Banksia Ignite

Laura Ryan is super passionate about designing sensible research frameworks that are complementary to agile ways of working and using evidence to build products that deliver wellbeing outcomes.

Karen leads the Department of the Environment and Energy Partnerships team, responsible for implementing the co-designed approach to grow environmental partnering to deliver better outcomes.

Karen brings 16 years of experience in government policy and program roles in climate change, energy and environment.

Alan Dayeh has a career of over 20 years, holding roles in ASX-listed companies, management consulting and boutique sustainability firms. 

Alan is now the NSW Managing Principal for Point Advisory, a specialist sustainability services company helping organisations to contribute to the SDGs. 
 

Peter is responsible for Randwick’s annual environmental levy program. Now in its fifteenth year, the levy has provided more than $50 million of dedicated funding for spending on sustainability initiatives and environmental improvements.

Peter's previous responsibilities including preparation of NSW's 3-yearly State of the Environment report and leading Victoria’s Statewide Community Coastal program, engaging community volunteers and organisations in protecting and restoring Victoria’s marine and coastal waters.
 

Edda advocates for sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry. For over eight years she has built a movement to educate and inspire people to make responsible wardrobe choices. Edda is the co-founder of Australia’s leading sustainable fashion show, Undress Runways. She is also the co-founder of Lána, an ethical and versatile womenswear label available for rent.

d’Arcy Lunn’s dreams and daily life are dedicated to see a world with access and opportunity for everyone, everywhere! For the past 19 years d’Arcy has experienced more than 90 countries, given over 900 presentations to 85,000+ people and worked with leading development, environmental, social justice and global education organisations and people. 

Jonathan leads Public Affairs and Membership for the GBCA encompassing government relations, communications and research to support more liveable, productive, and sustainable buildings, cities and communities.

Jonathan brings over 17 years of experience in executive management, government relations, strategy and project management roles in the public and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the UK.
 

Peopleworks oversees the company’s human resources, staff development, recruitment and training functions.

Based in the company's global headquarters in Brisbane, Carole has extensive senior leadership experience within the company, both in Australia and in Canada.
 

Jane Kern joined Bank Australia in 2015 and works on its approach to responsible banking and sustainability. This includes translating Bank Australia’s purpose – creating mutual prosperity for its customers, their communities and the planet – into strategy, policy and impact reporting. 

John Thwaites is a Professorial Fellow, Monash University, and Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and ClimateWorks Australia.

John is a Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“SDSN”) launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to provide expert advice and support to the development and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Environmentalist and procurement specialist Lea Maguero has spent over a decade working across all aspects of supply chain logistics. But it was her passion for sustainability and the natural environment that led her to become the Environment & Sustainability Manager at BioPak. Lea specialises in sustainable procurement and is passionate about helping communities and organisations actively reduce their negative environmental impacts.

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in film and television production. She has delivered content to commercial clients, broadcasters and for feature release as a production manager and producer across a number of disciplines including; documentary, visual effects, feature films, television commercials and long-form children’s cartoon series. This has given her an extensive understanding of the broader industry.

Peta first joined Lush 19 years ago as a sales assistant in Dublin and later joined International Support traveling to over 35 countries helping build Lush businesses globally. 

She worked closely with the company founders and championed internal communication, employee development and engagement across the Lush world.

During her time at Lush Peta has taken part in over 50 campaigns supporting human rights, animal protection and environmental sustainability.

Alexander has been involved in sustainability communications since 2012 when he started life at the Marine Stewardship Council in their London HQ. With an ambitious mission to end overfishing and ensure seafood forever, Alexander has overseen behaviour change campaigns and events across 22 countries. Now focussed on the challenges and opportunities in Oceania, Alexander is keen to ensure the region accelerates positive action to meet the urgent sustainable development goals.

Responsible for acquitting funding from State and Commonwealth agencies and overseeing project development across areas including invasive pest species, biosecurity, threatened species management, community engagement and research. Terry currently works with APC Environmental Management, a waste consultancy that provided the strategic direction for the Islands Waste Management Facility and collection.

Justin joined SUEZ in 2017 after previously leading the Strategy and Marketing function at an executive level for CHEP Australia & New Zealand. Throughout his 13 years at the company, he  worked in account management across Europe and in operations roles leading the logistics function in the UK and Australia.

Ryan has been with Sodexo for 8 years, also working in HSE roles and as a Learning & Development Trainer. He started with Sodexo after completing a BA in Sustainable Development and is currently undertaking a Masters in Renewable Energy. Ryan continues to work on driving sustainability at Sodexo.