FutureNet QLD: The race to Brisbane 2032 and what’s after the finish line

Emma Townsend is designing the building Brisbane will be judged on in 2032. As the project lead for the new Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park, she coordinates design and delivery across the collective team of Cox Architecture, Hassell and Azusa Sekkei, creating a world-class home for AFL, cricket and major events that sets a new bar for accessibility and sustainability, and feels unmistakably like Queensland. For Emma, though, the real test is the legacy the precinct leaves long after the closing ceremony. Let the Games begin.

Recently promoted to Principal at Hassell, Emma has spent more than 20 years across Australia, Asia and the UK turning big ideas into built reality. She calls herself a "design translator": the person in the room who bridges knotty technical problems and the timeless outcomes cities deserve. Her track record includes the multi-award-winning Sydney Metro Northwest, where she went from winning the bid to leading the elevated stations to onsite delivery, along with a key role on Brisbane's Cross River Rail.

Her career has taken a few unexpected turns, including a secondment in Cambodia (a long story, best told over a beer), where she met her wife, Celina. Back home in Brisbane, she's mama to Lucia and Elijah, a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a vocal advocate for career pathways for women in infrastructure.

Her first job? A bakery, aged 14, riding to work at 3.30am. She's been an early starter ever since.

Rajesh Kumar is the Practice Leader for Strategic and Business Consulting at Stantec, bringing extensive experience in the planning and delivery of major infrastructure and mega-event programs. Based in Brisbane, Rajesh has worked on complex projects both in Australia and internationally, including the FIFA 2022 Readiness Program in Qatar, where he supported planning and preparedness activities associated with one of the world's largest sporting events. Drawing on his experience in strategic planning, stakeholder coordination, and infrastructure readiness, Rajesh will share valuable insights into what it takes to prepare a city and its infrastructure for a global event, and the lasting legacy such investments can create.

Stewart Hancock is Project Manager for Arup's Victoria Park Masterplan work and a member of the Arup Queensland Geography Leadership team. Stewart has a passion for transformational projects supporting more resilient public spaces and transport networks, including mass transit, active transport and disaster relief works. He has deep experience leading complex, large scale, multi-discipline projects including across Transport and Sports and Entertainment in Queensland and across the Australasia Region.

Following the collaborative and multidisciplinary work on the Victoria Park Legacy Plan published for public consultation earlier this year, Stewart will speak to the importance of designing for legacy outcomes and ensuring that assets built for events today continue to serve community needs and provide benefits in the decades to come.