Marina is an award-winning urban planner, internationally known for her expertise in gender equality in urban design and planning. She applies a gender lens to urban strategy, masterplanning, design, real estate development, monitoring, and research. Marina highlights gender equality as a strategic investment and a catalyst for growth. She pioneered the first gender-sensitive urban design and planning principles in the UK, integrating them into development and planning processes as well as the industry handbook ‘Creating Places that Work for Women and Girls’.

Marina is a gender-informed planning and policy specialist who works with local authorities, developers, and real estate investors to support them in delivering social value and advancing ESG goals through gender equality and inclusion initiatives. She previously worked as Principal Planning Policy Lead for the London Legacy Development Corporation, as the UN Women UK Delegate, and as Principal Design Officer for the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation. In 2024, she was named as the Planner Magazine’s ‘Woman of Influence’.