It is with deep sadness, and great respect and admiration, that we pay tribute to Susan Love who passed away on 7 September 2025.
Susan Love was a remarkable person. She was a pioneer in the community engagement practice as it emerged as a profession in Australia and led the early growth of IAP2 at a critical time. Susan held IAP2 membership as early as 1994 and we know that in 1996 there were just ten members based in Australia. Susan’s involvement with IAP2, along with others in Australia, had predated those pioneers that we might currently recognise becoming aware of the organisation.
When people were starting to realise that more than public relations was needed to successfully deliver critical infrastructure, Susan was already transforming Sydney Water’s approach and working with engineers to cut through the engineering and project management assumptions that “they knew best, and the community shouldn’t get in the way”.
Susan’s position at Sydney Water and at the helm of IAP2 gave gravitas to this fledgling profession and professional organisation in Australia.
She was fun company and a true friend and leader to the team of engagement practitioners who were building the professional association. It was Susan, as President of IAP2 Australasia who oversaw the period when members wanted an Australasian model for IAP2 and it was Susan, who led the discussion to develop a special model for the first IAP2 Affiliate outside North America. She was instrumental in establishing IAP2’s presence in Australasia and in shaping the stakeholder engagement profession we know today.
Highlights of Susan’s achievements for IAP2 included:
- Leading the creation of an Australasian affiliate model, initially approved as a two-year trial.
- Achieving the agreement to hold an IAP2 International Conference in Australia. The conference was held in 2005 and attracted 236 participants.
- Raising funds, mostly through that conference, to employ the Australasian Affiliate’s first paid part-time staff member. The committee’s objective was to secure a paid resource to generate more events, allowing the membership to get together and share ideas and lessons about our emerging practice.
For Susan, her personal highlights were offered in a speech she made 10 years on from the start of the Australasian Affiliate of IAP2. In 2008, Susan reflected that her highlights as Chairperson included fun and friendship, overseas conferences, planning and holding the Sydney conference and events, and strategic planning days.
Susan retrained in public relations in the late 1990s when she worked for local government at Ku-ring-gai Council from around 1987-1991. She then worked at Sydney Water from 1992 – 2004, afterwards continuing with a number of contracts including with Thiess, John Holland and Lend Lease until she retired in 2008.
At Sydney Water, Susan demonstrated exceptional vision and strategic acumen to embed community engagement into the organisation. During her tenure there, she was responsible for shifting the culture to have the voices of the community heard and valued in major projects. Under her leadership and guidance, Sydney Water not only met but exceeded industry standards, setting new benchmarks for excellence. Most importantly, there were many emerging engagement professionals who sought her mentorship and guidance at the start of their careers – and she willingly gave her time and support.
Many tributes from colleagues have been collected and just some examples below will give you a sense of the colleague we respected and loved.
“Susan Love was a remarkable professional and person. She pioneered many of the community and stakeholder management approaches that are commonplace today. She achieved this in a very strong engineering culture requiring patience, determination and a dose of stubbornness.”
“She was firm, determined and matter-of-fact, and had a gentle humour and persuasiveness that was able to cut through the engineering assumptions that “they knew best”, and the community shouldn’t get in their way.”
“Susan’s joyful approach to people and life was infectious, she was always a friend, a comrade, a supporter. Her savvy meant she could move the agenda along and bring people with her.”
We thank Susan for her vision, insights and persistence; she shaped the engagement profession and practice in Australia and was a much-loved colleague and friend.
This tribute has been written with the input of the engagement professionals that Susan worked with between 2002 and 2005.
