Our Speakers & Experts
Description
The Hon Matt Kean
Chair
Climate Change Authority
Sue Lloyd
Vice-Chair
International Sustainability Standards Board
Sue Lloyd’s appointment as Vice-Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), effective 1 March 2022, was announced in January 2022.
She served as a member of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) from 2014 and as IASB Vice-Chair from 2016. She also served as Chair of the IFRS Interpretations Committee from 2017.
In addition to her IASB responsibilities, she played a leading role in the establishment of the ISSB from 2020, including as a member of the Technical Readiness Working Group, which was created by the Trustees to give the ISSB a running start.
Prior to becoming an IASB member, Ms Lloyd worked for the IFRS Foundation as a senior technical director, leading the development of new IFRS Accounting Standards, and as director of capital markets with responsibility for the IASB’s reform of accounting for financial instruments. She also worked for the IFRS Foundation from 2002 to 2004 as a technical project manager.
Ms Lloyd has held various positions in investment banking both in the UK and in Australia and has served as a member of the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB). She has a Master’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Dr. Matthew Bell
Group CEO
Anthesis
A career‑long sustainability professional and published scientist, Matthew brings over two decades of private and public sector leadership, advising multinational corporations and governments on sustainability strategy, decarbonisation, reporting, and long‑term value creation.
Dr Saul Griffith
Founder
Rewiring Australia and Rewiring America
Mark McKenna
Global Sustainability Director
Arcadis
Mark is the Global Sustainability Director for Arcadis. He leads Arcadis Global Sustainability, driving the development and implementation of global sustainability programs that deliver on our strategy and purpose: accelerating a planet-positive future and ensuring quality of life for all.
As Chair of the Arcadis Sustainability Management Board, Mark oversees
sustainability performance, reporting to the Group Executive and Supervisory Boards. He also represents Arcadis in global sustainability partner forums, leading key advocacy initiatives in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Climate Group.
A highly respected sustainability expert, Mark brings extensive international and cross-sector experience in sustainability advisory, masterplanning, design, and engineering. With a deep passion for collaboration, he works closely with fellow Arcadians to seamlessly integrate sustainability into client projects, delivering meaningful impact on a global scale.
Ronni Kahn AO
Founder
OzHarvest
Ronni Kahn AO is a social entrepreneur and founder of Australia’s leading food rescue charity, OzHarvest. Ronni is a passionate advocate and activist renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia. She leads with purpose and conviction in the spaces of food security and sustainability while also appearing regularly in national media. Her mission to fight food waste and feed hungry people is supported by some of the world's finest chefs. Ronni is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was named Australian Local Hero of the Year. Her journey is the subject of feature film, Food Fighter directed by Dan Goldberg. In 2020 she co-authored her biography; A Repurposed Life, which was nominated for an ABIA award for Biography Book of the Year.
David Young
Director of Sustainability
Accor
David is the Director of Sustainability for Accor. His role is focused on developing and delivering the Accor Group Sustainability and ESG strategies across its over 400 properties in the region. Carbon Emissions Reduction , Single Use Plastic removal, Food Waste & Sustainability , Eco Certification and Diversity & Inclusion are the key programs David is leading across stakeholders including owners, franchisee’s, government, suppliers and guests. Prior to joining Accor David was the Sustainability Program Director for the oneworld alliance and Executive Manager Sustainability for Qantas . He has extensive aviation and hospitality, loyalty, catering and operations experience in Australia, New Zealand and Asia with Qantas , Air New Zealand and the Journey Group Plc in the UK. His governance experience includes current Board roles with YHA Australia and the Golden Stave Foundation. He is a former Vice President of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Director of Bio Energy Australia and sat on the IATA Sustainability Council and oneworld Environment & Sustainability Boards. Trained as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, David holds post graduate degree’s in Hospitality Management and Commercial Law and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Prof Rod Sims
Chair
The Superpower Institute
Prof Rod Sims is one of Australia’s most influential economic thinkers and policy leaders, with decades at the forefront of competition, regulation, and market reform. As former Chair of the ACCC and now a leading voice on climate and economic policy, Professor Sims is helping redefine how markets respond to environmental risk. In this keynote, he will make a compelling business case for why pricing pollution is essential to driving efficiency, innovation, and long-term profitability. This is a must-see session for executives, investors, and policymakers serious about navigating the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Andrew Petersen
CEO
Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSD Australia)
Andrew is CEO of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSD Australia). He is also a Board Director of the Banksia Foundation, on the Board of Advice of the University of Sydney Business School, and on the Board of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, the national co-regulatory, not-for-profit organisation that partners with government and industry to reduce the harmful impact of packaging on the Australian environment. In 2014 Andrew secured BCSD Australia’s partnership with the world’s largest global CEO-led organisation on business sustainability, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. In 2018 the Natural Capital Coalition named BCSD Australia its Australian Focal Point; and the We Mean Business Coalition (comprising CDP, the Climate Group and WBCSD) welcomed BCSD Australia as its Australian Business Partner. In 2019 Andrew signed up BCSD Australia as the Australian Partner to the BusinessforNature Coalition, calling for action to reverse nature loss and restore the planet's vital natural systems on which economies depend.
Emily Whelan
ESG, Investments
National Reconstruction Fund Corporation
Emily is an Associate Director at the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF), responsible for leading the Fund’s approach to ESG integration across investment activities. In her role, she works to ensure that environmental, social and governance considerations are embedded in both investment due diligence and portfolio management, with a specific focus on identifying material risks and opportunities that can contribute to investment value creation. Emily has deep expertise in ESG and sustainable finance, having previously led ESG Advisory at UBS, where she supported institutional investors on ESG integration.
Emma Forster
Climate Innovation and Sustainable Development Lead
City of Melbourne
Emma Forster is a collaborative leader with a diverse background spanning project
management, marketing and communications across the circular economy, smart
cities, technology and innovation ecosystems. She brings deep experience in
designing and delivering programs that connect content, community and
commerce to drive real-world outcomes.
Having created and executed hundreds of initiatives supporting Melbourne’s startup
and innovation ecosystem, Emma is passionate about open and inclusive innovation
as a way to engage citizens in solving complex challenges. Her expertise includes
stakeholder engagement, human-centred design, open innovation and agile product
ownership, making her a practical and highly engaging speaker at SBLive2026.
Scott Edwards
Sustainability Lead
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia
Scott is the Sustainability Lead for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in Australia. With 15 years' experience in environment and sustainability and over 20 years in FMCG he’s well versed in decarbonising supply chains, packaging circularity and water stewardship. Scott was formerly a chemical engineer out of Sydney University and has successfully blended his technical background and significant industry knowledge to engage everyone from the Board room to customers and those on the factory floor in the CCEP sustainability strategy. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two boys, loves to travel and yes has a house full of Coke paraphernalia.
Sarah McElholum
Environment and Sustainability Manager
Lactalis Australia
Sarah is a dynamic leader in sustainability and ESG strategy with over a decade of experience spanning the retail, food, beverage, and manufacturing sectors. As the Group ESG & Environment Manager at Lactalis Australia, she leads national initiatives in decarbonisation, waste reduction, and circular economy transformation across multiple manufacturing sites. Her work is grounded in both strategic vision and practical implementation, driving measurable impact across complex supply chains. Sarah’s career began at Coles, where she laid the foundation for the Liquor team’s sustainability efforts, and later played a pivotal role in supporting Endeavour Group’s ESG transition during its demerger from Woolworths. One of her most innovative projects was the launch of ReCork, Australia’s first national cork recycling initiative. Sarah holds a Master of Sustainability, a Master of Journalism, and a Bachelor in Climate Science—a rare combination that reflects her ability to communicate complex environmental challenges with clarity and purpose. She’s also known for building robust ESG data systems from the ground up and aligning sustainability frameworks with both regulatory and commercial priorities.
Matthew Nicholas
Director of Sustainability
Tennis Australia
Matthew Nicholas has been with Tennis Australia for over 12 years. Originally a lawyer, Matt is now Director of Sustainability, leading delivery of Tennis Australia’s climate action strategy: “Maximum Play, Minimum Footprint”. Tennis Australia owns and operates the Australian Open, one of four global tennis Grand Slams. The 2026 Australian Open was attended by 1,368,043 fans.
Gordon Noble
Associate Director Membership and Impact
Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)
Kylie Macfarlane
Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer
Insurance Council of Australia
Speaker Bio coming soon
Alex Grant
General Manager of Transport
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
Nishi Vissamraju
Head of Sustainability
NextDC
Nishi Vissamraju is Head of Sustainability at the data centre operator NEXTDC, where she leads the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and shapes its approach to climate risk, water stewardship and operational resilience. She combines strategic advisory experience with operational delivery, having advised Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed clients at Ernst & Young (EY) and Cushman & Wakefield before moving in-house to lead sustainability and environmental functions across major rail and road infrastructure projects at Downer, including its circular economy programmes. Ms Vissamraju’s work sits at the intersection of climate strategy, regulatory disclosure and the practical decarbonisation of high-impact sectors, from infrastructure to data centres. She is increasingly focused on how emerging technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), can accelerate corporate sustainability outcomes. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Melbourne and is an Accredited Sustainability Adviser with the Uptime Institute
Tamara Somers
General Manager, Sustainability & Impact
Xero
Tamara, Xero's Group General Manager of Sustainability and Impact, drives global initiatives to advance Xero's ESG goals, as well as managing reporting on progress towards implementation of the company's sustainability and impact strategies.
Barbara-Anne Bensted
Non-Executive Director
The Asset Institute
Barbara-Anne Bensted is the Non-Executive Director of The Asset Institute. She is recognised as an industry recognised technology influencer with more than 20 years’ experience leading digital transformation programs across Energy, Mining and Government organisations in Australia, USA, Southern Africa, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Barbara-Anne is passionate about the role technology can play in advancing sustainable practices in the public and private sectors. She is a Foundation Board member for WaterStart, a Nevada-Queensland State to State initiative and the Founder of Women in Energy & Water (Qld).
Prior to joining The Asset Institute, Barbara-Anne has held executive positions at KPMG, Origin Energy, Capgemini, Rio Tinto and Energy Queensland.
David Kennedy
CEO
Science Based Targets initiative
David Kennedy is a leader in sustainability and net-zero with a career spanning over three decades working in over thirty countries around the world.
Prior to joining the SBTi as CEO, he was a partner at EY, where he led work on net-zero strategy and planning with over twenty major companies across food, infrastructure, manufacturing and banking.
As Director General of Food, Biosecurity and Trade at the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), David led on food strategy (including net-zero and nature), food security through Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, farming reforms for net-zero and nature, and food in trade deals with Australia and New Zealand. He also led on departmental transformation programmes, including strategy, governance, data and systems, and internal ways of working. He was chair of the Defra People Committee and Social Mobility Champion.
As Director General at the Department for International Development (DfID), he led design and implementation of a new approach to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa based on clean infrastructure, FDI and agriculture commercialisation. He was responsible for the UK’s interests in the World Bank and regional IFIs. He also developed the departmental vision and was Diversity Champion.
Prior to this he was the founding Chief Executive of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Under David’s leadership, the CCC designed sector pathways, carbon budgets, targets, metrics, milestones, and key policies (e.g. Electricity Market Reform, EV and renewable heat support).
Earlier David led on fundamental reform of the EU ETS and the economic assessment for nuclear new-build. He also played key roles at the World Bank and EBRD, leading on infrastructure strategy, policy reform and major investments. He has a PhD in economics from LSE.
He was awarded a CBE for services to climate change and a CB for public service during Covid.
Dr Anne Kovachevich
National Sustainable Buildings and Precincts Lead
Mott MacDonald
Anne’s focus is on helping design and deliver sustainable buildings and precincts. Working closely with clients and design teams, typically starting close to the inception of a project, she sets sustainability vision and designs systems that result in successful and sustainable precincts.
She often uses rating tools including Green Star, LEED, WELL, LBC and NABERS to benchmark projects and guide sustainable outcomes.
Simon Prunster (GAICD)
Manager - Energy, Renewables and Partnerships
Yarra Valley Water
Simon Prunster is Manager of the Energy, Renewables and Partnerships team at Yarra Valley Water, with responsibility for initiating and delivering the Beyond Zero Carbon strategy. From 1 July 2025, this strategy has delivered net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions and transitioned the organisation to 100% renewable electricity. Simon was also the project lead and director of Zero Emissions Water (ZEW), a special purpose vehicle of 12 Victorian water corporations established to purchase renewable electricity from the Kiamal Solar Farm.
Emma Cowan
General Manager, Strategy & ESG
NRMA
Emma Cowan is General Manager, Strategy & ESG at the NRMA, where she shapes the organisation’s long‑term strategy and sustainability agenda across transport, travel, electric mobility and membership.
She has helped shape the NRMA’s role in electrifying Australia’s transport sector, including building a national EV charging network, advocating for EV policy reform, educating 3.4 million members on the benefits and practicalities of transitioning to electric vehicles, and partnering with industry to accelerate progress on game-changing technologies such as vehicle‑to‑grid.
Leading the NRMA’s corporate sustainability function, Emma led the roll‑out of group‑wide climate targets and the transition to 100% renewable electricity from 2026.
Prior to joining the NRMA, Emma was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising Australia’s largest organisations on growth and transformation.
Meredith Banks
Head of Sustainability
Wesfarmers
Meredith Banks is currently the Head of Sustainability at Wesfarmers, leading group‑wide sustainability strategy and reporting across a diversified portfolio of businesses. She is responsible for disclosure governance and regulatory alignment and works closely with divisional teams, senior executives and the Board to drive sustainability performance and deliver high‑quality, decision‑useful information that underpins long‑term value creation. Over a career spanning more than twenty‑five years, Meredith has held senior sustainability roles, as well as Board roles in complex organisations, building deep expertise across ESG, sustainability strategy and reporting, regulatory compliance, risk and assurance, stakeholder engagement and executive advisory. Known for her pragmatic leadership style, Meredith excels at strengthening governance, elevating disclosure quality and turning complex sustainability and regulatory requirements into clear, workable outcomes for organisations.
Prof Carol Adams
Professor Emerita
Durham University Business School
Carol’s work is concerned with the role of accounting and reporting in the relationships between business, society and the environment. She has sought to advance practice and policy with respect to integrating sustainability considerations into organisations through applied research, leadership, voluntary work, standard setting, advisory work and educating the next generation of business leaders. Carol is currently former Chair of GRI’s Global Sustainability Standards Board and a member of the A4S Technical Expert Committee. She is author of The Sustainable Development Goals, integrated thinking and the integrated report and the SDGD Recommendations.
Suzie Retschko
General Manager Customer
SEC
As General Manager of Customer at the SEC Suzie heads up SECs Commercial and Industrial retail electricity business, providing 100% renewable electricity and Distributed energy solutions to Victorian businesses. Suzie has over two decades of experience in the energy industry in leadership positions across transformation programs, product development, Distributed energy solutions and retail operations in both commercial and industrial and consumer markets. She has a passion for helping businesses to decarbonise and transition to renewable energy, integrating flexibility into their energy solutions. Prior to joining SEC Suzie was a Senior Leader at Baringa Partners and before that at EnergyAustralia.
Tennant Reed
Director Climate and Energy
Australian Industry Group
Tennant is Director - Climate Change and Energy at the Australian Industry Group.
He has worked on these issues since 2008, advising Ai Group’s Leaders’ Group on Energy and Climate Policy; coordinating joint research and advocacy with wider energy stakeholders; facilitating the Australian Climate Roundtable; developing reports on energy prices, carbon border adjustments and business energy use; reviewing emissions targets for the State of Victoria and closely observing international climate negotiations.
Olivia West
Manager, Sustainability Americas and Asia Pacific Markets
HP
Olivia transitioned from marketing to the Global Value Chain Sustainability & Compliance team at HP, bringing a strong commitment to sustainability and customer empowerment. This role focuses on helping customers achieve their sustainability aspirations by aligning HP’s innovative technologies with their environmental goals.
More than just providing solutions, Olivia and her team across the Americas and Asia Pacific are dedicated to fostering strategic partnerships that drive meaningful change. By collaborating closely with customers, this enables tangible progress toward a more sustainable future—one initiative at a time.
Kate Barnes
Acting CEO
Solar Victoria
Kate Barnes is Solar Victoria’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, leading the organisation at an important point in its journey to deliver trusted, customer-first renewable energy programs for Victorians. Solar Victoria delivers two of the Victorian Government's most important household energy transition programs in the Solar Homes Program and Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.
Kate is a proven executive with deep capability across large-scale program and operational delivery, governance and risk, change leadership and digital transformation across government, healthcare and the private sector.
Since joining Solar Victoria in 2019, she has led functions at the heart of the customer experience—driving delivery and performance of flagship programs, strengthening CRM and enabling platforms, and partnering with industry and stakeholders to lift capability, quality and consumer outcomes. Kate is energised by the opportunity to lead Solar Victoria and is excited to work with the team and our partners to keep delivering impact for Victorian households and businesses.
Jo Hynes
Director Safety, Sustainability and Risk
Atlas Arteria
Jo heads Sustainability at Atlas Arteria in Australia. In 2024, she was names one of 50 most influential ESG corporate professionals in Australia. Atlas Arteria, an ASX100 company and a global owner, operator and developer of toll roads with a portfolio of five toll roads in France, Germany and the United States.
Kurt Gruber
Founding Director
WV Technologies
ACT Australian of the Year
Kurt is the Co-Founder and Founding Director of WV Technologies, an award-winning Indigenous owned Social Enterprise focused on secure IT asset disposals, creating social and environmental impact, and empowering Indigenous young people. With a broad base of experience in private, public, and the Not-for-Profit sector, Kurt co-founded WV Technologies with best friend Jamie Miller with the goal of ‘Doing the Right Things for the Right Reasons’. Under their leadership, WV Technologies has scaled from start-up to an industry innovator in the IT asset disposals and social enterprise space, focusing on creating real value for business partners through circularity, transparent reporting, and Indigenous procurement.
Since 2018, WV Technologies has been able to create 200+ Indigenous jobs and in 2024, in a joint partnership with Telstra, donate $300,000 back to Worldview Foundation, the parent entity of WV Technologies and an ACNC registered charity that runs holistic wrap-around support programs to help Indigenous youth break the cycle of generational disadvantage.
Lee Stewart
CEO & Founding Director
ESG Strategy
Lee is the author of "How to Build Sustainability into Your Business Strategy." With over 20 years of experience in sustainability across Australia, the UK, Japan, and New Zealand, Lee has worked in startups, consulting, and as Head of Sustainability for large billion-dollar multinationals Fujitsu and Fonterra. His current clients include large manufacturing, retail, infrastructure and hospitality organisations across Australia, New Zealand. And the Pacific. In 2022, Lee founded his own consulting business, ESG Strategy, where he advises boards and senior executives on sustainability and ESG strategies. He also provides pro bono strategic advice on sustainability, circular economy, and climate change to the Kingdom of Tonga.
Linda Romanovska
Founder
Melomys Advisory
Linda Romanovska is a highly regarded senior expert on climate change, sustainability and sustainable finance. Co-author of climate change policies and several sustainable finance and corporate sustainability reporting frameworks and standards locally and internationally. A senior advisor with almost 20 years of experience, past senior leadership roles at PwC and RSM and Materra, Founder and Principal of Melomys Advisory, and doctoral researcher at the University of New South Wales.
Linda's key topics of expertise are: compliance with sustainable finance and sustainability disclosure regulations (ISSB/AASB, CSRD, SFDR, CSRD, Green Taxonomies and others) as well as voluntary frameworks (TNFD, SASB, GRI, PRI etc.), mobilising investments for climate change and environmental goals, climate change policies, understanding and management of environmental and social risk - exposure/vulnerability assessments, adaptation and resilience planning and implementation, socially just transitions, and natural capital accounting, valuation and reporting.
Michael Cox
Associate Principal
Schneider Electric
Michael is a strategic practitioner advising organisations seeking transformation to address the connected challenges of sustainability, climate change, decarbonisation and resource efficiency. His decades-long commitment to delivering world-changing sustainability outcomes, has seen him work across key sectors including technology, finance, property, government, manufacturing, mining, and engineering.
Michael’s passion is supporting organisations to strategically enhance their environmental, social, and corporate governance performance and rapidly mobilise their response to climate change.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-cox-06b22b14/
Bernard Wiley
Sustainability Director
Who Gives A Crap
Jackie Spiteri
Managing Director
SESG
Jackie is an experienced Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) professional with a history of working in the maritime and infrastructure sector bringing a wealth of knowledge on sustainable development and operations.
With over 15 years’ experience and a gift for creating collaborative partnerships, alongside a strong ability to recognise and cultivate the potential in others, Jackie has a proven track record of accelerating organisational sustainability through strategy development, implementation, communication, and education.
In 2022, Jackie became the founder and Managing Director of ESG advisory company Sustainable ESG (SESG). SESG are focused on supporting organisations navigate the evolving ESG imperative. Helping organisations to understand their current state and develop relevant and tailored strategies that build upon existing foundations.
Jackie has sat on the Board for PIANC ANZ, a global not-for-profit body that brings together experts on technical, economic, environmental and planning issues pertaining to waterborne transport and infrastructure and is a former Chair of the Ports Australia Environment Planning and Sustainability Working Group and sits on the Mayor of Newcastle’s Sustainable Development Collaborative, an active group focused on localising the United Nations SDGs to the region.
During her career Jackie has been responsible for the development of a number of Sustainability Financing Frameworks in the export/import infrastructure sector, enabling over $750million of sustainability linked debt to be realised through a series of innovative sustainability financing transactions. More recently Jackie has been deeply involved in the development of the ASEAN Taxonomy V3, that has seen the introduction of the Transport & Storage and Construction & Real Estate sectors.
Paolo Bevilacqua
Group Head of Sustainability
Frasers Property Group
Paolo is Group Head of Sustainability at Frasers Property, overseeing its sustainability strategy across its multinational and multi-asset class portfolio in 20 countries. He has delivered industry leading programmes and solutions at both project and organisational levels across real estate and energy sectors in multiple markets. Prior to his current role, Paolo was the founding General Manager and Chair of Real Utilities, a green energy retailer and utilities business of Frasers Property. Before joining Frasers Property, Paolo held various sustainability and renewable energy roles at Lendlease.
With two decades of experience in the real estate sector, Paolo’s sustainability leadership credentials include serving as former Vice Chair of the International Living Future Institute and former Chair of the Property Council of Australia’s National Sustainability Roundtable.
Doug Niven
Chair
Auditing and Assurance Standards Board
Doug is full-time Chair and CEO of the Australia's Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB). He was previously Chief Accountant at ASIC, where he was responsible for financial reporting and audit strategy and policy, complex accounting and audit matters, stakeholder liaison and international. He also had operational responsibility for reporting and audit surveillances from 2008 to 2021 and continued to have a key role in those programs.
Doug has been a member of the International Organisation of Securities Commission's (IOSCO's) Committee 1 on Accounting, Audit and Disclosure, Auditing Subcommittee (past Chair), Accounting Subcommittee, IFRS Information Sharing Subcommittee (Chair), Sustainability Technical Review Coordination Group, Sustainability Assurance Working Group and ISSB Protocols Working Group.
He was also a member of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR), its Board, Global Audit Quality Working Group, Standards Coordination Working Group, Enforcement Working Group, International Cooperation Working Group (Chair), Inspection Survey Task Force and Sustainability Task Force.
Prof Deo Prasad
CEO
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub, UNSW
Deo is among the internationally recognised Australian experts in the field of environment and sustainability with a focus on net zero carbon innovations. His experience covers practice as a consultant, long standing experience as a thought leader and a distinguished academic, significant leadership and governance expertise, all with notable recognition from all levels of government and professions. His expertise is very much in science and evidence-based approaches with a very high level of understanding of the innovation processes, the energy and carbon ecosystem with a high level of understanding of the human behaviour and social change dimensions. He has published around 400 peer reviewed papers including 12 books on low carbon, sustainable and regenerative built environments.
Michael Elias
Founder and CEO
Upparel
Michael Elias is the Co-Founder and CEO of Upparel, Australia’s foremost textile recovery, repurposing, and recycling organization. Committed to driving innovative change for future generations.
Upparel is a Certified B Corp and recognized as one of Australia’s Sustainability Champions. The company is the partner of choice for retailers, global fashion brands, and organizations aiming to eliminate textile waste and enhance their ESG impact.
Upparel's proprietary product, Uptex, crafted from repurposed textiles and manufactured locally, is making significant strides across various industries, including packaging, signage, furniture, and commercial fit-outs. The company's board is dedicated to achieving Australia’s highest acoustic and thermal ratings.
Central to Upparel's mission is the Farm to Fiber to Future technology, which ensures unparalleled transparency and traceability in the textile lifecycle.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Michael is a devoted husband and father of three. He is recognised as one of Australia’s Top 20 Sustainability CEOs and serves as a prominent advocate for textile waste solutions, innovation, and circularity.
Freya Williams
Chief Strategy Officer
Revolt
Freya Williams is Chief Strategy Officer at Revolt, part of Anthesis, and one of North America's leading voices on sustainability, brand purpose, and climate communication. With over 20 years of experience advising Fortune 500 leaders, she has built a reputation for helping large, complex organisations turn sustainability into a driver of business performance. She is the author of Green Giants: How Smart Companies Turn Sustainability Into Billion-Dollar Businesses and a sought-after keynote speaker on what it takes to make sustainability mainstream.
Thierry Lotrian
CEO and Founder
Climate Decisions
Thierry is an energetic climate and sustainability data, AI and technology leader and disruptor with a focus on innovation and making an impact that matters for his clients and the community. An Executive Leader with over 20 years’ experience working with CxO’s to drive business-led transformations, enabled by data, AI, performance management and risk management capabilities across multiple industries. Thierry started his career with Capgemini in France, he has spent over a decade with Deloitte and 6+ years with SAP. He has worked with a client base across Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe.
Thierry is passionate about successful market Alliances to help have a bigger impact to solve client issues. He built and led Deloitte’s national Climate & Sustainability alliance program in Australia. Previously Thierry was the national leader for Deloitte's Data and AI Alliance program and had multiple direct Alliance leadership roles such as Anaplan, Workiva, Google and IBM.
Thierry is determined to make an impact in the world when it comes to climate and sustainability. The time is now and we all need to take responsibility for this
Dr Michael Battaglia
Mission Lead – Towards Net Zero Mission
CSIRO
Michael is the Mission Lead for Towards Net Zero Mission which looks to build capability to assist Australia's transition to net zero with particular focus on hard to abate sectors (like steel, agriculture, food supply chain and transport), regional economies and scaling negative emission technologies.
John Pabon
Founder & Chief Advisor
Fulcrum Strategic Advisors
John is Australia’s Leading Voice on Greenwashing! He’s a sustainability author, consultant, and content creator. Over his 20-year career, he’s had the privilege of working with the United Nations, McKinsey, A.C. Nielsen, and as a consultant with BSR, the world’s largest sustainability-focused business network. He is the founder of Fulcrum Strategic Advisors, Chair of The Conference Board’s Asia Sustainability Leaders Council, and advises the UN on issues of internet governance and greenwashing. John is also the author of “Sustainability for the Rest of Us: Your No-Bullshit, Five-Point Plan for Saving the Planet” and “The Great Greenwashing: How Brands, Governments, and Influencers are Lying to You.
Alex Kelly
Zero Emissions Delivery Lead
IKEA
Alex has been working in the electric vehicle industry in Australia since 2019. Currently, she is leading IKEA’s zero emission delivery strategy – with a target of 100% by 2025. IKEA’s ambitious target aims to reduce transport emissions for truck deliveries for a people and planet positive future.
Prior to this, she was Policy Manager at the Electric Vehicle Council advising government, the EV sector, and the broader sustainability sector on electric vehicle policy, with a focus on commercial fleets and heavy vehicles. During this time, Alex co-authored the EVC/ATA report Electric trucks: keeping shelves stocked in a net-zero world.
Tony Circelli
Head
Recycling Victoria
Tony has over 30 years of experience in government and private sector with specialist expertise in modern regulatory practice and in the waste and resource recovery sector. He has held a number of senior leadership positions during this time including over eight years as Chief Executive of the South Australian EPA. For the last 15 years, he has led the policy design and implementation for resource recovery reforms in South Australia, and national leadership in areas such as waste to energy design principles, and leading national consistency and reform for container deposit systems and expansion.
David Ritter
Sustainability Lead
Grimshaw
Lee Sauerwald MAICD MBA FCPA
Former President
Australasian Fleet Management Association
After accepting the Australasian Fleet Management Association’s (AfMA) Fleet Environment Award in 2010, Lee joined AfMA’s South Australian Committee and soon became its Chair. Lee then joined AfMA’s Board in 2013, continually serving as Vice President or President until 2025.
Lee has chaired and presented at many State, National and International Conferences about managing company and grey fleet - as well as the environmental, social and financial benefits of reducing, eliminating and offsetting carbon emissions.
Andrew Davies
CEO
B Lab Australia and New Zealand
Andrew joined B Lab as CEO after a career spanning commercial law practice and executive management roles, and most recently running a family office and his own businesses in the finance and recreation industries. With experience across large and small business, in ASX-listed, family-owned and start-up models, Andrew is passionate about the role business can and should have in improving the world, contributing positively to change, and enriching the lives of everyone in our community.
B Lab is the organisation behind B Corp, transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. A leader in economic systems change, their global network creates standards, policies, and tools for business, and they certify companies—known as B Corps—who are leading the way.
As CEO Andrew is responsible for the growth of the B Corp community in Australia and New Zealand.
Marissa Meyers
Head of Safety & Sustainability
Monde Nissin Australia
Marissa is a safety professional with 15 years’ experience across public and private sectors, including emergency services and global FMCG companies. Four years ago, Marissa took the same mindset and strategic risk management skills that drove long-term success in safety, to lead the development and implementation of Monde Nissin Australia’s sustainability strategy. Along the way Marissa had to rapidly adapt to just how broad sustainability can be, learn a lot, engage widely, then look for where the opportunities are. Approaching this challenge by identifying smart, practical wins that benefit the business, the environment, our people, and of course the bottom line has laid the path for success.
Paul Hopwood
Team Leader, Supply Chain & Logistics
Icon Water
Paul Hopwood is a supply chain, fleet, and logistics leader with over 30 years’ experience across asset intensive and infrastructure focused organisations. He is currently Team Leader Supply Chain & Logistics at Icon Water, where he leads fleet, facilities, and warehouse management services supporting critical water and wastewater operations.
In his current role, Paul is responsible for fleet and asset strategy, contract and lifecycle management, utilisation, and operational readiness. His work includes supporting the transition of services from a shared service model to an internally managed operation, and the practical integration of new technologies and approaches within a regulated public‑sector utility environment.
Paul brings extensive operational leadership experience from organisations including Pacific National, DHL, Elgas, and Woolworths. Most recently at Pacific National, Australia’s largest private rail operator, he led a team of more than 180 people managing rolling stock, mobile plant, and light vehicle fleet operations across Central NSW, and contributed to the development of the Parkes Logistics Terminal as part of the Inland Rail project.
Paul provides a grounded, delivery focused perspective on fleet transition, infrastructure, and asset management, with a strong emphasis on reliability, whole‑of‑life outcomes, and translating sustainability objectives into practical, operational results.
Afonso Firmo
Co-founder and Director
NetNada
Speaker Bio coming soon
Travis MacLachlan
Commercial Solutions Manager
Flow Power
Paul Dunne
Director – Sustainability
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Paul Dunne is Director of Sustainability at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Paul has over 25 years of experience in sustainable investment and development across property, infrastructure, and sustainability. Paul specialises in developing climate, ESG, and net zero strategies at a corporate level, supporting investment frameworks, and leveraging innovative technologies to secure long-term value for stakeholders. Prior to joining the CEFC, Paul held senior roles with the Google/Lendlease partnership in the USA, Lendlease Australia and Bank of Scotland, where he developed sustainable solutions for cities, including Barangaroo and the Google campuses in Silicon Valley. Paul is a Chartered Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Engineering from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, and an ACCA Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Management.
Marsha Beck
Co Chair
The Jane Goodall Institute
Marsha is an accomplished executive leader and non-executive director, driven by passion, purpose and results.
Over 20 years, Marsha has held senior roles across the financial services sector, leading change and driving innovation across sustainability, strategy, and customer initiatives.
Marsha is a life-long learner who believes in the transformative power of education.
Justin Merrell
Sustainability Director
Lion Co
Justin is the Sustainability Director at Lion and responsible for setting Lion’s ambitious Force for Good strategy focusing on environmental leadership and long-term positive social impact. Prior to Lion, Justin held various roles in Qantas for 6 years and was Operations Manager at the Koppers chemical plant in Kurnell for 11 years. Justin has a Chemical Engineering Degree and Master of Environmental Management.
Dr Steve Newman
Chief Sustainability Officer
EarthCheck
Steve has been a sustainability leader within the hospitality industry in SE Asia for the past decade. He presently heads technical advisory services for ESG, climate, carbon, and nature measurement, strategy and reporting. Prior to this, he spent a decade in academia specialising in ecological and climate change modelling, sitting on government advisory committees to advise SIDS on natural resource management. Combining academic and industry expertise, Steve employs a science-backed and stakeholder engaged approach to empower sustainable business operations.
Dr Aida Golneshin
Business Innovation Manager
Eldyn Foods
Dr Aida Golneshin is an executive innovation leader with over 20 years of global experience in innovation, R&D, new product development (NPD), and sustainability. She currently leads the Innovation and Sustainability strategy at Edlyn Foods, a national foodservice manufacturer, where she has spearheaded the launch of over 1,000 products and led more than 1,500 projects that have delivered significant commercial outcomes. Aida brings a deep understanding of how to embed innovation into business operations—from rethinking packaging systems to enabling waste upcycling and circular product development. With a PhD, multiple patents, and academic publications, Aida combines scientific expertise with commercial insight. She collaborates regularly with universities and industry partners to deliver high-impact, scalable solutions.
Scott Maynard
Managing Director
Polestar Australia
Scott is the Managing Director of Polestar Australia, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry to his role.
Scott has walked a unique path through the Australian automotive industry.
He’s worked in sales, aftersales, and executive roles at retailers and OEMs, across some of the world’s best-known luxury carmakers and some of its newest, most innovative brands.
From the world of dealership aftersales departments to the boardrooms of luxury brands, he has a deep understanding of the Australian automotive industry and its evolution towards electrification.
Scott’s career started as a technician in a dealership and worked his way through various roles to be Service Manager in Launceston, Tasmania, before joining Audi during 2005 as Regional Aftersales Manager in Sydney.
During his 12 years with Audi, he served as Regional Aftersales Manager and Regional Sales Manager, before being promoted to Sales Director in Australia.
His time at Audi included the local debut of the mid-engined R8 supercar, the launch of a hero factory showroom, and the challenge of helping Audi Australia navigate the global Dieselgate crisis.
Scott took on the role of Aftersales Director at Jaguar Land Rover Australia in 2017, before moving to national Sales Director, and subsequently spending nine months in an interim position as Managing Director of JLR Australia.
More recently, Scott was a key part of the team driving BYD’s rapid growth in Australia as Executive General Manager of retail operations.
He joined Polestar Australia in July 2024 as Managing Director, since which point he’s overseen the launch of two new models: the Polestar 3 luxury SUV, and the innovative Polestar 4 coupe-SUV.
Brad Scott
Director
Transmutation
Brad Scott is the Founder of Transmutation and a leader in Australia’s emerging circular manufacturing sector. A former Australian Army Captain, he has pioneered the development of PostPrime® recycled plastics and is now driving the rollout of Resin8® net zero aggregate—converting waste into infrastructure at industrial scale. Working with partners including Dulux, Brad’s work challenges traditional recycling models by proving that waste can be transformed into high-performance, commercially competitive materials for the construction industry.
Dilan Jayasekara
Chair, ESG Special Interest Group
Australian Computer Society
Consultant (Data and AI)
Pitcher Partners
Speaker bio coming soon
Patrick Manley
CEO
Cercle
Patrick is the co-founder & CEO of Cercle. An award-winning social enterprise reuse system focused on achieving high adoption and impact in commercial environments. Born from his own frustration with forgetting his reusable coffee cup, Patrick developed Cercle into a leading reuse network with customers across Australia and overseas. As a former tech consultant, working at IBM and EY, Patrick brings a unique systems thinking approach to solving one of the toughest circularity challenges.
Jackie McKeon
Program Director
Business Renewables Centre Australia
Jackie is Program Director at BRC-A. She has over 15 years’ experience in carbon and energy management, project development management, renewable energy procurement, decarbonisation strategy, strategic planning, corporate advisory and stakeholder engagement. Her career experience spans energy, property, infrastructure, retail, finance and government sectors.
Sasha Courville
CEO
Carbon Market Institute
As the CEO of the Carbon Market Institute, Dr Courville drives strategic, policy and advocacy work to accelerate the transition to a negative emissions and nature positive world, using environmental markets as key tools. In this role, she brings over twenty-five years’ experience in driving systems change across sectors and leveraging the insights and expertise from CMI’s diverse membership across the entire carbon market ecosystem.
Prior to joining CMI, Sasha was a senior executive in the financial sector, leading work to integrate sustainability outcomes into corporate strategy at NAB and at Bank Australia.
Previously, Sasha was Executive Director of the London-based ISEAL Alliance, the global association for sustainability standards, defining best practice guidance on standard-setting, assurance, and impact measurement. Sasha is currently the Chair of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global multi-stakeholder initiative that sets sustainability standards for the aluminium value chain. She is also the Chair of the Australian advisory board of Leading Harvest, providing a universal sustainability standard for the agricultural sector worldwide.
Daniel Bleakley
Co-Founder and Co-CEO
New Energy Transport
Speaker bio coming soon
Samantha Sing Key
Partner in Sustainability Reporting Advisory
Grant Thornton Australia
Samantha is a Partner in Sustainability Reporting Advisory at Grant Thornton Australia and a sustainability reporting technical specialist. She’s spearheading the interpretation and implementation of Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards, and is a member of the AASB S2 Implementation Advisory Panel. Sam is focused on helping her clients with technically sound solutions that are right-sized for their unique circumstances.
Jarrod Leak
CEO
Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity (A2EP)
After 20 years in industry working for Swedish engineering company, Alfa Laval, Jarrod has been the CEO of A2EP over the last 5 years. Over this time, A2EP has become Australia’s main industry association supporting energy productivity and renewable heating for the commercial and industrial sectors. A2EP has delivered industry defining publications, tools and webinars that are guiding the adoption of heat pumps, thermal energy storage systems, electric boilers and many other renewable heating solutions. With around 100 members and an audience of several thousand, the alliance plays a key role in supporting businesses to reduce their energy costs and decarbonise.
Ben McArthur
CEO & Co-Founder
ARC Projects
Ben McArthur is the CEO and Co-Founder of ARC Projects, a privately listed insurance construction company operating across Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Since establishing the business in 2013, Ben has led ARC Projects’ growth into a trusted partner at the intersection of construction, insurance, and disaster recovery.
With nearly two decades of experience in the construction industry, Ben brings deep, practical insight into the challenges and opportunities of delivering sustainable outcomes in complex, real-world environments. He is a strong advocate for true triple bottom line sustainability, balancing environmental responsibility, social impact, and commercial performance and is particularly passionate about embedding these principles into everyday business operations through innovation.
At Sustainability Live Melbourne, Ben will share frontline lessons from integrating emissions reduction and sustainable practices within the construction and insurance sectors, offering a pragmatic perspective on what works, what doesn’t, and what’s next.
Dermot O’Gorman
CEO
WWF
Dermot O’Gorman is a global champion for a future-focused, purpose-driven mindset. His aim is to catalyse a regenerative revolution for nature, communities and climate.
At this critical moment in time for our planet, Dermot is leading environmentalists, philanthropists, businesses and governments in envisioning a regenerative future.
With over 23 years of experience as a CEO, Dermot has worked across Europe, China, the US, and the Pacific region. His expertise spans human development, environmentalism, social justice, philanthropy, public funding, private equity, and innovation.
Dermot’s practical experience in new technology – blockchain, AI and NFTs – has helped shape WWF global thinking on the role science and technology can play in delivering regenerative solutions at speed and scale.
A respected thought leader, Dermot is a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University and has studied at IMD in Lausanne, the London School of Economics, and Cambridge University. He is passionate about fostering leadership that transforms global challenges into opportunities for co-creating a better future for humanity and the planet.
As a co-founder of several social ventures, Dermot continues to make a significant impact through his roles as Chairperson of OpenSC, a global trace-and-verify platform, and WWF’s impact investing platform, Panda Impact.
Dermot serves as a non-executive director and advisor on various purpose-driven boards. He is also a founding member of the COP31 Collaboration Group, advocating for a society-wide approach to an Australian Pacific-hosted COP31.
Lucy Best
Communications and Engagement
Let Me Be Frank
Katy Barfield OAM
Founder & CEO
Commercialising Sustainability
Katy Barfield OAM is a social entrepreneur. She is the founder of Yume, Australia’s leading food surplus marketplace, the founder of Spade & Barrow, and the founding CEO of SecondBite, where she pioneered one of the country’s first large-scale models for redistributing fresh, nutritious, surplus food to people in need.
Katy is recognised for driving market-based solutions to complex sustainability challenges, challenging traditional approaches to food waste by unlocking the commercial value of surplus. She operates at the intersection of sustainability, innovation and systems change, with a focus on building scalable, financially viable models that deliver both environmental and business outcomes.
Through Yume, Katy enabled manufacturers, retailers and producers to reduce waste, recover value and improve margins - shifting surplus from a cost burden to a strategic asset. Her work has earned national recognition including AFR 100 Women of Influence and the Telstra Business Women’s Awards, and she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her contribution to business and the environment. Yume was sold to Procurement Australia in 2025.
Katy is driven by a mission to fundamentally transform how the food system operates - making surplus not just sustainable, but profitable.
Jeremy Mansfield OAM
Founder & Director
Mansfield Advisory
Jeremy Mansfield OAM is the Founder and Director of Mansfield Advisory. He advises government, industry, and projects on sustainable construction practices and decarbonisation and serves as an expert advisor to the Supply Chain Sustainability School. With over three decades in the sector, his work focuses on providing independent advisory support to guide the Australian construction industry’s transition to sustainable practices.
Haris Murtaza
Energy & Utilities Manager
Alsco Australia
Haris is the Energy & Utilities Manager at Alsco Uniforms, working to decrease the businesses environmental impact and energy usage across Asia Pacific. Haris holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and Master of Engineering Management from the University of Auckland. He has been actively involved in Alsco Uniforms transition away from coal, heat pump integration and uptake of solar energy for their facilities.
Rachel Alembakis
Stewardship Manager
U Ethical Investors
and Director
Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Rachel Alembakis is stewardship manager at U Ethical. In her role, she is responsible for managing U Ethical’s active ownership activities including proxy voting, direct and collaborative engagements with companies and engagements with key stakeholders.
Rachel was the managing editor and founder of FS Sustainability for 12 years. She has more than two decades’ experience as a financial journalist covering a broad range of investment issues. Rachel holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a BA in journalism and a BS in political science from Boston University
Marc Sibbald
Managing Director
Fleet News Group
Marc Sibbald is Managing Director of Fleet News Group, Australia’s leading source of independent news for the fleet management and leasing industry. He is also Director – Fleet at IPWEA FLEET & Plant Management where he is accountable for strategic development, and works closely with IPWEA FLEET members and the Fleet Council to develop industry-relevant training and education programs.
Barry Cosier
CEO
Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia
Barry Cosier has over 30 years’ experience in both the Resource Recovery Industry and in the Food and Grocery Industry. Like many, he started his working career packing shelves in
supermarkets while at university. Since then, he has worked for multinational grocery companies, was CEO of a privately owned Australian food manufacturing company and represented small to medium enterprises on the Australian Food and Grocery Council board.
He then moved into the Resource Recovery industry and was involved in Council contracts, collections, MRF processing and was a member of the NSW EPA Industry Advisory Panel for the China Sword Taskforce. Most recently he became the Director of Sustainability at the
Australian Food and Grocery Council and a member of the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Resource Recovery Reference Groups. Currently he is on secondment as Co-CEO of Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia, a recently established entity he has been leading the development of since 2021.
Geoff York
CEO
Crystalbrook Collection
Geoff York is the CEO of Crystalbrook Collection, Australia's most innovative portfolio of upscale and sustainability-focused hotels and resorts. Since co-founding Crystalbrook Collection in mid-2017, Geoff has spearheaded the company's growth from its inception, expanding the group to include ten hotels, 16 bars and restaurants, Eleme Day Spa and managing over a billion dollars in assets. Geoff’s extensive industry experience includes key leadership roles across Asia Pacific with leading hospitality groups such as Accor, Hilton International, and Event Hospitality & Entertainment. Recognised with multiple awards for excellence, Geoff's distinguished career is marked by his contributions to various hospitality groups including his role as National Board Member of Tourism Accommodation Australia.
Sara King
GM, Purpose,
Intrepid
Sara King is Intrepid’s General Manager of Purpose and is responsible for delivering the company’s environmental, social and governance commitments, including as a signatory to the UN Global Compact and a certified B Corp. Her remit includes stakeholder engagement, social and environmental impact, and the B Corp certification . Prior to joining Intrepid, Sara held a number of roles at the International Finance Corporation, which is a member of the World Bank Group, including working on inclusive tourism development and sustainability in the Asia Pacific region. Sara holds a Master’s in International Relations and Affairs from Macquarie University and a Graduate Certificate of Management from the UNSW Business School.
Cameron Rimington
Senior Policy Officer – Heavy Vehicles
Electric Vehicle Council
Martin Gleeson
Co-founder and Managing Director
Serversaurus
Martin Gleeson has been designing and building software for more than 25 years. He was one of the first to help harness the power of the Web at the University of Melbourne in the early 1990s, before moving through the internet bubble relatively unscathed and co-founding the web hosting company Serversaurus in 2005. Australia's first carbon-neutral web hosting company, Serversaurus has been planting trees since 2007 to mitigate their carbon footprint, leading the way for other companies in the sector. Marty's passions include changing both the face and the DNA of business in Australia, to have social and environmental responsibility at the core of what we do every day.
Anthony Peyton
Founder and Director
PREP Design
Anthony is the founder and Director of PREP Design, the owner of the world's leading packaging design for recyclability (DfR) tool.
PREP has evaluated the recyclability of over 600,000 components of consumer packaging.
Anthony has spent 17 years to improve the tool's accuracy to assist recyclers and give brands confidence with their public claims.
Troy Pickwick
Co-Founder
Good Energy Minds
Tia Collings
CEO & Founder
Enaxiom
Tia Collings is the CEO and co-founder of Enaxiom, a climate-tech company building HydroCool — a next-generation cooling system that radically reduces energy and water use in AI and cloud infrastructure. With a background in circular economy design and scaling deep-tech startups, Tia is passionate about solving the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence — from data centre sustainability to water-positive infrastructure. HydroCool is already unlocking new pathways for AI data centres to become regenerative — reusing waste heat, conserving water, and even producing fresh water for local reuse.
Marian Gruber
Managing Director
ZOOiD
Marian Gruber is the founder and Managing Director of ZOOiD, one of Australia’s longest standing sustainability focused consultancies, established for over 20 years. Marian is a veteran of the sustainability reporting industry, and has collaborated with numerous companies across many sectors, including aquaculture, forestry, higher education, mining, transport, asset management, manufacturing, finance and others.
Marian is a specialist director with a focus on sustainability reporting and serves on the Board of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSDA) – the Australian chapter of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). ZOOiD is the Reporting Exchange Partner for (BCSDA). ZOOiD is the first Certified Training Partner of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in Australia/New Zealand and is certified to hold GRI training across the Asia Pacific region.
Rishi Tirupari
Group Executive General Manager, ESG
Crown Resorts
Bio Coming Soon
Rose Gooding
Group Sustainability Lead
Goodman Fielder
Prior to Goodman Fielder, Rose held leadership roles in social enterprise, delivering impact initiatives across Asia and the Pacific. She holds degrees in Commerce and Economics from the University of New South Wales.
Josh Begbie
CEO
GECA
Josh joined the GECA team in 2023, bringing a breadth of experience from the not-for-profit, corporate and government sectors and a track record of creating lasting impact for organisations and communities. Having worked extensively across countries, cultures, and industries, Josh believes that inclusive and courageous collaboration is the best way to get things done. He is thrilled to be using this passion to develop partnerships within the GECA Family and beyond for the good of people and planet. Whether you're a business, not-for-profit, community organisation or in the public sector, Josh is eager to connect with you to improve social and environmental outcomes. Josh is proud to be leading an organisation that delivers positive environmental impact using globally-recognised best practice standards.
Jim Bulling
Partner
K&L Gates
Megan is a Partner of the Sydney Assurance practice and has more than 20 years’ experience with multinational companies both in Australia and North America.
Megan’s international audit experience focuses on the larger ASX clients. Megan has significant experience in dealing with complex accounting matters including large transactions, including acquisitions, demergers, debt raising and goodwill impairment both in Australia and overseas. Megan has served as Oceania US Capital Market Leader as well as Oceania Real Estate Assurance Leader. Megan is currently Oceania Service Line Market Segment Leader – Assurance, Built Environment and Resources.
Natalie Kyriacou OAM
Author, Environmentalist, Board Director and
Founder of My Green World
Natalie is an award-winning environmentalist, presenter, and charity director on a mission to spark curiosity about the natural world. She is the author of Nature’s Last Dance.
Natalie was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia and the Forbes 30 Under 30 Honour for her services to wildlife and environmental conservation in 2018. She was a United Nations Environment Programme Young Champion of the Earth Finalist. She is one of LinkedIn’s 2022 ‘Top Green Voices’ and named as one of The Australian’s 2022 ‘Top Innovators’. In 2025, she was named as a Marie Claire “Women of the Year” nominee.
Natalie is the Founder and Chair of My Green World, a Board Director at Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, a former Board Director at CARE Australia, a W20 Delegate (official G20 engagement group), a UNESCO Green Citizens Pathfinder. She sits on the XPRIZE Global Brain Trust for Biodiversity and Conservation. She is a National Ambassador for the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Philip Graham
Co-Founder & CEO
CleanPeak Energy
Philip is the co-founder and CEO of CleanPeak Energy, an Australian renewable energy company. CleanPeak specialises in designing, building, owning, and operating renewable energy assets and associated infrastructure and currently operates over 40 MW of rooftop solar, 100 MW of utility solar projects and 35 MWh of battery projects as well as Sustainable Utility Precincts, with a further 100 MW of solar and 300 MWh of battery projects in the pipeline. In 2025, it was announced that global investment firm KKR had entered into a strategic partnership with CleanPeak and committed A$500 million to support the growing pipeline in Australia’s commercial and industrial sector.
Philip has more than 25 years of experience in investment working with Merrill Lynch, ABN Amro and Citi, and completed over $50 billion of financing and M&A transactions in the Power, Energy & Infrastructure Sector.
Tony Hunter
World Renowned Food Futurist
Tony is a Food Futurist Speaker, food scientist, author and strategic foresight consultant specialising in the future of the food, beverage and agriculture industries.
He has spoken on four continents and regularly appears on podcasts, webinars, TV, radio and print as an expert on the Future of Food. He consults globally to food companies from PepsiCo to KFC, VC investors and top four global consulting companies on the impact of food technology and consumer trends.
He delivers a unique perspective on the Future of Food using his distinctive combination of scientific qualifications, business experience and detailed understanding of food technologies.
Megan Wilson
Partner
EY
bio coming soon
Len Luxford
Founder
Matter
Len founded Matter IO Pty Ltd in 2018; it now serves over 20 Australian councils and commercial operators throughout SE Asia. Its ThinkOS platform uses AI-powered IoT to turn waste management into a measurable circular system — lifting diversion rates, cutting needless collections and emissions, and generating the data behind NABERS Waste and ESG reporting. The hardware also closes the loop, with ThinkLid components built from ocean sourced recycled polymers. A law-and-technology background underpins Len's drive to make the circular economy practical, measurable and commercially compelling.
Miriam Pape
Manager, Sustainability & Impact
Victorian Convention & Event Trust (VCET)
Miriam is a sustainability leader with experience supporting ASX‑listed companies, global brands, and Australian organisations to embed sustainable into their operations. She currently leads the sustainability and impact program across two major venues - the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre. In this role she works to connect environmental, social and economic outcomes for the regions in which the two venues operate.
Miriam’s expertise spans strategic sustainability/ESG planning, program design, governance, and reporting. Before joining VCET, Miriam held senior advisory roles at Edge Impact and earlier sustainability positions at Diageo, Telstra, and Treasury Wine Estates. She is a 2025 participant in The Observership Program and the Williamson Community Leadership Program and holds a Master of Sustainability from Monash University.
Lochie Burke
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
NetNada
Lochie Burke is a technology entrepreneur and sustainability leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling data-driven platforms across climate tech and advanced systems. As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NetNada, he has grown the company into a leading sustainability analytics and compliance platform supporting more than 1,000 organisations across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the US and the UAE. NetNada helps businesses manage carbon accounting, supply-chain transparency, certifications and ESG reporting aligned with frameworks such as AASB and CSRD.
Previously, Lochie co-founded JAR Aerospace, commercialising AI-driven unmanned systems technology. He is also Founder and Chairman of The River Rangers, a not-for-profit tackling river pollution while creating local employment opportunities.
Nathan Juchau
Manager Sustainability
Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG)
Nathan joined NCIG in 2007 and his current role is Manager Sustainability, responsible for overseeing NCIG’s sustainable business practices, relationship with the surrounding environment and broader community.
Nathan has 30 years of experience in engineering, environmental and safety roles on projects in the Hunter Valley region, and holds degrees in Civil Engineering and Natural Resources Management, together with a Masters in Environmental Engineering.
Mick Liubinskas
Director
Climate Salad
As Co-Founder of Climate Salad, Mick Liubinskas supports Australia’s fast-growing climate tech ecosystem, helping companies accelerate the path to a carbon-negative future.
With over 20 years in the technology sector, Mick has built and scaled products reaching millions of users and generating significant revenue, while advising, investing in and mentoring hundreds of startups locally and globally.
Through Climate Salad, their mission is to strengthen Australia’s climate tech landscape by mobilising investment, delivering impactful programs and fostering collaboration between entrepreneurs, researchers and investors.
They believe tackling climate change is the defining challenge — and greatest opportunity — of our generation.
Peter Shelley
Senior Manager Decarbonisation
Australia Post
Peter Shelley is the Senior Manager for Decarbonisation at Australia Post , with a passion for turning climate ambition into improved sustainable outcomes. His sustainability journey of more than twenty years covers strategy, energy management, stakeholder engagement, environmental reporting and the delivery of initiatives that reduce emissions while supporting business performance. Recent highlights have included largest solar panel deployment over 2MW on a commercial roof in Australia, and leading the achievement of the 2025 science-based targets for emissions reduction for Australia Post.
Megan Fisher
CEO & Director
EnergyLab
Megan Fisher is the CEO and Director of EnergyLab, Australia’s premier climate tech accelerator. With over 20 years of experience in product innovation across telecommunications, media, and energy, Megan specialises in helping founders navigate the journey from pilot to market adoption. Recognised as one of The Australian’s 100 Green Power Players, she is a leading voice on how collaborative networks can accelerate our path to a net-zero future.
Geoff Gourley
Co-Founder & COO
All Natural Capital
&
Founder & Chairman
Impact Investment Fund
Bio coming soon
Martina Hadzialic
Head of Pacific, Climate & Sustainability Services,
S&P Global Sustainable1
Martina Hadzialic is a seasoned professional in sustainability and corporate finance, currently leading the Pacific Climate and Sustainability Services team at S&P Global. In her role, she provides expert guidance to corporates and financial institutions, helping them navigate the complexities of sustainability regulations and ESG strategy development.
Prior to joining S&P Global, Martina honed her skills in Project Finance Advisory at UniCredit, within their Corporate Investment Banking division, as well as Financial Institutions Group (FIG) and Debt Capital Markets (DCM). Martina holds a Bachelor of Science from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of London.
David Baggs
CEO, Technical Director & Cofounder
Global GreenTag International
David Baggs is a globally recognised sustainability and materials expert, Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, and recipient of the Institute’s prestigious National Leadership in Sustainability Award. David has led GreenTag to become one of the world’s most advanced product certification and ecolabelling systems. An innovator in the development of product certification frameworks, including a NaturePositive+ Products Standard and NaturePositive+ Declaration, David is currently pioneering development of a Recycled Content and Traceability Certification, alongside a Circularity Declaration - both initiatives aimed at further strengthening product transparency and accelerating the transition to a more circular and nature-positive economy across industries worldwide.
Melissa James
Data Scientist
CSIRO
Melissa James is a CSIRO data scientist, project leader, and communicator with more than fifteen years of experience in residential building energy efficiency research. She delivers science, data, software, and communications that support the shift towards energy efficient housing in Australia. Ms James is currently exploring ways in which data collected as part of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) can be integrated and used for research which contributes to reducing energy consumption in Australian households.
Leonard Tham
Director, Innovation
Custom Fleet
Leonard is responsible for developing Custom Fleet’s future mobility initiatives and has been at the forefront of fleet trends and technology. With over 15 years in product development and commercialisation, he has pioneered industry leading solutions that focus on helping Australia and New Zealand’s largest fleets operate more efficiently, safely and sustainably.
Shaun Cameron
Director, Talent, Culture, Sustainability & Strategy
Custom Fleet
Shaun is accountable for developing Custom Fleet’s future of work initiatives spanning a diverse portfolio across human resources, organisational development, sustainably and corporate strategy. Bringing together over 15 years of experience from progressive organisations has led to Shaun positioning Custom Fleet as an employer of choice and leading, sustainable, mobility partner in the ANZ region.
Shaun Drylie
Co-Founder and CEO
Carbn
Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, Shaun Drylie is Co-Founder and CEO of Carbn, an electric Mobility-as-a-Service (eMaSS) platform reshaping how fleets are funded, shared and decarbonised across Australasia. Carbn partners with corporate and government to move beyond underutilised, capital-heavy fleet ownership toward shared, data-driven electric mobility.
Shaun brings more than 35 years’ experience in banking and financial services, including senior leadership roles with ASB, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and as former Group CEO of SBS Bank. His leadership philosophy centres on bringing people together to solve hard problems worth solving, particularly at the intersection of economics and sustainability.
Dr Tse-Ling Teh
Manager Environmental Market Analysis
Clean Energy Regulator
Ling is the Manager of the Environmental Market Analysis section at the Clean Energy Regulator. She leads a team responsible for analytical evidence to support market stewardship and regulation of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit market. An accomplished economist, Ling has over 20 years of experience in sustainability, economics, and climate risk. Prior to joining the regulator Ling was a Consulting Director at ERM Energetics and has held numerous academic positions at Bond University, Maastricht University, London School of Economics and Columbia University. Ling holds a PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University and honours degrees in Actuarial Studies and Law from the Australian National University.
Peter Castellas
CEO
Climate Zeitgeist
Peter is CEO of Climate Zeitgeist, a company he founded to work with key global partners in finance and investment to accelerate meaningful action on change. He is the Founder of the Climate Investor Forum, the premier climate finance and investment platform in APAC to connect investors, corporates and climate solutions companies. Throughout Peter’s career he has worked at the leading edge of the climate change and sustainable development agenda. He has advised and influenced key decision makers at the highest levels of business, finance and government.
Katharine Mitchell
Operations Transformation Manager
SmartestEnergy Australia
Kat leads SmartestEnergy’s retail operations helping corporates to mitigate their cost risks while achieving their clean energy and net zero goals. Kat and her team of experts work across the breadth of energy and certificate requirements, delivering all market, billing, environmental certificate and customer engagement activities. With more than 15 years of industry experience, primarily in large market retail operations, she has detailed knowledge of the full operational delivery requirements of complex structured contracts and can help corporates which require tailored, risk managed retail services.
Charlotte Connell
Director Innovation and Investment
Greenhouse
Charlotte Connell is an ecosystem architect for climate innovation and investment, recognised for her ability to connect ideas, capital and people to accelerate climate solutions. As Director of Innovation and Investment at Greenhouse, she leads initiatives designed to unlock Australia’s potential as a global climate superpower, including programs focused on catalysing climate capital.
Lincoln De Kalb
Corporate Mobility Product Development Manager
SG Fleet
Lincoln De Kalb is the Corporate Mobility Product Development Manager at SG Fleet, with a career spanning innovation and the automotive sector. Over his seven years at SG Fleet, Lincoln has played a key role in helping organisations transition to electric vehicles, providing strategic guidance, developing end‑to‑end transition plans, leading employee change management, and delivering practical EV charging solutions for the workplace, home, and on‑the‑go through SG Fleet’s eStart and eManage platforms.
Lincoln was a member of the ARENA‑funded REVS project, working with an industry consortium to prove the use of B2G vehicles in supporting grid resilience.
His current work focuses on leveraging the Connected Mobility ecosystems to support customers across sustainability outcomes, enhanced driver safety, and data‑driven fleet management.
Beyond SG Fleet, Lincoln serves as a Director of Narara Ecovillage and Head of its embedded energy network, where he led the deployment of one of Australia’s first community‑scale batteries and microgrids.
Brooke Donnelly
Founder & CEO Catalyst &
Former General Manager Group Sustainability Coles
Brooke Donnelly is a sustainability and circular economy leader working across industry, government, and the not-for-profit sector to transform Australia’s supply chains. Brooke is best known for her leadership in advancing product stewardship and responsible supply chains in Australia. She has played a pivotal role in establishing nationally significant stewardship initiatives and in building collaboration across industry sectors to address waste, resource recovery, and sustainable product design.
Her career has focused on designing and scaling collaborative solutions that transform how products are designed, used, and recovered across supply chains. Brooke has played a significant role in advancing product stewardship in Australia, working with major brands, industry sectors, and policymakers to develop nationally significant stewardship initiatives and drive practical progress toward a circular economy.
A respected voice in sustainability strategy and systems change, Brooke is focused on building the conditions for change — developing the next generation of circular economy opportunities — including new stewardship and EPR models, supply-chain collaboration and elevating the role of business in building commercial, resilient, risk adjusted, low waste economic systems.
Chris Uhlmann
Journalist & Political Commentator
The Australian / Sky News
Chris Uhlmann is a journalist who was political editor for both the ABC and Nine News. His three co-authored works of political fiction were adapted into the mini-series Secret City, which screened on Foxtel and Netflix. He has written and presented documentaries on the Ukraine war, The Real Cost of Net Zero, the Dismissal and John Howard. He is a columnist with The Australian, a political contributor on Sky News and publishes on Substack under Powerlines. He won a Walkley Award for broadcast interviewing, and was part of the Four Corners team that won a Gold Quill for an investigation into Chinese Communist Party influence in Australia. In 2023, he collaborated with his artist brother, Paul, to produce the children’s book The Useless Tune.
Lobaba Idris
Manager - Sustainability, Portfolio Management
Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Lobaba is a manager specialising in sustainability at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, focusing on decarbonisation, climate resilience and social impact. Lobaba works closely with the Investment team to set ambitious decarbonisation and ESG targets and ensures the ongoing management and monitoring of ESG commitments in the Portfolio Management team. Prior to joining the CEFC, Lobaba worked in sustainable development at Landcom, the NSW Government’s land and property development organisation. Lobaba has worked as a consultant on sustainability, and is experienced in shaping ESG strategies, driving impact and achieving sustainability targets in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects. Lobaba holds a Master of Sustainable Built Environment from the University of New South Wales.
Rick Lord
Global Head of Research and Innovation
S&P Global Sustainable1
Rick Lord is Head of Innovation Methodology at Trucost, part of S&P Global Horizons. In this role, Rick specializes in the developing and delivering data and tools to quantify environmental, social and governance risks to assets, projects, companies and investment portfolios. Most recently he has led the development of innovative and market leading analytics focusing on ESG issues including carbon pricing risk, alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change physical risk. Rick’s work at Trucost aims to link ESG issues to drivers of corporate and investor financial value creation, and to frame material ESG issues in the context of business strategy. Rick holds a Masters in Environmental Economics from Imperial College London and a Bachelor’s of Science from Queensland University of Technology.
Beth Dowe
Executive Director
Climate Leaders Coalition
Dennis Lee
Resource Recovery Manager
Mirvac
Dennis has over 20 years’ experience in sustainability, with a career spanning sewage treatment, water efficiency, energy optimisation, including lighting and chiller upgrades, and leadership of the NABERS Technical Team.
He has been with Mirvac for over four years and currently serves as Resource Recovery Manager, where he leads the delivery of Mirvac’s ambitious zero waste to landfill target across operational assets.
An engineer at heart, Dennis is known for his hands-on approach to fully understand challenges and drive practical, outcomes-focused solutions.
Danielle Welsh-Rose
Independent Advisor
Sustainable Investment
Danielle Welsh-Rose is a seasoned sustainable investment and strategy executive with more than two decades of expertise across asset management, consulting and asset ownership. Danielle has held various senior leadership roles including Head of ESG at VFMC, and most recently global Deputy Chief Sustainable Investment Officer at Aberdeen Investments, with global responsibility for sustainability commercialisation. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Environment, Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance, and a Juris Doctor (JD).
David Puxty
Head of Sustainability
Waste Options
David is the Head of Sustainability at Waste Options, assisting our customers to achieve their sustainability goals in resource recovery. Customers include Commonwealth and State Governments, and multinational organisations in the energy, food, retail, retirement and banking sectors. With 270 contractor partners, Waste Options helps innovative contractors and ambitious customers benefit from each other sustainably and economically.
David's sustainability roots are in Landcare, facilities management and 12 years focusing on improving the resource recovery options available to businesses.
Olivia Tyler
Chief People & Sustainability Officer
IVE Group
Olivia Tyler is Chief People & Sustainability Officer at IVE Group, Australia’s largest diversified marketing company, where she leads People & Culture, Safety, Compliance and Sustainability. With more than 25 years’ experience across finance, retail, consumer goods and advisory, she’s worked inside some of Australia’s most complex organisations, including Westpac, Woolworths and Treasury Wine Estates helping turn big, messy challenges into something impactful.
She’s also the Founder and Managing Director of Good & Should, an organisation focused on making sustainability practical and useful in the real world, and building the next generation of respectful agitators.
A CEW Sustainability Scholar and TED speaker, Olivia is a qualified marine scientist and environmental engineer, holds an MBA, and has completed executive programs through Oxford, Harvard and AICD. She also serves on several boards supporting companion animals and their people, which is her first true love.
Alex Geddes
Executive Director, Programs & Innovation
NSW EPA
Alex is the Executive Director, Programs & Innovation at the NSW EPA. In this role, Alex leads teams that deliver impactful, data-driven programs and foster innovation pathways.
Key programs in this portfolio include Return & Earn, Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO), and a range of programs that support stewardship, waste avoidance, resource recovery and climate change actions. These programs are enabled by functions dedicated to excellence in environmental intelligence, analytics and digital innovation.
Alex’s focus is on developing strong partnerships with stakeholders to drive outcomes that support the circular economy, a sustainable future and improve human health.
Prior to joining the EPA, Alex held many senior executive roles across government, including in digital delivery, designing community-focused initiatives and leading strategy, advocacy and communications functions. She has also advised Premiers and Ministers across a range of portfolios. Alex started her career as a corporate lawyer for an international law firm.
Alex has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) / Laws and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Jason Zhang
Co-Founder & CEO
Low Carbon Materials Hub
Adam Culley
CEO
Planet Ark
As CEO of Planet Ark Adam is proud to be leading an organisation with a 34-year history of providing positive environmental actions to all Australians. His motivation is to help support Australia’s transition to a circular economy, to create a world where we thrive in balance with nature.
Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography as well as an MBA from Bayes Business School. Prior to joining Planet Ark in 2020 Adam spent 15 years working in the science, energy and banking sectors in the UK and Australia in a range of commercial and project management roles. He also launched a social enterprise focussed on supporting the homeless in London. Adam is thrilled to be using the combination of this experience in an area that is ultimately decisive
Brett Giddings
Head of Product, Innovation & Partnerships
TEM (Tasman Environmental Markets)
Brett Giddings is Head of Product, Innovation& Partnerships at TEM (Tasman Environmental Markets), where he helps organisations navigate and support next‑generation carbon and nature solutions. His work sits at the edge of sustainability, product and innovation in environmental markets.
Roland Simpson
Head of Transport Networks
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia
Sarah Casey
Regional Director APAC
Tangelo Software
speaker bio coming soon
David Law
Integrated Sustainability Practice Leader
Aurecon
David is a professional building designer, structural engineer of over 20 years, and Fellow of the IStructE. Now a Technical Director at Aurecon in Melbourne, he leads the Global Sustainable Structures Capability Group, and the Integrated Sustainability Practice in Victoria and South Australia - a collaborative effort of sustainability and building envelope professionals. Passionate about decarbonisation, David is deeply involved in industry advocacy through MECLA and DBI, championing the integration of research and practical application to achieve net-zero goals. With a focus on practical solutions and collaboration, he delivers newbuild and reuse building designs with measurable sustainability outcomes.
Kieran Leong
Director, DesignInc
& Co-Chair
MECLA
Kieran is a Director at DesignInc Melbourne and an architect with over 20 years of experience across health, community, education, and residential sectors. He leads sustainability within the practice and focuses on creating healthy, regenerative, and nature-connected environments.
Kieran currently co-chairs the Material and Embodied Carbon Leaders Alliance Working Group 7, focusing on designing out carbon in building projects. His industry involvement includes roles with the Living Futures Institute of Australia as a member of the Biophilic Design Advisory Panel, and the Australian Passivhaus Association as an educator and regular presenter. Kieran views every project as an opportunity to improve industry benchmarks and deliver high-performance architecture that provides a measurable, positive impact.
Georgia Broderick-Crawley
Senior Manager, Policy and Research
National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC)
Georgia Broderick-Crawley is a Senior Manager, Policy and Research at the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), where she leads the organisation’s approach to encouraging and improving economic participation by historically underrepresented groups, including women, First Nations Australians, people with disability, and people of culturally and linguistically diverse background.
She works across policy, research, and strategy to address structural barriers to economic participation, with a focus on embedding inclusion into economic and investment systems. She brings deep expertise in social policy and economic inclusion, with experience spanning policy analysis and development, engagement with diverse stakeholders, and strategy development.
Prior to joining the NRFC, Georgia was an Assistant Director at the Australian Financial Security Authority, where she led strategic initiatives to strengthen protections for Australians at risk of financial vulnerability.
Harman Josan
National ZEB Infrastructure Manager
Transit Systems
Harman Josan leads Transit Systems’ engineering and infrastructure team and is heading their Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) transition projects across Australia. In his role, he leads the planning and delivery of large-scale electrification and charging infrastructure programs that support the shift to sustainable public transport. With expertise spanning engineering, energy systems, and project delivery, Harman has been instrumental in driving innovative, future-focused transport solutions and enabling Transit Systems’ transition toward a cleaner, zero-emission fleet.
Yonis Dawd
Sustainability Projects Officer
Brimbank City Council
speaker bio coming soon
Jurre Smits
Regional Head of Sustainable Finance and Food System Transitions
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
As the Regional Head of Sustainable Finance and Food System Transitions at Rabobank Australia & New Zealand, Jurre leads the Wholesale Sustainable Finance team, delivering financial solutions to corporate clients in the food, agriculture, and energy sectors. His role involves enhancing client engagement and driving business development on sustainability-related topics, with a focus on accelerating transitions in food and energy systems. Jurre also oversees sustainability-related risk measures across the regional corporate client portfolio, assessing clients’ progress towards alignment of Rabobank’s climate and nature ambitions.
Jurre was a member of the Taxonomy Advisory Group for the Agriculture and Land sector chapters of the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and represents Rabobank on the Asia Pacific Loan Markets Association (APLMA) Green and Sustainable Loan Committee.
Before his sustainability role, Jurre was a Director in Rabobank’s capital structuring advisory function working across the Netherlands, Australia and US, providing capital structure advice for strategic events such as M&A, restructurings and capital markets transactision. (He holds a Master of Science in Financial Engineering & Management from the University of Twente, The Netherlands.)
Justin Williams
Managing Director
Australian Accounting Standards Board &
Auditing and Assurance Standards Board
Anna Haynes
Independent ASRS S2 Consultant,
Former Head of Climate Transition
Bupa APAC
Peter Bennett
Head of Energy Sales & Service - Commercial and Industrial Customers
AGL
Peter Bennett is Head of Energy Sales & Service within AGL’s Strategy, Sustainability & EES division. He leads the development of customer‑focused energy sales and service strategies, supporting businesses to navigate the energy transition through smarter energy use, sustainability initiatives and emerging energy services. Peter brings deep experience in commercial energy markets and translating strategy into practical customer outcomes.
Aaron Reid
Group Manager – Social Sustainability
Ventia
Kate Russell
CEO
Supply Nation
Kate Russell is a proud Awabakal woman from Lake Macquarie and is committed to empowering her community. Kate draws on her extensive experience working across public and community sectors and is driven by a desire to promote opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - making sure to approach all programs, policies and initiatives through an intersectional lens. Kate is passionate about engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to co-design programs and services using international best practices to make tangible changes in policy. Kate has spent time working at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Sydney and Canberra and for the Catalan Department of Education in Spain. Her work has primarily focused on employment, education and economic empowerment. Kate returned to Australia to work in the community sector to focus on Aboriginal employment and leadership development, and eventually joined the NSW State Government in 2016. Kate’s broad expertise and experience in diversity and inclusion, organisational culture, leadership, human resources and knowledge, and project management enables her to develop programs that recognise the intersectionality of diverse experiences.
Currently, Kate is a Director of the Committee for Sydney and the inaugural Advisory Board of the ASEAN-Australia Centre. Kate holds a Bachelor of International Studies (Distinction), an MBA and an Executive Masters of Public Administration.
Suzie Greenhalgh
Group Principal Researcher
Bioeconomy Science Institute New Zealand
Sam Lewis
A/Director of Engagement & Product Stewardship
NSW EPA
Sam Lewis is an accomplished public sector leader with over a decade of experience driving environmental policy, regulatory reform, and high-impact programs across New South Wales. Sam has worked for central and line agencies as well as local government.
Sam is currently the acting Director of Engagement and Product Stewardship at the NSW EPA, and is responsible for leading engagement with local government, overseeing management of Community Recycling Centres, and delivery of product stewardship schemes including the Container Deposit Scheme.
Kelly Grigsby
CEO
Municipal Association of Victoria, MAV
Kelly joined the MAV in July 2023 following successful stints as CEO at the City of Hobart and Wyndham City Council.
Kelly's background includes city shaping, organisational transformation, service reform and, as a respected sector-leading CEO, is experienced in intergovernmental influencing at state, national and international levels.
A Senior Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne School of Government, Kelly is also a member of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) State Advisory Council.
Alex Monson
Group Manager, Sustainability
Ventia
Alexandra (Alex) Monson is Group Manager, Sustainability at Ventia, where she provides enterprise leadership of the ASX listed organisation’s sustainability agenda. With over 20 years’ experience in environmental and sustainability management spanning infrastructure services, transport and construction, Alex leads sustainability strategy, decarbonisation planning, target setting and reporting. In early 2026, she co-led the delivery of Ventia’s first AASB S2 Sustainability Report.
A recognised leader in sustainability, Alex is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Roads Australia Fellow, and has delivered infrastructure sustainability ratings and award‑winning operational innovations.
Michael Frangos
CEO
Indigenous Energy Australia
speaker bio coming soon
Jill Riseley AM
Deputy CEO
Infrastructure Victoria
Jill is currently Deputy CEO at Infrastructure Victoria. Prior to this she was the lead Partner for climate and sustainability in Deloitte consulting and Deloitte’s Asia Pacific Lead Partner for the circular economy.
Previously Jill held various executive roles within public and corporate sectors including as CEO of the Victorian Government agency responsible for waste and recycling across Greater Melbourne and leadership roles within ASX20 including Vicinity Centres, REA Group and Telstra. She has held a number of industry and government honorary roles (including as expert panel member for the Climate Leaders Coalition and World Business Council for Sustainable Development). Jill was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours List for her contribution to sustainability across corporate and non-profit sectors.
Jill is an experienced Non-Executive Director and has served extensively on Boards including currently Trustee of WRAP (a global environmental NGO) and previously at Launch Housing, the Royal Botanic Gardens (VIC), ACOSS and Heathcote Health.
Jill’s academic qualifications include a Masters in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge, GAICD, and Executive Business qualifications from UNSW.
Rebecca Green
Head of Transformation and Advocacy
Social Traders
And with big businesses across construction, government, property management, retail and banking, assisting them to understand how their roles in those industries can embed positive social impact into the business.
Tim Ferraro
Regional Director APAC
Land Life
Tim Ferraro is the APAC Regional Director for global nature restoration company Land Life, delivering an exciting and ambitious regional growth plan as the company scales up, bringing significant international capital to Australian nature-based solutions.
Tim has 30-plus years of experience in Australian nature restoration, working across everything from semi-arid rangelands to coastal environments.
Donna Luckman
Zero Carbon Campaigns Lead
Merri‑bek City Council
Donna Luckman is the Zero Carbon Campaigns Lead at Merri‑bek City Council, with more than 20 years’ experience in the sustainability sector. She has previously served as CEO of Renew and as Chair of both the My Energy Marketplace Advisory Panel and the Coalition for Community Energy. In 2025, Donna received the Energy Efficiency Council’s Energy Management Champion Award and the Victorian Greenhouse Alliance’s Local Government Climate Champion Award. She convenes a local government Community of Practice representing 100 councils, supporting the shared development of knowledge and resources to accelerate the efficient electrification of Australian homes.
Phil Jordan
Director of Sustainability & Delivery
Scenic Group
Phil Jordan is the Director of Sustainability & Delivery at Scenic Group, where he leads the integration of sustainability across global cruise and touring operations. With over a decade of experience at Scenic, Phil has held senior operational and regional leadership roles, including General Manager for Asia, providing deep insight into tourism operations across Southeast Asia.
Phil’s work spans sustainability strategy, operational delivery, and stakeholder engagement, with a particular focus on responsible tourism, local procurement, and community partnerships. In parallel, Phil is the founder of Hills 4 Hearts, a not-for-profit initiative supporting community health outcomes in Vietnam, reflecting a long-standing commitment to social impact in the region.
Kristy Graham
CEO
Australian Sustainable Finance Institute
With a background in sustainable finance and social impact investing across the public and private sectors, prior to ASFI Kristy led the Australian Government’s work with private and institutional investors to mobilise capital for climate and social impact in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In this role she established the Australian Government’s first impact investment fund, designed to build sustainable and inclusive financial markets in Southeast Asia. She was also a special advisor on the Prime Minister’s Social Impact Investing Taskforce in 2020. She has previously worked in Australia, Latin America, the UK and in global roles for large and small organisations, driving global progress on sustainability issues.
She holds a BSc (Environmental), a Masters in Environmental Law from the University of Sydney and an MBA (Social Impact) from AGSM at UNSW and has been named in the Australian Green Power Players List for 2023 and 2024.
Daniel Moorfield
CEO
SecondBite
With an extensive career spanning over 25 years in the food sector and a profound passion for creating positive change in people’s lives, Daniel took the helm of SecondBite in September 2023. His impressive background includes leadership roles at various food businesses across Australia and Asia, with his most recent previous position being at McCormick, the world’s leading herb and spice company. In this capacity, he spearheaded growth and transformation, fostering sustainability and profitability across Asia.
Since joining SecondBite, Daniel has overseen the merger between SecondBite & FareShare – creating a leading Australian an end-to-end food relief organisation. SecondBite rescues surplus food across Australia and shares it with communities in need. Through their FareShare kitchens and farms, they grow fresh produce and cook rescued ingredients into nutritious, ready-to-eat meals — helping ensure people get the food they need, when and how they need it. SecondBite now rescues and distributes over 25 million kg of food each year, as well as cooking over 3 million meals for those in need. Daniel has a passion for food, and how it can bring not provide sustenance but also an incredible amount of comfort and joy to people as well
Michael Davis
Regenerative Economy Lead
WWF Australia
Michael leads initiatives at WWF-Australia to create an economy that is regenerative rather than extractive. Drawing on his professional background spanning banking and impact investment, management consulting, and Indigenous empowerment, he works to drive systemic economic reform and demonstrate regenerative business models that benefit communities, climate, and nature. His approach is grounded in hands-on experience, shaped by working on cattle stations in Northern Australia, holding leadership roles with startups in East and Southern Africa, and completing a Master's degree at the University of Oxford. An adventurer at heart, Michael is a keen surfer and cricketer and is on a continual quest to cultivate gratitude and wisdom.
Darren Grover
Principal Advisor
Thriving Biodiversity
Karl Shanley
Head of Stewardship, Australian Packaging Covenant
Organisation (APCO)
Karl leads APCO’s initiatives to support effective product stewardship in Australia. Karl has managed significant circular economy projects including the design of Victoria’s container deposit scheme and the development of the inaugural Victorian Recycling Infrastructure Plan. Karl brings expertise in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, waste and resource recovery policy, and infrastructure planning.
Pete Ceglinski
CEO and Co-Founder
Seabin
Pete Ceglinski — surfer, father of two, and ocean lover — is the CEO and Co-Founder of Seabin™, recognised in Time Magazine's Top 50 Inventions and among Australia's Top 5 of 100 Innovators.
A two-time TEDx and professional keynote speaker, Pete identifies complex, nature-based problems and builds practical, real-world solutions grounded in symbiotic outcomes for people, business, and nature alike.
Inspired by Patagonia's for-profit conservation model, he believes workplace flexibility, wellbeing, and environmental purpose are the foundation of innovation — driving systemic change through entrepreneurship, brand building, and accidental corporate activism.
Sam Aarts
Business Development Manager
TLV
Sam is a Chemical & Process Engineer with over 10 years of experience specialising in process control and thermal energy management within the manufacturing sector. He has a passion for energy optimisation through heat recovery and system integration approaches, with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of his clients.
Marky Rochford
Founder & Managing Director
Frank Wild
After years of being frustrated by the event industry’s inherent wastefulness and lack of ambition for change, Marky started Frank Wild in 2014, and is now widely recognised as a pioneer of sustainable events in Australia.
Frank Wild is B Corp certified, a registered consultant for Climate Active and built their own third-party verified carbon calculator built specifically for the industry.
Delivering high-end events across corporate, government, sport and creative sectors, their mission is to show a slow-turning industry that creativity can coexist with sustainability within budget.
Gemma Gwilliams
National ESG Manager
Tassal Group
Gemma leads the delivery of Tassal’s ESG strategy, embedding measurable sustainability outcomes across aquaculture operations and the value chain. Tassal is Australia’s largest seafood producer. Her work focuses on climate transition, sustainability-linked financing, and key priorities including responsible sourcing and emissions reduction. Gemma works closely with finance and operations to align ESG performance with business strategy and evolving regulatory expectations. She is passionate about advancing sustainable aquaculture and supporting resilient, low-carbon food systems.
Annabel O'Neill
Deputy CEO
Greenfleet
Annabel O’Neill is Deputy CEO of Greenfleet, a leading Australian not‑for‑profit environmental organisation, where she helps drive credible, science‑based climate action through large‑scale reforestation and ecological restoration. She brings deep experience in strategy, governance and organisational leadership, with a strong focus on translating sustainability ambition into measurable outcomes. Annabel has led Marketing, Society and Sustainability at the University of Melbourne, examining the role of business, ethics and accountability in environmental action. She is a respected voice on authenticity, integrity and impact in sustainability leadership.
Piers Grove
CEO
Boomerang Labs
Piers is the cofounder and CEO of Boomerang Labs, Australia’s leading circular economy innovation hub, supporting ventures that are redesigning systems to eliminate waste and regenerate natural resources. He works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, investment, and social impact, helping founders and organisations turn ambitious ideas into scalable, purpose-driven businesses.
Tim Cummins
Coordinator Recycling and Waste Management
Bayside City Council
Tim Cummins is the Coordinator Recycling and Waste Management at Bayside City Council with over 15 years experience in the recycling and waste management space. With experience in both the public and private sector. Tim has worked on a range of different project including the Bayside City Council Roving Repairs Program which won the Community Engagement Success of the year in 2025, at the Recycling and Waste Innovation Awards.
Tim sees that councils are uniquely placed to lead positive change in sustainability and waste management by working collaboratively with their communities to turn local priorities into practical, lasting environmental outcomes.
Nathan Collett
Senior Environmental Engineer
AstraZeneca
Nathan Collett is Senior Environmental Engineer at AstraZeneca’s North Ryde facility, leading the decarbonisation of industrial heat systems. He has transitioned the site from gas boilers to electric alternatives and heat pumps while integrating solar, managing projects end-to-end from feasibility through to funding and implementation. Nathan’s expertise includes securing the NSW Heat Pump Feasibility Grant and navigating the NSW Energy Savings Scheme to deliver strong ROI in complex, regulated manufacturing environments. He holds dual degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business and is completing a Master of Sustainability Engineering at the University of Sydney.
Alexis Davison
Executive Program Director
Big Build Roads – VIDA Roads
Alexis is an industry leader with extensive experience in all stages of infrastructure delivery. This includes the development of strategies, project planning, planning and environmental approvals, funding submissions, design and construction. Throughout her career, Alexis has held key roles on major projects in the public and private sectors in Australia and the UK. Inspired by the challenge to build sustainable transport infrastructure, Alexis was instrumental in the establishment of ecologiQ, an initiative aiming to optimise the use of recycled and reused materials on Victorian infrastructure projects. ecologiQ aims to optimise the use of recycled and reused materials on Victorian infrastructure projects, change the approach to technical standards and specifications, and build market capacity and capability.
Polly Gourlay-Philipp
Senior Manager Strategy & Policy Advisory
ecologiQ
Polly Gourlay-Philipp is a chartered environmentalist and environmental engineer with 12 years of experience specialising in circular economy policy and infrastructure decarbonisation. A Senior Manager at ecologiQ, she supports the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Agency (VIDA) portfolio to implement the Recycled First Policy and VIDA Transport Decarbonisation Strategy, and chairs the Infrastructure Decarbonisation Technical Working Group. Polly brings experience across government, start-ups and multinational organisations in the built environment and infrastructure sector, with a focus on turning sustainability ambition into practical delivery on major projects.
James Mitchell
Senior Climate Change Officer
City of Greater Dandenong
With over 15 years of experience in local government, James brings extensive expertise and a strong commitment to advancing sustainability and climate change initiatives across both community and Council operations.
With most of this time at the City of Greater Dandenong, James has successfully designed and delivered a range of programs and events focused on community education and engagement. He has also played a key role in integrating ESD principles into Council capital works and the planning application process. In addition, James has been a significant contributor to the development of Council policies and strategies supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Kate Baker
General Manager, Circular Economy & Sustainability
Visy
Rohan Martin
CEO & Director
National Automotive Leasing & Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA)
Rohan is the inaugural CEO of NALSPA. Prior to his appointment in November 2023, Rohan was a Group Executive and the Head of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability for the ASX listed, McMillan Shakespeare Group. During that role he also fulfilled the function of secretary for NALSPA. Rohan was instrumental in the formation of the Association in 2014. His experiences include senior executive positions with a diverse range of organisations including Tabcorp, iSelect, National Australia Bank, a leading NFP road transport peak industry association and global advisory firm KPMG.
Rohan has extensive regulatory, political, governance, communications, and media experience, whilst also participating in numerous State, Federal and Local Government working parties and associated committees, including the Federal Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling formed in 2010, and presenting in front of various Senate Committees. He also holds a strong understating of the Australian automotive sector and in particular low and zero emissions vehicles.
Rohan’s tertiary qualifications are in the discipline of Accounting, whilst his post graduate studies have related to the fields of Business Administration, Marketing and Investor Relations.
Bel Chellingworth
Principal Consultant and Director
BC Consulting
From Zookeeper to ‘Corporate Garbologist’ - Bel Chellingworth is an award-winning circular economy practitioner with over 20 years’ global experience, and has led Australian first projects across property, fmcg, logistics and retail.
She has a unique background spanning the recycling industry, State and local government, and has led circularity for Australia Post, ALDI AU, the GPT Group and the London School of Economics.
Bel is now Principal Consultant of BC Consulting - a trusted advisor to government, industry and business to make circular economy real in practice.
She was recognised as Planet Ark’s inaugural Australian Circular Leader, is a regular media commentator and can be heard on her ABC Radio residency 'Waste Not, Want Not' - broadcast nationally Fridays.
Michael Oke
Sustainability Unit Manager
Yarra City Council
With over 20 year’s experience working in and with Local Government to support improved
environmental outcomes, Michael is currently Manager Sustainability Unit at the City of Yarra in
Melbourne. The Sustainability team has its strongest focus on climate emergency action, community
behaviour change, and sustainability initiatives and integration across Council as a business.
Yarra is a certified carbon neutral organisation and was the second jurisdiction in the world to
declare a Climate Emergency.
Prior to Yarra, Michael worked at the City of Melbourne, at ICLEI – Local Governments for
Sustainability supporting over 200 Councils around Australia, and early in his career set up the
national Environmental Jobs Network.
Dr Matthias Irger
National Head of Sustainability
Cox Architecture
Matthias is a co-founder of the Australian Architects Declare Product Aware platform, and recipient of CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation Research Flagship Award and Living Future Oceania’s Hummingbird Award.
Kirsten Nettleton
Waste Education Officer
City of Stonnington
Kirsten Nettleton, Waste Education Officer at the City of Stonnington, brings more than 13 years of experience in sustainability education. With qualifications in Environmental Science and Primary Teaching, her career has spanned the tourism sector, not-for-profit industry, and local government.
Kirsten is passionate about inspiring behaviour change through community engagement. In recent years, she has led the City of Stonnington’s repair initiative, delivering a staged approach to establish a new Repair Café. This work included testing community interest, building a committed volunteer network and supporting the launch of the Phoenix Park Repair Café.
Since its establishment the café has grown into a well-attended monthly event fostering connection, skill-sharing, and waste reduction within the local community.
Luke Whenman
Chief Claims Officer
Allianz Australia
Luke is currently the Chief Claims Officer for Allianz Australia, having joined in June 2025. Prior to Allianz Luke spent 11 years leading Claims teams across Motor, Commercial, and business improvement. Luke is passionate about unlocking the value that the claims team can add to the insurance experience for Brokers and customers, particularly through technology and innovation but underpinned by technical claims capability. Luke is currently the Chair for ANZIIF Claims Faculty Advisory Board and holds an MBA from UNSW.
Kylie Adeniyi
Senior Manager, Strategy & Impact
VIDA Services
Nishtha Goel
Business Project officer, City Economy & Innovation
City of Kingston
Nishtha is a dynamic Business Project Officer with extensive experience delivering high-impact programs within local government. At the City of Kingston, she leads strategic initiatives that connect business growth with sustainability, innovation, and community outcomes.
Nishtha has played a pivotal role in designing and delivering Kingston’s Sustainable Business Awards - an award-winning, program recognised as Council’s Flagship Event and a finalist in the National Economic Development Awards for Excellence. She has driven strong stakeholder collaboration and set new benchmarks, including delivering the Council’s first zero-waste event and embedding sustainability principles across every aspect of the program.
Known for her ability to bring together diverse partners and translate strategy into action, Nishtha is passionate about supporting businesses to thrive while contributing to a more sustainable and resilient economy.
Sam Stone
Co-Founder & CEO
Bettercup
Mitchell Davey
Sustainability Manager
Delaware North Australia & New Zealand
Summer Steward
Project Manager
Team Global Express
Summer Steward has more than 15 years’ experience in transport and logistics, energy, mining and environmental compliance and sustainability in Australia. Summer is currently the Sustainability Project Manager for Team Global Express, Australia’s largest intermodal business, and was bought on to manage the ARENA funded 60 vehicle battery electric truck trial at Bungarribee, NSW. She was previously the Environment Manager for AGLs Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations, overseeing compliance and improvement projects over an 8 year period. Key Takeaway: Energy is a costly resource, use it efficiently and play the long game but remember our most valuable resource is our people.
Tanya Harris
Head of Sustainability
Lander & Rogers
Tanya Harris is Head of Sustainability at Lander & Rogers, where she leads the firm’s sustainability strategy and its translation into governance, operations, procurement and supply chain practice.
With more than 2 decades experience across public, private and international development sectors, Tanya has worked at the intersection of sustainability, risk, procurement and organisational change. She was a co-founding Australian technical team member developing Sustainable Procurement – Guidance ISO 20400:2017 / AS ISO 20400:2018, and current member of the international ISO 20400 Steering Committee..
Her career includes participation at UNFCCC COP15 and other United Nations forums, contributing to the development and reform consultations for the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018, and advisory services supporting a diverse range of industries and organisations across Africa, LATAM, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Her work is grounded in making sustainability practical: embedding ambition, confidence and capability into decision-making and risk management frameworks, shared value outcomes and measurable operational change.
Ryan Swenson
Founder
InPact Advisory
Ryan Swenson is the founder of InPact Advisory, an independent Australian sustainability advisory based in Melbourne. He brings combined commercial, sustainability leadership and policy experience to InPact, drawn from two decades working inside businesses. He led the award-winning sustainability transformation at Officeworks and has a proven record of scaling commercially-led sustainability initiatives that move beyond compliance into commercial value. MBA, Strategic Carbon Management.
Jane Symon
Procurement Business Partner
Mornington Peninsula Shire
Jane Symon is a Procurement Business Partner at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC), where she partners with internal teams and suppliers to deliver compliant, high-value procurement outcomes. She brings over 20 years of experience across Defence, Private Health, and Local Government, providing strategic advice on tenders, probity, contracting, and commercial decision-making. Jane’s career spans clinical nursing, workforce training, people leadership, and commercial procurement—giving her a unique, end-to-end perspective on how organisations operate and deliver impact. A consistent thread is her commitment to improving lives through practical, sustainable solutions. She is the founder of the MPSC ‘Doing Good Business’ framework, which integrates local, social, and environmental value into everyday procurement. Through this approach, Jane helps organisations go beyond compliance and cost—building stronger supply chains, enhancing brand reputation, and improving workforce engagement while still meeting commercial objectives. Jane has led key initiatives to improve accessibility and participation in Council procurement, including the introduction of Plain Speak contracts and simplified tender documentation to better support small and local suppliers. She also collaborates with major contractors to embed and measure local and social impact within service delivery, turning procurement activity into tangible community outcomes. Known for her collaborative mindset, Jane believes procurement is uniquely positioned to connect people, ideas, and organisations to solve problems and unlock opportunity. Her current focus includes initiatives addressing textile waste and advancing workplace inclusion. Jane is passionate about leveraging procurement as a force for good - ensuring every dollar spent delivers not only value for money, but lasting economic, social, and environmental benefits for the community.
Toby Roxburgh,
Chair
National EV Centre of Excellence
Toby is an advocate and entrepreneur for transitioning the transport and energy sectors to zero emissions. He is a leading renewable energy transition specialist from Stage/Territory level down to microgrids (local resilient power). His wealth of experience is invaluable in enabling a smooth, best fit transition to zero emissions. He has worked across the property, building, industrial and transport sectors as a sustainability engineer and was an inaugural member of ACT climate change council, supporting Canberra’s leadership in becoming carbon neutral by 2045 or earlier.
He is a practising electrical and electronics engineer, with a passion for valuable, practical solutions across project and system economics, environmental and social outcomes. He has over 23 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region and his companies and projects have delivered lasting legacies. Toby’s broad electrical & value chain experience in Renewable Transport covers electric and hydrogen vehicles, light rail, bus rapid transit, buses, trucks and electric passenger vehicles and charging, including V2G. Toby is chair of the National EV Centre of Excellence (NEVCE) a not-for-profit supporting the electrification of transport. He also runs electric vehicle (EV) leadership training and EV transition training workshops and courses focusing on people support and overcoming technical challenges in the EV transition
Samantha Ondrus‑Jansen
Circularity Education Officer
Frankston City Council
Jean Darling
Founder & Managing Director
Cirque du Soil
Jean Darling is Founder and Managing Director of Cirque du Soil, a Social Traders certified social enterprise specialising in circular systems design and regenerative practice in the built environment.
Born in Singapore and based in Melbourne, Jean brings a global perspective shaped by density, design and resource constraint. With a Master's in Architecture, accreditation as a Regenerative Practitioner (Regenesis Institute, USA) and certification in Circular Economy for Sustainable Built Environments (TU Delft), she brings over 25 years of experience spanning the built environment, food systems and urban circular economy - working across the full arc of circular transition, from strategic vision and stakeholder ecosystems to operational model design and on-ground implementation. A regular speaker and panellist across the Australian sustainability and built environment circuit, she most recently keynoted at the Arctic Circular Economy Summit in Kirkenes, Norway in 2025.
Jean's practice centres on the circular built environment, with food and organics as the lynchpin for whole-systems change. She brings deep expertise in onsite food and organics recovery - diagnosing which systems and technologies suit which context, and connecting the right specialists when needed - to help organisations move from waste liability to circular opportunity at any scale. Her clients span local governments, hospitality and accommodation providers, creative industries, schools, film productions and events - where the common thread is always the same: optimising systems for people and planet.
David Simpson
Strategic Asset & Sustainability Manager
Melbourne Park
David currently leads asset management and sustainability at Melbourne Park. He has asset management experience across commercial real estate, mining sites, schools, hospitals, local councils, and sporting & entertainment venues. In this time,
David has seen the integral role sustainability and resilience plays in the maintaining long-term success in public infrastructure. With a strong foundation in capital planning, David specialises in data-driven and risk-based decision making. His work integrates asset management with emerging climate resilience needs to ensure infrastructure remains, safe, functional, and accessible for communities. The successful approach is grounded in evidence, purpose, and optimism. David believes that by making deliberate, informed choices today, we can leave this world richer for future generations.
Joe Bury
Electric Vehicle Transition Project Officer
Moonee Valley Council
Enrico Nathan
Energy & Sustainability Lead
City Holdings
Nominated for City Values Award in 2025 – Can Do Energy & Carbon representative on ESG Working Group for ASRS reporting. Worked on several Sustainability reporting platforms on behalf of a large Australian Retail store. Consistently reported in Carbon & Energy as well as Circular Economy for the past five years.
Facilitated Business partners implement a significant lighting upgrade program across their retail sites. This partnership delivered significant environmental benefits, including the delivery of almost 105,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Clean Energy Regulator as part of the governments Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). This is equivalent to annual emissions from around 35,000 cars, or energy used to run approximately 6,300 homes for a year.
Claire Cuttler
Senior Sustainability Advisor
BildGroup
Claire is a sustainability professional at Bild Group, with experience spanning across government infrastructure projects and corporate sustainability reporting. She brings a practical, informed perspective to climate disclosure and what meaningful sustainability looks like in the built environment.
Julian Freeland
Environmental Sustainability and Governance Manager
Ventora
Julian Freeland is the ESG Manager at VENTORA Group, a leading manufacturer of
building products operating across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. In this role,
Julian leads sustainability and ESG initiatives across the organisation, supporting the
transition to lower-carbon operations and more sustainable building product solutions
for both the commercial and residential construction sectors.
Prior to joining VENTORA Group, Julian worked extensively in sustainability and the
built environment across both Federal and State Government sectors. Throughout
his career, he has contributed to several pioneering sustainability initiatives, including
the electrification of public infrastructure facilities, the integration of renewable
energy systems into existing public healthcare facilities, the installation of Australia’s
first combined battery and solar system within an operational healthcare facility, and
the development of the NABERS Healthcare Facilities tool.
Today, Julian continues to drive practical climate and energy solutions within
manufacturing, with current projects including the delivery of 3.4 MWp of solar
generation capacity across seven VENTORA Group sites. His work reflects a strong
commitment to decarbonisation, operational resilience, and embedding sustainability
into the built environment supply chain.
Tai Hollingsbee
Head of Sustainability, Asia Pacific
GHD
Alison Dilger
Director of Integrated Sustainability
Aurecon
Alison is Director of Integrated Sustainability at Aurecon, working with a range of industries to develop strategies and systems to embed sustainability within organisations and infrastructure projects
Alison specialises in minimising resource consumption, carbon emissions and waste generation and identifying opportunities within design, construction, operations and procurement to reduce impact, improve climate resilience and shift to a circular economy.
Alison has worked closely with a range of organisations to help them understand the areas of sustainability where they can have the most impact and develop strategies to address barriers to implementation. She is passionate about co-designing systems and tools that integrate sustainability into capital delivery processes and decision making from a project’s initial concept through to operations.
Rachael Roberts
General Manager of Research and Development
Paintback
Rachael Roberts, General Manager of Research and Development at Paintback, is a driving force behind the organisation's commitment to diverting unwanted paint from landfill and waterways. With over 10 years’ experience in repurposing domestic and industrial waste for new uses across both the public and private sectors, her creativity and engineering skills have been instrumental in spearheading the development and commercialisation of innovative products derived from recycled paint and packaging collected via the Paintback scheme. With valuable insights into the practical application of research, Rachael is at the forefront of sourcing new and sustainable solutions for utilising paint waste within the construction and built environment sectors.
Kriti Nagrath
Research Principal
UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures
Kriti Nagrath is a Research Principal with the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. Kriti has 15 years’ experience spanning public and private sectors in energy and transport. Her research focusses on understanding sustainability transitions and investigating the role of enabling factors such as policy, stakeholder engagement, social factors, and sustainable finance.
Currently she is managing research and pilot projects exploring different aspects of EV charging for homes and businesses. This includes looking at how individuals and fleets are transitioning to EVs, how value can be unlocked through technology, market and policy.
Previously she has looked at how products and services like energy, water & sanitation, building materials can be delivered in India and Africa.
Lachlan Curtin-Corr
Project Manager Circular Economy
City of Melbourne
Lachlan Curtin-Corr is a Project Manager in the City of Melbourne's Circular Economy team, where he leads food waste and glass recycling projects across the
municipality. His current focus is the high rise dehydrator pilot, which has diverted 67
tonnes of food waste from landfill across 10 high rise residential buildings, and the
design of Melbourne's separated glass recycling service. He also supported the city's
waste infrastructure audit, providing contractors with the survey tool, data and
troubleshooting needed to capture bin room and waste stream details across more
than 300 high rise residential buildings.
Lachlan came to waste management via an unusual route. He trained as a
communication designer at RMIT and joined Australia Post as a graduate, working
on one of its largest national campaigns, before moving into the City of Melbourne's
Destination Marketing team in 2021. He stepped into project management in 2023.
He brings a design and communications lens to circular economy work, and has
connected Melbourne with cities including Milan and Oslo through the C40 network.
Michaela Young
Principal Consultant
Anthesis
Michaela is an experienced, purpose-led consultant and environmental lawyer with more than 15 years’ experience in climate, environmental regulation, natural resource management and strategic consulting. She holds a Master of Laws in Environmental and Marine Law, certifications as an Accounting for Nature auditor, and Reef Credit verifier, and SBTN expert advisor. Through both her past roles and present work with Anthesis, Michaela has gained deep experience in the regulatory frameworks and systems that govern natural resource management and carbon. She has worked with one of Africa’s largest conservation trust funds, and supported the work of the IUCN on protected areas laws. At Anthesis, Michaela heads up the Nature Strategy service line, and has worked with clients from the finance through to asset management and real estate sectors to deepen their understanding of nature risk; and the opportunities posed by emerging nature markets. With deep experience working with the Australian ACCU Scheme, Michaela is passionate about finding ways to bring together carbon, nature, and socio-cultural outcomes and served on the Board of the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF) for 5 years.
Michael Salvatico
APAC Climate & Nature Client Development Director
Anthesis
Michael is a sustainability professional with experience across investment, commercial strategy and business development. He brings a commercial lens to sustainability, helping companies decarbonise value chains through renewables and energy efficiency, and translate climate and ESG risks into strategy and investor‑relevant action. His focus is on delivering outcomes that are real, measurable and credible. With over 20 years’ experience, he has built and grown businesses across APAC, the Middle East and Africa, leading teams and identifying growth opportunities. He works with investors, companies, regulators, consultants, exchanges and industry bodies to improve operations, manage risk and shape portfolios. His expertise spans renewables, net zero transition plans, nature and biodiversity risk, and sustainability performance. Michael regularly presents at executive and board sessions, industry roundtables and major conferences, including COP28. He contributes to initiatives including Climate Impact X’s International Advisory Committee, ASFA, ASFI, UNPRI and RIAA. Previously, he led Emerging Markets research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and co‑founded Climakind.
Thomas Hodgson
Climate Resilience and Decarbonisation National Lead, Director
Anthesis
Thomas is an Environmental Engineer and MBA with broad industry experience as a carbon, energy and climate strategy specialist, and Anthesis Director for Decarbonisation in Australia. He is trusted by many of Australia’s largest and most complex businesses and has led some of the nation’s largest decarbonisation projects. He specialises in the industrial sector, with deep knowledge of carbon regulatory schemes, the positioning of large emitters within these frameworks, and the innovations and opportunities to respond. Thomas began his career with the Department of Environment and later advised the Department of Climate Change on the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme, contributing to the establishment of the Clean Energy Regulator. He has since built extensive consulting experience, supporting organisations to manage regulatory obligations, reduce risk and deliver decarbonisation outcomes.
Sabrina Miethke
Energy & Sustainability Associate Manager
Accenture Australia
Sabrina is an Energy & Sustainability Expert at Accenture with experience delivering ESG, decarbonisation and sustainability transformation programs across Australia.
Her work spans from emissions reporting, climate strategy, stakeholder engagement and ESG technology implementation, as well as delivery of regulatory reporting frameworks. Sabrina also leads circular economy and sustainable packaging initiatives focussed on waste reduction and improving the integrity of sustainability data in businesses.
Prior to consulting, Sabrina worked in the renewable sector advising commercial and industrial organisations on energy procurement and net zero strategies. She holds a Master of Environment from the University of Melbourne
Matt Hudson
Executive Manager of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Qantas Group
With over two decades at Qantas, Matt has held progressive leadership positions spanning commercial strategy, finance, and customer experience. His recent roles include Executive Manager Commercial Airports, Fuel & Leasing, and Head of Finance & Commercial for Freight & Catering, giving him deep expertise across airline operational and financial complexities.
Abhinav Bijavara
Director
Edible Cutlery
Dr Marnie Telfer
Director - Nature
Anthesis (Australia)
Marnie has over 18 years’ experience in carbon, nature and climate change. With a background in project management, method development and auditing, she brings experience across a range of nature-based solutions including land-based Emission Reduction Fund (ERF) projects and an in-depth understanding of policy, the nature-based carbon market and carbon credits. Marnie has supported implementation, monitoring, and offsets reporting for ERF Methodologies, assisted corporations to identify potential carbon abatement opportunities on their land holdings to offset emissions, and contributed to carbon project and method development.
Mark Williamson
Special Advisor – Climate & Nature
Anthesis
A senior leader with extensive experience across government and industry, he has held executive regulatory roles at Commonwealth, State and Local levels in Australia, spanning climate change and renewables, environmental protection, industrial regulation and planning. He has also held a national commercial and technical leadership role within an ASX 200 company, focused on recycling and advanced waste technologies, combining policy, regulation and market delivery to implement complex environmental frameworks in practice.
His experience includes supporting the development and implementation of the Carbon Pricing Mechanism and contributing to the establishment of the Clean Energy Regulator. He went on to lead the administration of the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target through a period of significant market uncertainty. He remains closely engaged in the evolution of Australia’s carbon markets, including ACCU market infrastructure, and is a regular contributor to carbon market insights. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.
Mayur Bajaj
Energy & Reporting Manager
City Holdings
Mayur is an experienced Energy sector professional with over 20 years of delivering operational excellence, business improvements, and innovative product and service solutions. His career spans end‑to‑end project delivery—from planning and data analysis to change management, prototype development, and system optimisation. Mayur has worked across a wide range of environments, giving me a strong understanding of emerging technologies and the market, economic, and environmental forces shaping the industry. He is committed to developing talent and has led multiple successful mentoring programs. Mayur’s leadership style blends structure with agility, enabling him to build high‑performing teams and foster positive, collaborative cultures that support both organisational goals and individual growth.
Priya Bellino
Head of the Sustainability Solutions Group, Asia Pacific
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
Michael Li
Research Strategy Lead
Climateworks
Michael leads the Research, Analysis and Modelling team that provides strategic direction on research practice at Climateworks Centre. He provides independent and objective advice on how to develop, interpret and translate analytical outputs to deliver strategic outcomes. He also leads Climateworks’ modelling advisory projects with partners including CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.
In 2017–18, Michael managed the Built to Perform initiative in collaboration with industry and government. This resulted in a once-in-a-decade reform of Australian building energy regulations, and his recognition as Young Energy Efficiency Professional of the Year at the 2018 National Energy Efficiency Awards.
Michael led a multidisciplinary team to deliver the Climateworks Centre Decarbonisation Scenarios 2023, currently the preeminent non-government evidence base cited by the Australian public and private sectors for setting climate targets in line with the Paris Agreement.
For seven months over 2024–25, Michael acted as Head of Strategy on Climateworks’ executive leadership team. Before joining Climateworks in 2017, Michael worked as a sustainability consultant at global engineering consultancy AECOM.
Michael holds Bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering (with honours) and applied mathematics from the University of Melbourne and a Master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of Cambridge. He is currently studying an online Master of Business Administration specialising in digital transformation at RMIT University (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).
Will Overman
Co Founder & General Manage
Green My Plate
Will is a seasoned event professional with over 10 years of experience in the industry, specialising in operations and logistics. He has played key roles at some of the world’s most iconic events, including serving as Waste Manager at Glastonbury Festival, Cleaning Operations Manager at the London Olympics, Backstage Coordinator at Falls Festival, and Event Delivery Manager at Spark Event Group, among many others.
Nick Reece
Lord Mayor
City of Melbourne
Nick Reece was sworn in as Lord Mayor of Melbourne in July 2024 and re-elected in November 2024. He was first elected as a councillor at the City of Melbourne in 2016 and was elected as Deputy Lord Mayor in 2020. Nick serves as portfolio head of the City Infrastructure portfolio and deputy for the Finance, Governance and Risk portfolio – these cover a range of responsibilities and activities which are core to council business. As Deputy Lord Mayor, Nick helped steer the city through some of its darkest days during the Covid lockdowns and the subsequent recovery. With a long history of public service and experience in business, law and journalism, Nick brings a deep understanding of Melbourne life to the role of Lord Mayor. Nick is one of the original “Mo Bros” and former chairman of global men’s health charity Movember. Founded in Melbourne, almost 10 million people have participated in Movember and raised almost $1.5 billion for prostate cancer and men’s mental health. For over 10 years, Nicholas was a director for the street newspaper The Big Issue, Australia’s most successful social enterprise for homeless and vulnerable people. Nick has been a senior executive at the University of Melbourne. He has considerable experience in government having worked as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby. Nick lives in Carlton with his wife and three school age daughters. He is a paid up and passionate member of the Carlton Football Club and is dreaming of a flag for the Blues in 2025.
Marcus Gibson
Group IMS Manager
Fulton Hogan
Marcus has 30 years’ experience in media, technology, pharmaceuticals, finance, property, construction, manufacturing, and extractive industries in operations, IT, knowledge management, sustainability, government relations and corporate governance.
Twenty years ago, Marcus joined the initial cohort of Climate Reality Project presenters convened by Vice President Al Gore. He is currently based in Melbourne and manages Integrated Management Systems for infrastructure provider Fulton Hogan.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-gibson-64a1251
Tarek El-Rakshy
Managing Director, Head of Australia, Asia Structured Debt Vertical
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Gerry Buchanan
Head of Sustainability Governance
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
speaker bio coming soon
David Nesbitt
Ethical Sourcing Manager
The Sussan Group
speaker bio coming soon
Natalie Major
Head of Supply Chain
Suncorp Group
speaker bio coming soon
Brendan Lloyd
Founder & Director
Sustainable Concrete Group
speaker bio coming soon