Liesl Codrington | Director
MEnvPl, BA (Human Geography & Demography), MPIA, MEIANZ, MSIMNA
Liesl Codrington is the Founder and Director of Vaere Social, a values-led practice dedicated to embedding social equity, inclusion, and climate-aware thinking into planning, policy, and infrastructure.
With more than 20 years’ experience spanning government, consulting, and independent practice, Liesl is a systems thinker and strategist with a rare ability to translate complexity into clear, practical solutions. She partners with governments, industry, and communities to shape projects and reforms that balance climate resilience, social equity, and long-term liveability. Known for her clarity of insight and grounded approach, she builds trust in politically and socially sensitive contexts and ensures outcomes are both technically sound and socially meaningful.
Her work has taken her across Australia — from metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne to regional NSW, South Australia, the Victorian alpine region, and Brisbane. She has led and contributed to projects in infrastructure, housing, energy transition, education, health, and transport. Signature projects include the Snowy Mountains and Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precincts, Mirvac’s Harbourside redevelopment, and Ginninderry, alongside dozens of social impact assessments, regional strategies, and planning reforms.
Over her career, Liesl has also contributed to national reform agendas, including the design of Australia’s inaugural climate disclosure stakeholder engagement strategy (AASB), renewable energy portfolio reviews with ARENA, and planning reform for the ACT Government. She has held senior leadership roles across government and consulting.
Her particular expertise lies in the intersection of social and environmental sustainability — spanning social impact assessment, social infrastructure planning, stakeholder engagement, and social value frameworks. With a strong focus on regional and climate-affected communities, she integrates social equity with climate resilience to shape strategies that are both people-centred and environmentally grounded. By bridging lived experience with systems thinking, she ensures outcomes reflect how communities actually live today, while building resilience for the future.
Liesl is a skilled communicator and a perceptive listener, known for her ability to translate complexity into clear, accessible language. She brings empathy, authenticity, and insight to every collaboration — building trust with stakeholders across government, industry, and community. Her people-first approach underpins her leadership in socially and environmentally sustainable planning, ensuring strategies are not only technically robust but also grounded in the realities of how people live and what they need to thrive.
“We shape places for people; and that means thinking beyond short-term fixes. Planning has to hold up over time — socially, environmentally, and politically — and that starts by putting people at the heart”