Louis Penny

Background

About Louis Penny

I am passionate about building, supporting, and strengthening communities through development. Whether this is in the form of engaging with stakeholders in relation to large-scale infrastructure projects; working with clients to quantify and manage the social and human rights risks and impacts of a prospective mining venture in south-east Asia; or working with the local community to craft benefit sharing initiatives for renewable energy developments in regional Australia; I see development as valuable opportunity to positively shape communities. Working for over 15 years as a town planner and social performance consultant, I have been able to gain a broad perspective and understanding of what development means in the context of community. I have been able to work in multiple states and countries, in a range of differing competencies, and across a wide variety of industry sectors, including property, infrastructure, resources (mining and LNG), and renewables (solar, wind, and battery storage). Whilst each of these sectors is unique and comes with its own set of challenges, I view these challenges as great motivators to arrive a mutually beneficial outcomes for both clients and the community. I am driven to help clients navigate complex approvals pathways and find innovative solutions to stakeholder concerns and project impacts, combining sound technical advice with a firm knowledge and understanding of legislation and policy. I lead and coordinate multi-disciplinary teams for a range of developments, including retail, residential, or industrial ventures, large-scale infrastructure projects, and renewable energy endeavours. My career thus far has given me experience in the core technical areas of Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIA), stakeholder engagement, social-economic baselines, shared value / benefit sharing initiative development, project auditing and due diligence reviews against international policies, standards and guidelines (e.g. IFC Performance Standards, ILO Fundamental Conventions, and the Equator Principles), Social Impact Management Plans (SIMP), Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), land use planning, permits/approvals management, and post-approval condition compliance.