Nadia McLaren - Social Ecologist
Ecologist and independent consultant

Nadia was one of the first Australian graduates in environmental studies. In 1980 she co-founded the company Social and Ecological Assessment Pty Ltd (SEA) and during the 1980s produced over 40 environmental reports and studies in Australia. During this time she chaired the South Australian Environmental Protection Council (1984-89) and was a Member of the South Australian Water Resources Council (1986-1989), Australian National Estate Grants Programme (1986-1988) and Advisory Committee for the Centre for Environmental Studies at the University of Adelaide (1988-1989). In 1988, she convened the national conference Greenhouse '88: Planning for Climate Change.  In 2007 she was a judge for the South Australian Food Awards (Environmental Sustainability).

Nadia lived in Norway during the "Brundtland Commission period" (1988-92). Together with Sven Björk (as Forum 2000), she arranged presentations of emerging insights in science, economics, ecology, health, futures, systematics, spirituality, psychology, social change and community development - with collaborators including Peter Russell, Hazel Henderson, David Bohm, Henryk Skolimowsky, Robert Theobald, Peter Caddy, David Lorimer, Fritjof Capra, Marilyn Fergusson and Arne Næss.

 

For 15 years until 2006, Nadia was based in Brussels at the Union of International Associations (UIA), the research institute and clearing house of information on international governmental and independent sector organisations. There she undertook strategic analysis on civil society, managed projects for the European Commission, NGOs and universities.  She is an Active Member of UIA and in 2007 compiled its Annual Report of International Meetings for the sixth consecutive year.

Dr Peter Ellyard - former board director
Director, Preferred Futures Institute

Dr Peter Ellyard is a futurist and strategist who lives in Melbourne.  Peter is a graduate of Sydney University (BSc.Agr) and of Cornell University (MS, Ph.D ). He is currently Chairman of the Preferred Futures Institute and the Preferred Futures Group, which he founded in 1991. He also chairs the Sustainable Prosperity Foundation.

Peter is a former Executive Director for the Australian Commission for the Future.  He held CEO positions in a number of public sector organisations over 15 years including two associated with environment and planning, and one with industry and technology, and was also Chief of Staff of the Office of Environment Ministers in Canberra for 3 years.

 

He is Adjunct Professor of Intergenerational Strategies at the University of Queensland, and is a Fellow of the Australian College of Educators, the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, and the Australian Institute of Management. He has been a Senior Adviser to the United Nations system for more than 30 years and has acted as a senior consultant to the UNEP, the  UNDP and UNESCO. In this time he has worked in 25 developing countries.

 

Peter was a Special Adviser to the 1992 Earth Summit in the fields of biodiversity and climate change, and contributed to the preparation of the Framework Conventions in both these areas. He is an Australia Day Ambassador. Peter is the author of the best selling book Ideas for the New Millennium (1998,2001) and of Designing 2050: Pathways to sustainable prosperity on Spaceship Earth (2008).

Peter continues to do this work in Australia and around the world. In his other work he is establishing a new global foundation, Foundation 2050, to work towards the creation of a prosperous, sustainable, harmonious, secure and just planetary society by the year 2050. His latest book Destination 2050: Concepts Bank and toolkit for future-makers describes the basis of this work. He is also working a great deal in a number of education programs in Australia and globally to help fulfill the aims of this foundation. Peter hopes this foundation will be up and running by the beginning of 2013.

Brett Godfrey - former board director
Founding Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Blue Airlines

Brett Godfrey launched Virgin Blue Airlines Group in August 2000. As the Chief Executive, Virgin Blue Airlines Group now comprises of Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue, V Australia and Polynesian Blue. Today the Group is Australia's second largest carrier moving 20 million passengers per year. Virgin Blue Airlines Group has taken an aviation environmental leadership role introducing a series of management initiatives and urging airlines to actively 'reduce and report' their efforts to offset and limit emissions. Brett stepped down from leading the airline after 10 years in May 2010.

 

Mr Godfrey is also a Director on the Board of WestJet, Canada's leading low-fare airline, Tourism Australia and Translink, the Queensland Government's  public transport overseeing authority.

Prior to conceptualising and launching Virgin Blue in August 2000, Mr Godfrey had a 12 year career in aviation and finance which included appointments as Chief Financial Officer Virgin Express in Brussels and Finance Manager for London based Virgin Atlantic. He started his career with Chartered Accountancy firm Touche Ross in Melbourne.

Ian O'Connor - former board director
Vice Chancellor, Griffith University

Professor O'Connor was appointed Vice Chancellor of Griffith University in 2005.

Prior to this appointment he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), Griffith University (August 2002 to 2004), President of the Academic Board of The University of Queensland (2001 to 2002) and from 1995 to 2000 Professor and Head, Department of Social Work and Social Policy at The University of Queensland.

He is a Director of The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Open Universities Australia, Australian Universities Quality Agency, Cape York Institute and Queensland Theatre Company.

He also served as Board member of the Australian University Teaching Committee.

He has advised or has been a member of many bodies involved in education, human services and social policy.

Jackie Branch - former board director
Consultant & Chair, Audit and Finance Committee, Green Cross Australia

Jackie Branch has been employed by the Queensland Government for the past 25 years.

 

Following graduation, Jackie commenced working in financial management and corporate reporting for government, specialising in advising on cost management and assessing the financial impact of policies and initiatives under consideration.

 

In 2006, Jackie took up a position in the senior executive of Arts Queensland during a period of dramatic change in the agency. The state arts portfolio is extensive, encompassing the Queensland Performing Arts Trust, the Queensland Museum, the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Art Gallery. Over the next four years, her responsibilities on behalf of government included financial management of government's subsidy to the arts portfolio, legal and governance matters, major infrastructure project delivery, management of the portfolio's significant capital assets and the operations of the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.

 

Her continuing professional interests include governance, financial analysis and organisational development.

 

A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland, Jackie is also a CPA, and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Louise Sylvan - former board director
Commissioner, Productivity Commission

Ms Louise Sylvan was formerly Deputy Head of the ACCC and the Chief Executive of the Australian Consumers' Association (ACA) and President of Consumers International.

An active member and worker in consumer protection nationally and internationally for over 15 years, Louise is well known for her work in enhancing consumer rights in a range of areas such as health, food safety issues, financial services, as well as in competition and consumer policy.

Louise's strong impact on the issues of the day was recognised in her inclusion as one of Australia's 20 True Leaders in 2002 by the Australian Financial Review's BOSS magazine.

Currently, Louise is part of Australia's delegation for the OECD's Consumer Policy Committee and serves nationally on the Australian Statistics Advisory Council to the ABS. Prior memberships included six years on the Australian Prime Minister's Economic Planning Advisory Council.  Louise has a BA and MPA from universities in her original homeland of Canada and immigrated to Australia in 1983.  She is a life member of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Deputy President of the University of Sydney's Medical Foundation, and serves on the Board of the University of New South Wales Diplomacy Training Training.

Kerry Gardner
Non-profit sector/environmental and social philanthropist

With a background in consumer goods marketing, Kerry Gardner is a company director of both arts and environmental organisations, as well as producing documentaries in this area. 

 

She sits as a judge for the Australian Business Arts Foundation Awards, The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards, and was on the Steering Committee of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network, and a board member of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Chairman's Panel.

 

Kerry lead the philanthropic strategy and support for The Australian Conservation Foundation's partnership with Al Gore and his Climate project in Australia in 2006.

 

Kerry is an active member of the Myer Foundation in both the arts and environment grantmaking areas, and participates in international environmental and philanthropic discussion.

 

She has most recently been involved in film and documentary production and loves all things French.

Khory McCormick - former board director
Senior Partner, Minter Ellison

Khory McCormick is a former Board Chairman of Green Cross Australia and is a senior partner of Minter Ellison (Lawyers).  He was admitted to partnership in 1982.  Khory is an approved mediator and arbitrator and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

A past Chairman of Energex Limited, Khory for some thirty years has been at the cutting edge of private and public sector litigation and dispute management.

He has substantive knowledge of many industry sectors but particularly resources, energy, utilities, corporate and agribusiness areas.  He has spoken regularly to such sectors including on the topic Climate Change: The Litigation Prospective (Sydney 2008).

Tony Coleman - former board director
Director, Lonergan Edwards & Associates

Tony Coleman is an actuary, company director and corporate advisor with a particular interest in risk management, institutional investment and climate change issues. He is a Director of Lonergan Edwards & Associates. Tony is also a member of the Executive Committee of the International Actuarial Association, a past President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and a former Chief Risk Officer of Insurance Australia Group (IAG), a major Australian insurer. During his tenure in that role, Standard & Poors recognised the quality of the risk management function lead by Tony by rating IAG as one of only 7 insurers in the world (out of some 250 rated globally) to have "Excellent" risk management processes, the highest rating possible.

Prior to joining IAG, Tony was a senior corporate advisory partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Australia. His 15 year career at PwC included  both management roles leading teams of several hundred people, building significant businesses for the firm, and a diverse range of business valuation, corporate finance and actuarial advisory work for clients in both the public and private sector covering a wide range of industries including mining, resources, retailing, electronic & print media, transport, water supply & wastewater treatment, power generation & distribution, oil & gas, infrastructure, property development, banking and insurance.

In recent years, Tony has also been active in promoting a better understanding of global warming and climate change in government, the community and business by working extensively on this issue with eminent scientists, business leaders and NGOs. This has included working with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as a member of the Australian Climate Group and with the Australian Conservation Foundation on the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change. Tony also represented IAG as a member of the United Nations Environmental Program Climate Change Working Group, was a contributing author to the IPCC's Report in 2007. He is also currently a director of the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystem Co-operative Research Centre.

In response to frequent requests, Tony maintains an active speaking schedule on climate change and sustainability issues, particularly as they impact business and investment.

Tony is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds BA and MBA degrees.He has attended management development courses at both Harvard University (2000) and Stanford University (2008). The Stanford course focused on Business Strategies for Environmental Sustainability and Tony was awarded a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees to enable him to attend this course.