Who we are
Current Authority Members
Mr Grant King - Chair
Mr King was appointed as Chair of the Authority on 9 April 2021 for a term of four years. He is currently the chairman of HSBC Bank Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr King is a leading voice in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space. He Chairs the GreenCollar Board, the CWP Renewables Board and Sydney Water. He previously Chaired the Expert Panel on Low Cost Carbon Abatement Opportunities. Mr King is a member of the ministerial advisory council for the Technology Investment Roadmap and a Director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
Mr King was appointed President of the Business Council of Australia in 2016, a role he held until 2019. He was Managing Director of Origin Energy Ltd between 2000 and 2016, following its demerger from Boral, where he was Managing Director of Boral Energy between 1994 and 2000.
Mr King is a former Director of BHP Billiton Limited, Contact Energy Ltd, Envestra Ltd and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association Ltd (APPEA). He is also the former Chairman of Australia Pacific LNG, Oil Company of Australia Ltd and the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA).
Ms Susie Smith - Member
Ms Smith was appointed as a member of the Authority in April 2021 for a term of four years. She is an experienced executive with over 20 years' industry experience and a background including major infrastructure project approvals.
Ms Smith has been the CEO of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network (AIGN) since March 2017. Prior to this appointment she was a Chairperson for the AIGN, representing Santos as General Manager, Carbon and Sustainability for over 13 years with the Association.
Ms Smith’s core areas of expertise include climate change policy and environment and resource management. She has contributed to both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change taskforce on oil and gas fugitive emissions and was part of the Global Reporting Initiative: Oil and Gas Sector Supplement working group.
Mr John McGee - Member
Mr McGee has over thirty years’ experience in the Australian and global capital markets and associated corporate sector. He has extensive experience across banking and finance, insurance, health and hospitals, aviation and air safety. In his executive roles Mr McGee was Managing Director of BNY Mellon Australia Pty Ltd for nine years, heading up the Bank of New York's corporate trust operation in Australia. He was also a pioneer of the non-bank home loan sector. He has also been a director of many subsidiaries and held responsible manager status on various ASIC and APRA licences. He was also Head of Funds Management, and later Chief Financial Officer, of a listed life insurer.
Mr McGee is currently a director of the Infrastructure Australia and the Sydney Local Health District boards. He recently served in non-executive director roles included Deputy Chair of the Private Health Insurance Administrative Council (PHIAC), the federal regulator of all private health insurers, Air Services Australia, Westpac Funds Management (where he was chair of the audit and compliance committee) and Delhi Petroleum.
Mr McGee holds formal qualifications in Economics and Law from Sydney University and has practised as a solicitor in Sydney and London.
Mr Mark Lewis - Member
Mr Lewis was appointed as a member of the Authority on 1 April 2019 for a term of five years.
Mr Lewis has had a lifetime commitment to agriculture growing up on farms in Central Queensland and later owning cattle and sheep properties in South West Queensland.
Mr Lewis spent many years with the Veterinary Services Branch of QDPI in the channel country and later in northern Queensland. He subsequently joined the Natural Resource Management division of QDPI where he first became exposed to agricultural climate variability as part of the Risk Management and Drought program.
Mr Lewis has a Masters in Applied Science from UWS, and an Advanced Diploma in Management from the UWA. He joined the Dept. of Agriculture in WA in 1996 and was involved in sustainable rural development and industry development. Mr Lewis was elected a member of the Western Australia Parliament in 2013 and later became Minister for Agriculture and Food.
He now sits on a number of government and private sector authorities and boards and provides corporate advisory services to a range of companies.
Dr Russell Reichelt AO - Member
Dr Reichelt was appointed as a member of the Authority on 1 April 2019 for a term of five years. Dr Reichelt is the representative of the Australian Prime Minister on the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and a board member of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and of the Independent Expert Panel for the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Reichelt's technical background is marine science, numerical modelling of ocean processes, ocean policy and management for conservation and sustainable use. During his 11-year term as Chair of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority the agency developed a new reporting mechanism for the Great Barrier Reef (the GBR Outlook Report) which was adopted as a model for the national State of the Environment Committee and UNESCO’S World Heritage Centre for all World Heritage Sites listed for natural values. The Outlook Report gave prominence to the extremely damaging impacts of global warming and ocean acidification for the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs everywhere.
Dr Reichelt has a PhD in tropical marine science (1980) and has served as CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Chairman of Australia’s Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and twice as a member of Australia’s State of the Environment Committee and on the board of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
Dr Reichelt chaired Australia’s National Oceans Advisory Group 1998 to advise a panel of 5 Australian cabinet ministers on creation of the world’s first Ocean Policy in 1998. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology; and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering; Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.
In 2021 Dr Reichelt was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his distinguished service to marine conservation, Great Barrier Reef ecosystem management, and climate change research.
Dr Virginia Marshall - Member
Virginia is the Inaugural Indigenous Postdoctoral Fellow with the Australian National University's School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) and the Fenner School of Environment and Society. She is a practising lawyer and duty solicitor, a former Associate & researcher with the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney and professional member of the NSW Law Society and Women Lawyers Association of NSW. Former Senior Legal Officer of the Australian Law Reform Commission and inquiry into 'Family Violence & Commonwealth Laws: Improving Legal Frameworks' (ALRC 117), Executive Officer of the NSW Government's 'Aboriginal Water Trust' and criminal defence lawyer with NSW Legal Aid.
Virginia is the winner of the WEH Stanner Award for the best thesis by an Indigenous author, titled, 'A web of Aboriginal water rights: Examining the competing Aboriginal claim for water property rights and interests in Australia'. Published as ‘Overturning Aqua Nullius: Securing Aboriginal Water Rights’ (2017) with the foreword by the Hon. Michael Kirby.
A lifetime member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and magistrate for the NSW Law Society's 'Mock Trial Competition'. She is in demand as a Keynote Speaker on Indigenous water law and governance, Indigenous traditional knowledge systems and the intersectionality of western intellectual property regimes and the Indigenous commercialisation of native foods and medicines.
Virginia is Lead Chief Investigator (Lead CI) with an ARC Discovery Indigenous Grant (2022-2024), ’Barriers & Pathways to development of Indigenous traditional medicines’ ($1,014,000) to ’unlock the significant, untapped potential for Indigenous Australians to benefit from the development of their traditional medicines regulated by the TGA.
Ms Sam Mostyn AO - Member
Sam Mostyn AO is a businesswoman and sustainability adviser, with a long history of executive & governance roles across business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy, and NFP sectors.
Sam is the President of Chief Executive Women and serves on the board of Mirvac. She also Chairs the boards of Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, the Foundation for Young Australians, Australians Investing in Women, Ausfilm, ANROWS (the Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety) and Alberts.
She also serves on the boards of the Climate Change Authority, GO Foundation (founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin to provide education scholarships to indigenous students), the Centre for Policy Development, The Climate Council, Tonic Media, and is a member of the Ethics Advisory Groups for the National Gallery of Australia and IAG.
Sam also serves as a Senior Associate of the Australian faculty of the Cambridge University Business & Sustainability Leadership Program.
Sam is past Chair of Citi Australia’s consumer bank and Women’s Economic Opportunities Review and has served on the Global Business & Sustainable Development Commission, and on the boards of Reconciliation Australia, the Australia Council for the Arts, the Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Swans, Transurban, Virgin Australia Australian Volunteers International, and has chaired Carriageworks, The Australian Museum and was an inaugural board member of Climateworks Australia.
Sam served as a Commissioner with the Australian Football League for over a decade until 2017. In 2005 she was the first woman to be appointed to the Commission where she was an advocate for the inclusion of women at all levels of the AFL. She was an advocate for the creation of the AFL Women’s league and was the 2018 AFLW Cup Ambassador. In 2009, Sam was a member of the Crawford Sports Funding Review expert panel which examined sports funding in Australia.
Between 2013-2017, Sam was President of the Australian Council for International Development. She was an inaugural commissioner with the National Mental Health Commission and was Deputy Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia. Sam was named Winner - Individual, in the IGCC 2019 Climate Awards.
Sam was presented the distinguished 2020 United Nations Day Honour Award for her significant contribution in advancing the work of the United Nations; in recognition of her outstanding efforts in the advancement of sustainable development as defined by the UN and her leadership in the areas of diversity and inclusion in Australia.
Sam was awarded an AO in the 2021 Australia Day Honours for distinguished service to business and sustainability, and to the community, through seminal contributions to a range of organisations, and to women.
Her executive and non-executive roles have encompassed business strategy, human resources, culture change, corporate and government affairs, risk management, community engagement, climate change, gender equality, and sustainability.
Before taking on non-executive roles, Sam held senior executive roles at Insurance Australia Group, Optus, and Cable & Wireless plc. After early years working as a solicitor for Freehills, and Gilbert + Tobin. She was a senior Policy advisor for Senator Bob Collins (Minister for Transport & Communications) and The Hon Michael Lee MP (Minister for Communications & the Arts), and senior communications Policy advisor for the former PM, The Hon Paul Keating.
Sam has a BA/LLB from the Australian National University, and in 2018, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the ANU, in recognition of her work as a pioneer of gender inclusion and equity, and leadership in sustainability and climate change.
Professor Lesley Hughes - Member
Professor Hughes is an academic ecologist and climate change scientist. She is the former Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science & Engineering at Macquarie University. Her research has focused on the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems.
Professor Hughes has been a Climate Councillor with the Climate Council since 2013 and a Director since 2021 and is also a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. She is a former Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports.
Other roles have included: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Integrity and Development at Macquarie University (2014-2022); Director of the Biodiversity Node, NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Climate Adaptation Research Hub; Commissioner in the Australian Government’s Climate Commission (2011-2013); former Director WWF-Australia (2013-2021); Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University (2009-2011); Chair of the Tasmanian Climate Action Council (2012-2014); Co-director of the Climate Futures Research Centre at Macquarie University (2012-2014) and Co-convenor of the Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network for National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (2009-2013).
Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE, Chief Scientist -
Ex-Officio Member
Dr Foley commenced as Australia’s ninth Chief Scientist in January 2021 after a lengthy career at Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO; where she was appointed as the agency’s Chief Scientist in August 2018, the second woman to hold that role.
While working at CSIRO, Dr Foley made significant contributions to the development of a patented high temperature superconducting Josephson junction, a nanosized structure that is the critical component of the most sensitive detector of magnetic fields. Dr Foley and her team’s most successful application is the LANDTEM™ sensor system used to locate valuable deposits of minerals deep underground, such as nickel sulphide, silver and gold. This has led to mineral discoveries worth more than $6 billion.
Dr Foley’s scientific excellence and influential leadership have been recognised with numerous awards and fellowships, including being elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2020, along with an Order of Australia for service to research science and to the advancement of women in physics. She was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering in 2008 and was elected as an honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics in 2019.
Other awards include Agenda Setter of the Year in the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in 2019, the Australian Institute of Physics Medal for Outstanding Service to Physics in 2016, and the Clunies Ross Medal of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering in 2015. In 2013 she was named `Woman of the Year’ by the NSW Government.
Dr Foley has held various roles, including member of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, President of the Australian Institute of Physics, President of Science and Technology Australia, Editor-in-Chief of Superconductor Science and Technology journal and Council Member for Questacon.
Dr Foley is an inspiration to women in STEM across the globe and is committed to tackling gender equality and diversity in the science sector.
CCA Executive
Mr Brad Archer - Chief Executive Officer
Brad Archer has extensive experience working on climate change, renewable energy and energy market issues. He joined the Climate Change Authority in November 2018. Previously, he was head of the International Climate Change and Energy Innovation Division in the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, where his responsibilities included advising on clean energy innovation, Australia’s greenhouse gas inventory, and international climate change policy. Brad has been working on climate change policies for the Australian Government since early 2011. Prior to this he worked on a range of issues in the Treasury, which he joined in 1991. Brad has qualifications in economics and information management.
Previous Authority Members
|
NAME |
POSITION |
PERIOD |
|
Dr Wendy Craik AM FTSE |
Chair |
2015 - 2021 |
|
Dr Alan Finkel AC FAA FTSE |
Chief Scientist |
2015 - 2021 |
|
The Hon John Sharp AM |
Member |
2015 - 2021 |
|
Ms Kate Carnell AO |
Member |
2015 - 2021 |
|
Mr Stuart Allinson |
Member |
2015 - 2021 |
|
Mr Danny Price |
Member |
2015 - 2017 |
|
Prof Andrew Macintosh |
Associate Member |
2015 – 2016 |
|
Mr Bernie Fraser |
Chair |
2012 – 2015 |
|
Prof Ian Chubb AC |
Chief Scientist |
2012 – 2015 |
|
Ms Heather Ridout AO |
Member |
2012 – 2015 |
|
Ms Elana Rubin |
Member |
2012 – 2015 |
|
Mr John Marlay |
Member |
2012 – 2014 |
|
Dr Lynne Williams |
Member |
2012 – 2015 |
|
Prof John Quiggin |
Member |
2012 – 2017 |
|
Prof David Karoly |
Member |
2012 – 2017 |
|
Prof Clive Hamilton |
Member |
2012 – 2017 |