction; the first time the Victorian Government applied the Rail Infrastructure Noise Policy. She paved the way for all planned noise barriers to be constructed on time, with all residents agreeing to suitable property access.