ABOUT US
Diverse and versatile, ‘The Greenshoot Difference’ is felt through all stages of the consultation process. With a vast range of service offerings, we do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, but instead, tailor our engagement to meet each client’s needs.
Over the years we have developed expertise across many domains, including
- complex stakeholder environments
- infrastructure development
- precinct planning
- community engagement
- working with Traditional Owners
- Indigenous knowledge systems
- tertiary education strategy and campus planning
Our Values
Our work is underpinned by values that help us build affinity with stakeholders and communities, ensuring relationships are left stronger and more trusting at the end of our engagement process. To achieve this we anchor in core values that help us work in the background to help our clients succeed.
Our People
Our carefully crafted team is driven by a desire to create practical and impactful solutions that create a benchmark for how things could be in a future where all voices matter. Take the time to find out a little more about what makes us tick.

Theo Gouskos. Managing Director
Theo is a specialist Strategy and Engagement consultant working with clients across a broad range of industries including commercial, government, the not-for-profit and tertiary education sectors. Theo draws on a history of working at senior executive levels to support clients in vision and mission setting, strategy development, strategy activation and evaluation, stakeholder engagement and partnership development to enable social impact at scale. This work is underpinned by creating the space and time to draw on a diversity of community voices and perspectives to achieving organisational objectives in socially complex environments.
A Director on the Board of Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria (IADV), Theo also has extensive experience in working with Traditional Owners to implement community led aspirations on transformational projects, coupled with extensive experience working in remote communities. Theo is Managing Director of Greenshoot Consulting, and in conjunction with Victoria’s only Indigenous registered architect, Jefa Greenaway, has developed a unique fusion of creative, urban and architectural design and Indigenous engagement. This work includes the ability to develop strong cross-cultural project aspirations. The Greenshoot team has strong architectural and creative design qualifications and experience, and brings a comprehensive track record in supporting project teams to foreground Indigenous knowledge and culture into the heart of large scale infrastructure projects.

Jefa Greenaway. Principal Associate
Jefa Greenaway (Waiwan/Kamilaroi) is an Architect, educator, writer, presenter and an advocate for creative problem solving. Jefa routinely operates as the Principal consultant for a range of complex projects, liaising, directing and overseeing the work of a range of stakeholders, including but not limited to clients, municipal councils, engineers, cost planners and as well as suppliers and manufacturers. Jefa is also a co-founding Director of Indigenous Architecture + Design Victoria (IADV) a not-for-profit organisation focussing on strengthening culture and design in the built environment, is the first and only Registered Indigenous architect in Victoria, and co-authored the International Indigenous Design Charter. Jefa has extensive involvement working with and for Indigenous communities in Victoria and beyond and has drawn upon his cultural connections and sensibilities to develop a framework of working with community which eschews the old modes of engagement in favour of advocating a method which ensures meaningful consultation, collaboration and participation, utilising deep listening and design thinking to realise the aspirations of others while acting as a conduit to the process. Jefa has demonstrated his commitment to embedding cultural connectedness within the built environment, through sound stakeholder engagement, culturally appropriate design and a firm professional ethic for clients.

Jeremy Gaden. Principal
Jeremy Gaden has worked in Victoria’s creative sector for the last 25 years, and has a background in venue management, festival coordination, producing, state government and organisational leadership. He has worked for a wide variety of arts organisations, including Melbourne Fringe, National Institute of Circus Arts, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and Melbourne International Arts Festival. Jeremy was Program Manager at Footscray Community Arts Centre, where he oversaw many of the organisation’s large-scale community engagement projects, and the inaugural director of The Substation in Newport, delivering the final stage of a large infrastructure project and establishing its position as a regionally significant contemporary arts centre. Most recently, Jeremy has held the position of Senior Manager, Partnership Programs at Creative Victoria where he oversaw many of the Victorian state government’s creative industries development programs, including those that support economic and social outcomes. Specifically, he was responsible for Creative Victoria’s regional development, Aboriginal, Social Impact, Education, and Contemporary Music programs. In this position Jeremy was also responsible for many intra-government relationships, such as those with Regional Development Victoria and Visit Victoria.

Kirsten Spiridis. Design Strategist
Kirsten joined the Greenshoot team as a design strategist after completing her Masters of Architecture at Monash University. Throughout her studies, Kirsten has developed a practice focussed on human centred design, remote building in sensitive environments and a process predicated on inclusive and collective design. Kirsten has worked in various architecture offices in Melbourne as well as undertaking design studios at international institutions including the Prato Centre, Italy and Ritsumeikan University, Japan. Along with this Kirsten was a co-founder of FORUM a student led volunteer group that engages in community led projects and actively tests the principles of collective design in complex urban environments.

Kiah McCarthy. Consultant
Kiah graduated from the Master of Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne in 2014 and is currently studying the Master of Urban at Cultural Heritage at the Melbourne School of Design. Kiah has worked as a paper conservator on both private and public collection materials and has experience in the management and access of museum, archival and gallery collections. Kiah has also worked on large-scale development and estate planning projects in the tertiary sector, co-creating design outcomes in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. With a particular interest in community engagement and equitable access, particularly in rural and regional communities, Kiah is passionate about finding strategic ways cultural heritage can be leveraged to creatively and sustainably support communities.

Sofia Echesortu. Design Strategist
Sofia is a Design Strategist with a degree in Spatial & Graphic Design and International Business from UNSW Sydney. Within her practice she focuses on building multidisciplinary platforms and engaging in collaborative practice-led methods to facilitate and enable impactful and sustainable change. Her past experience includes design research, strategy and facilitation, visual communication, photography, model making, site analysis, placemaking and public space design. Her experience as a designer spans across a broad range of industries including design and architecture, tertiary education sector and media production. Sofia’s Design Honours research project was developed in collaboration with Finding Infinity’s 2030 City of Melbourne proposal to build sustainable solutions that will drive our cities and our cultures to become self-sufficient. Sofia incorporates her keen interest in sustainability, cultural diversity and community-led initiatives to make meaningful change to our built and natural environments.

Nick Harding. Research Assistant
Nick graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in History) and joined Greenshoot as a research assistant in December 2021. The major focus of his studies was on conflict, colonisation and its impact on the developing world. His experience working with young people in out-of-home care at Mackillop Family Services and with students at one of the University of Melbourne’s residential colleges cemented his commitment to advancing the basic principles of social justice: access; equity; diversity; participation and human rights and these principles underpin his work.

Catriona Bisset. Consultant
Catriona graduated from UNSW Australia in 2014 with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies (Distinction) and is now completing her Master of Architecture at the University of Melbourne. During her studies, Catriona formed a passion for regional, sustainable and socially conscious architecture. She has professional experience with DesignInc Sydney on a range of transport projects, and with Constructive Dialogue on community and socially focused design. Catriona has developed strong skills in research and data analysis and broad experience in stakeholder engagement design. With a deep interest in human behaviour and evidence based decision making, Catriona is committed to applying her broad skill base to support clients in project execution, delivery and insights generation.

Katrina (Mohamed) Johnson. Senior Associate
A proud Gooreng Gooreng woman, Katrina was raised on her traditional lands located along the Burnett River from Cania Gorge to Bundaberg in South-East Queensland, Australia. She is a direct descendant of Granny Betsy, Granny Lexie, Lena Horton and Phyllis Appo.
Katrina lived and worked on Yorta Yorta country in Shepparton, Victoria, for 30 years and is an experienced corporate executive with a demonstrated history of working in Leadership, People and Culture, Organisational Development, Media Relations, Management, Strategy, Business, Engagement and Community Organising. Katrina is a strong consulting professional with a MBA from Melbourne Business School. She was previously Executive Manager of Corporate Services at the Goulburn Valley Community Foundation, and also has a strong communications background, having run KTM Media and Communications for over six years. Katrina is passionate about organisational development and social issues (particularly those facing Aboriginal women), media relations, management, and community organising. Katrina is also a highly skilled journalist with newspaper publishing, editing and newsroom management skills.
Katrina is currently a 2021 Harvard Kennedy School candidate and is currently based in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.

Georgia Nowak. Associate
Georgia is a registered architect and practicing artist who has worked across a diverse range of projects both locally and abroad. Most recently Georgia has been a Teaching Associate at the Monash School of Art, Design and Architecture where she has led multidisciplinary design studios, curated the Annual Design Research Conference exhibition, contributed to academic texts for publication and acted as a student liaison during Covid-19. As an artist Georgia has received numerous grants from places such as the City of Melbourne, Maribyrnong City Council, the National Gallery of Victoria, as well as international institutions. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions both in Australia and internationally with work featuring in the NGV permanent collection.Throughout her career as an architect Georgia has been a part of award winning architecture practices, both in Melbourne and Stockholm where she excelled at the implementation of strategic project visions as well as building long lasting client relationships. Georgia is focused on using design and creative thinking as a tool for social justice and environmental change.

Peter Lawford. Associate Principal Consultant
Peter draws on an extensive working history in the tertiary education sector in senior leadership roles, most recently as a long serving Faculty General Manager for Education at Monash University. With deep subject matter expertise Peter provides comprehensive understanding of the organisational context and strategic drivers, ensuring that data interpretation and insight generation is robust, relevant and impactful. Peter holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters in Business Administration.