Seaforth’s Dr Sarah Hill has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours, recognising her significant service to public administration, urban planning, and public policy across a distinguished career that has helped shape Greater Sydney and beyond.
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The appointment recognises Dr Hill’s influential career spanning government leadership, strategic planning, and community service—a journey that has taken her from local councils in London to the highest levels of NSW public administration, and now to international projects in Saudi Arabia.
Dr Hill is currently serving as Executive Project Director at the Public Investment Fund in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a position she has held since 2023. Her work has spanned multiple NSW Government agencies responsible for Sydney’s urban development.
Shaping Greater Sydney’s Future
Between 2016 and 2020, Dr Hill served as Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Sydney Commission, the organisation responsible for developing and implementing the strategic vision for Greater Sydney. From 2019 to 2020, she also held the role of Deputy Secretary for Strategic Directions and Integration at the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
These roles involved oversight of Sydney’s strategic planning during a period of urban development.
Leading Western Sydney’s Development
From 2020 to 2023, Dr Hill led the Western Parkland City Authority, now known as the Bradfield Development Authority, which was established to guide the coordinated development of Western Sydney. During this period, she simultaneously served as Deputy Secretary at NSW Treasury from 2020 to 2021, and chaired the Western Sydney Transport Infrastructure Panel from 2022 to 2023.
Broad Expertise and International Experience
Dr Hill’s expertise has been sought across numerous advisory and governance roles. She served as Director of the NSW Building Professionals Board from 2013 to 2016, and was a member of the NSW Government’s Affordable Housing Taskforce in 2012.
Dr Hill also ran HillDPA Consulting from 2006 to 2016. Her international experience includes work on the 2012 London Olympics, where she served as Principal Planner for the Joint Planning Authorities Team from 2003 to 2004. She subsequently served as Head of Major Development Assessments for the London Borough of Hackney from 2004 to 2005.
Professional Recognition and Community Service
The Planning Institute of Australia appointed Dr Hill as a Fellow in 2016. She had previously served as President of the organisation’s NSW Division from 2013 to 2015.
She currently holds an adjunct professorship at the University of Technology Sydney and formerly chaired the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building Industry Advisory Board, positions associated with the university since 2015. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women, an organisation she joined in 2022.
A Lifelong Commitment to Rowing
Beyond her professional achievements, Dr Hill has maintained a deep and longstanding commitment to rowing, having been a member of the rowing community since 1994. Rowing NSW CEO Melissa Ashton-Garard praised Dr Hill as a committed competitor who has represented NSW over many years, first as a senior athlete and later as part of the NSW Masters team.
Dr Hill served as a Director of Rowing NSW from 2015 to 2023, an eight-year tenure during which she brought valuable governmental and planning expertise to the organisation. Ashton-Garard noted that Dr Hill’s experience across government and planning provided an important perspective to Rowing NSW during her directorship, and expressed delight at seeing her contribution recognised through the Australia Day honour.
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Dr Hill was among 30 northern Sydney residents recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours. The honours list included 160 appointments as Members of the Order of Australia across the country.
Published 30-January-2026
