This month we spoke with Zahra Panahi, Open Space and Activation Officer, City of Salisbury, about her experience in the Australasian Management Challenge, her role at Salisbury, and some fun facts about her (including being trilingual!).

What is your role and how long have you been in local government?

I’m the Open Space Activations Officer, supporting the design, planning, and delivery of inclusive recreation activities in public spaces, especially along the Little Para River. My focus is on building community connection and wellbeing through events that engage diverse communities. This is my first role in local government, and I’ve been here for 10 months!

You participated in the Local Government Management Challenge this year. After winning the State Challenge your team, ‘CoSmic Council’, represented SA at the Australasian Management Challenge Final earlier this month in Perth. Can you share some reflections from this experience?

It was an incredible experience. I joined just 10 days into my role, not knowing what to expect, but I love a challenge! It fast-tracked my learning about how council works and helped me build strong connections. It pushed me to collaborate with people from different departments under pressure, whom I might not otherwise work with. Listening to each other’s input with an open mind and trusting the process, along with the individual effort we each contributed, made the experience tough but worth every lesson.

What would be your advice to others thinking of participating in the Management Challenge?

Do it - especially if you’re new to local government. Don’t wait for the 'right time', the right time is now! It’s a great professional development opportunity where you’ll learn from mentors, teammates, and peers across councils. Go in with a growth mindset, embrace the pressure (yes, even those 4+ hour meetings :), and enjoy the networking. Aim high but stay focused on learning and building connections.

What’s next for you in your professional development journey?

I’m grateful for the encouragement at City of Salisbury to step outside my comfort zone. I’d love to grow into a leadership role and continue developing community programs that truly connects people. For me, it’s more than sport or events- it’s about creating spaces where people feel they belong. I’m also focused on building my strategic thinking to understand the long-term impact of these programs and the “why” behind what we do, so we can create meaningful and sustainable community outcomes.

Tell us something about you that we don’t know?

I’m a Pilates girly (minus the Matcha craze, haha). I love reading books, especially psychological fiction with a tragic twist - always open to book recommendations :) And I speak three languages!