The UPco team is made up of all sorts of characters, and every one of them has a story. This time, we’re catching up with UPco Planner, Charlotte Cadman: a bit of a global citizen who brings new perspective (and incredible adventure stories) to the table.

What’s your name and your role at UPco?

Charlotte Cadman, and I’m a Planner in the NSW team based in UPco’s Sydney office.

What do you like most about your job?

I like the rapid pace and variety, but I also enjoy talking to people about their big ideas. What attracted me to planning in the first place is the same reason I stuck with it: the chance to contribute to projects that materialise in the public realm and end up shaping communities – and people’s daily lives.

Sounds like you have a strong people focus – is that right?

That’s true; I think planning can open the door to conversations with people from all walks of life about their own experience of a city or town. Everybody has a personal relationship with their built environment. To be able to meaningfully add to that is truly fulfilling.

What are you currently watching / reading / listening to?

I’m reading Upheaval by Jared Diamond, which looks at how countries around the world have handled and overcome periods of chaos. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying my first ever run-through of Grey’s Anatomy. I’m obsessed and it’s pretty much my comfort show. In a similar vein, my favourite podcast right now is The Checkup, where they interview medical practitioners about their work and research. The best episode for me so far has been with Jesse Eisenberg (the actor from A Real Pain, The Social Network), who donated a kidney, and the doctor who performed his surgery, Dr. Robert Montgomery. They talk about using genetically modified organs for patients needing transplants… and it’s so fascinating!

Hold on – do you think your other calling might be in medicine?

Maybe! I never had an interest until after I graduated Uni when I had to get a knee reconstruction. During the process I met so many doctors who were passionate about their work, it was really eye-opening. I love learning about medicine, but to do it all over again and go back to Uni for 10 years sounds rather daunting! However, I can definitely see myself pursuing something public health related as a master’s degree later on.

You’re full of surprises! Is there anything else we should know?

Well, I was born in Washington DC and lived in 7 countries by the time I was 15! And in total, I’ve been really fortunate to have visited over 40 countries. My mum is an avid traveller with a global career, so I’d often tag along with her on work trips.

Any stand-out places?

If I had to choose, it’d be Brazil, Scotland and French Polynesia! But I’ve loved all my travels, and each place has given me a deeper appreciation of the way people live in and interact with urban environments.

Does that mean your bucket list is travel-related?

Kind of! It’s to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc: a 170km trek across France, Italy and Switzerland. I try to hike every week and push myself with how far I can go. In 2025, I completed the challenging W Trek in Patagonia. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve done, but I’m ready for another one.

Are you good with the wilderness? Would you be on Survivor?

If I had to choose a reality show to be on, it would be Running Wild with Bear Grylls. Definitely not your typical reality show! I love being in nature (the more remote, the better) and Bear Grylls is just such a character. If things got dire, I’d trust him to get us out of it!

You’ve had a few adventures in your lifetime. What has been your greatest?

It’d have to be my journey to Antarctica in 2022. Boarding the boat in Ushuaia, Argentina, we travelled for 2 days via the Drake Passage: notoriously, the world’s roughest journey requiring specialised expedition ships. No joke, I was so seasick. But when we arrived, I climbed to the upper deck and looked out across the land… I genuinely felt we’d reached another planet.

We docked on the ice for the next 6 days, taking inflatable boats out past enormous seals and whales (or sometimes walking with penguins!). To top it off, when we arrived back at Ushuaia, the Argentinian soccer team had just won the World Cup – the energy was electric. We were at Buenos Aires airport when the team landed. You really couldn’t have planned that experience!

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