Team
We are are a multidisciplinary team that thinks outside the box.
We are known for our genuine and dynamic engagement and delivering aspirational yet pragmatic strategies.
John O'Callaghan
Director
John is an urban planner and expert facilitator with a background in placemaking. He is the former Chair of Brand X, a space management company matching independent artists with property and bringing precincts to life. He is also the Editor of Trending City, an online platform capturing great ideas from across the globe and started the PlannerTech column for the Planning Institute of Australia’s New Planner magazine.
John has also co-designed a course and lectures at the University of New South Wales teaching contemporary issues in urbanism. John uses his social media following (of more than 14,000 people across twitter, Instagram and Facebook) to advocate for a more creative and liveable city. He is passionate about positive behaviour change and making our cities more liveable through good planning and innovation.
Jordan Kelly
Manager, Sustainability, Resilience & Social Impact
Jordan is an experienced communications strategist and is passionate about meaningful community engagement that helps build relationships with the community. His work experience has seen him engaging with various communities across Sydney to explore and identify community character, aspirations, and visions. He is accomplished in translating community aspirations into pragmatic and actionable solutions that that deliver better outcomes for the community.
Jordan’s varied experience in the arts and private sector provides a unique perspective on the mutually beneficial relationship between creativity and commercial interests to help build more diverse, thriving communities. He sees the arts and culture as an avenue to building more connected communities and stronger economies.
Jordan is also passionate about empowering young voices through innovative youth engagement that allows big picture thinking about the future.
Ruth Carnac
Manager, Communications and Engagement
Londoner turned Sydneysider, Ruth is passionate about driving change and engaging communities through impactful communications. After completing a BA degree in Politics and Psychology, Ruth started her communications career at the UK’s leading women’s rights lobby group moving on to various NFP’s in London and Sydney before moving into the private sector. She has been delivering integrated marketing and communications programs for the last 15 years.
Over the past decade, Ruth has worked on some of Sydney’s most significant mixed-use developments including the Central Park Precinct, Lachlan’s Line and The Hermitage launching residential and retail offerings, public art programs, student housing and community spaces to the people of Sydney. She was also the lead Communications Consultant driving the comms and social approach for the Kensington Street lifestyle precinct in Chippendale – a major adaptive reuse project that has transformed one of Sydney’s oldest streets into a globally renowned destination.
Ruth has a passion for the arts and bringing communities together through creative activations. Career highlights include managing the PR and social media for the inaugural BEAMS Arts Festival, The Chippendale New World Art Prize and launching the TWT Creative Precinct with a series of block parties and community events.
“JOC Consulting is able to harness other people’s creativity and unite them even if they have varied opinions and ideas.” – Architect
Sophie Stockman
Senior Communications and Engagement Consultant
Sophie brings diverse communications experience to JOC Consulting, having worked across a range of sectors including local government, public relations, environmental services, and community organisations.
Sophie is passionate about bringing the heart of people and places to life through lived experience storytelling. Her background in grassroots community work has shaped her belief in the power of local connections and the importance of community-driven change, which remains at the heart of her approach.
With a background in marketing and brand management, Sophie applies these skills to her work at JOC in placemaking and community engagement. Her experience in engaging diverse audiences, identifying unique insights, and delivering purposeful communications allows her to uncover and effectively share the stories that matter most to communities. Sophie leads engagement projects that capture authentic community input, equipping decision-makers with the insights needed to create spaces that are fit for purpose and leave a lasting legacy for the communities they serve.
Eloise Reddy
Senior Urban and Cultural Planner
Eloise is an urban and cultural planner passionate about embedding culture and creativity into planning. With a background in the arts and music, she is driven by the interplay between culture and place. To Eloise, creative expression in the form of placemaking and public art is a vital component of this process. Her National award-winning thesis ‘Artidote: The Public Art of Healing’ extended this passion, investigating the role of participatory public art in urban planning and healing collective community trauma. She is an advocate for planning outcomes that leverage community knowledge, lived experience, and locally-based solutions.
In her role at JOC, Eloise brings a unique perspective to strategic and cultural planning, arts policy, and community engagement across a range of projects within NSW and beyond. She enjoys drawing international parallels to consider how best-practice can be translated into a local context. With so much change facing the world, Eloise advocates that the role of creative place-based planning has never been more important.
Priya Bhattacharya
Student Community Engagement Officer
Priyanka is dedicated to leveraging technology for impactful business solutions. Her focus on integrating technology with strategic insights aims to enhance operational efficiencies across both corporate and non-profit sectors. With a strong foundation in Business Information Systems and Finance from the University of Sydney, Priyanka champions the inclusion of diverse perspectives in decision-making. She is committed to using digital tools to foster inclusive participation and ensure consulting projects reflect the needs of all stakeholders.
An enthusiast of outdoor activities, Priyanka also explores how public spaces can be designed to be safer and more accessible for our diverse communities. Her passion extends to ensuring these environments support community health, wellness, and sustainable practices.
Mikey Glover
Student Policy Officer
Mikey is a driven and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about creating positive outcomes through consulting. From his studies in both psychology and law, Mikey is interested in the influence of the community and legal policy in delivering progress in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. In particular, he is interested in how town planning navigates (at times competing) factors, including the natural environment, community needs, cultural significance, and economic viability.
He is passionate about adopting an evidence-based and human-centred approach to problem-solving complex issues. Indeed, Mikey values community and taking people on a journey, and seeks to synthesise varied ideas and perspectives into strategies that can unite people in the pursuit of a mutually beneficial course of action.
Mayuko Kubo
Student Community Engagement Officer
Mayuko is a purpose-driven individual who is passionate about driving positive changes within communities. Drawing from her unique academic background in anthropology and marketing, she brings in a human-centred approach to problem-solving.
Having lived in Japan, Singapore, Mexico and Sydney, community building has been an integral part of her personal and professional journey. Recognising the value of place as more than mere physical space, but a place to provide comfort and belonging, Mayuko is dedicated to bringing this vision to life through place-making projects at JOC Consulting. Her passion particularly lies in uplifting and amplifying voices of cultural minority groups, striving to create inclusive and culturally safe environments for all.