We’re here to collaborate with you to co-design strategies for your community.
At Cobalt Engagement, we believe that for our collective plans, programs and infrastructure to succeed it is critical for the work to be place-based and community-led.
Our experienced team is from diverse backgrounds in the built environment, planning, community development and the arts, bringing a deep understanding and respect and empathy for the range of issues, considerations and opportunities that are encountered.
We bring a wealth of complementary experiences that we harness to ensure that our engagement and strategies are accessible, inclusive and mindful of a range of different lived experiences.
Planner-led engagement
Our Director, Nicole Dennis, brings 20 years’ experience in strategic and statutory planning, placemaking and engagement. Her expertise ensures that community insights inform real planning and design outcomes. We help you create real value and meaningful change grounded in an understanding of the planning process.
Collaborative, creative, contextual
Every place and community is different. We design creative engagement processes often working with artists, that reflect the unique character and needs of each community. We listen to what is important to communities, and help identify where communities and decision makers can work together to create impact and lasting benefits.
Accessible and inclusive
Our methods are designed to reach beyond the usual voices — engaging young people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and people often left out of traditional consultation. We partner with those with lived experience to better inform our approach and know when it is time to get out of the way.
OUR TEAM
Nicole brings 20 years of experience across community engagement, strategic planning, placemaking, and resilience and adaptation planning. Over the course of her career, she developed a deep understanding of the gaps that often exist between formal consultation processes and the lived experiences of regional and marginalised communities, and a conviction that better engagement could close them.
That recognition led Nicole to found Cobalt Engagement, a consultancy built on the belief that trust is the foundation of meaningful participation. Her approach starts from the ground up: designing bespoke engagement strategies that genuinely reflect community voices while producing the clear, actionable insights that decision-makers need.
As an experienced urban and regional planner, Nicole has designed and delivered strategic plans and engagement programs across government and development contexts. Her work brings together meaningful public participation, transparent knowledge sharing, and targeted stakeholder conversations to navigate complex planning challenges, with outcomes that matter to both communities and the people responsible for shaping them.
Nicole Dennis
Founder and Director
James Peter Brown
Creative Director
James is a composer and sound designer and Creative Director of Cobalt Engagement. He oversees the creative direction of the company and works to integrate artists and creatives into engagement, co-design and producing artistic activations that support increasing resilience, engagement and collaboration.
He has been a practicing independent artist for over 20 years and brings considerable experience to working across theatre, film, dance, VR, performance and installations.
He works with a wide variety of independent artists, main stage arts organisations, and creatives to create scores and soundscapes closely with artists across formats.
Throughout James’ extensive professional experience, he has nurtured a wide range of creative endeavours, both in Australia and overseas, including several high-profile collaborations and significant artistic partnerships.
Each of these demonstrate his increasing demand, adeptness and responsiveness to the creative work.
Place-based knowledge is often the richest evidence a community holds, and the least legible to the systems asking for proof of impact. As Adaptation Planning and Engagement Manager at Cobalt Engagement Gemma designs and deliver engagement processes that help communities and governments articulate where they are, where they want to be, and how to track progress in terms meaningful to them.
This involves identifying what evidence communities already hold, what they still need, and how local knowledge can be translated into forms useful for planning and accountability. Across her work, Gemma has found that how we measure and communicate impact is never just a technical question, but shapes whether participants can trust the process, and ultimately whether the work holds beyond the project itself.
Gemma lives in Bega Valley Shire and has worked for several regional local governments across Australia.
Gemma Edwards
Adaptation Planning and Engagement Manager
Laura Hartley
Digital Production Lead, Engagement Manager
Laura is the Digital Production Lead and Engagement Manager. Building on nearly two decades of experience as a documentary producer, she is an expert in communications and visual storytelling. Highly skilled in research, stakeholder liaison, and building trust with diverse communities, she brings a people and place approach to all her projects, ensuring communities and stakeholders feel valued and heard.
In her role, she leads all media production services, helps design bespoke engagement activations, hosts engagements, and translates outcome data into insightful, easy to read reports. She also has valued experience working with vulnerable communities and navigating cultural sensitivities.
Morgan Hannan
Resilience, Design and Engagement
Morgan is an urban and regional planner and designer with a background in research, design, community development and social data management.
He has worked with and within government agencies, local community organisations and the private sector in regional, Western Sydney and urban settings.
He is passionate about creating just and equitable communities and projects that amplify agents for change and capacity development.
Mia Stevens
Sustainability and Engagement Assistant
Mia Stevens is a recent graduate of the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Sustainable Communities and supports the organisation and facilitation of our in-person and online engagement activities and community building.
Mia’s well developed interpersonal skills help communities and stakeholders feel comfortable and welcome at our engagements. She supports the team in analysing engagement outcomes, report writing, insight development and communications.
Her passion for people and communities shines through will her care for how she looks after individuals to support our clients to build strong long term relationships.
