Board Members
Janina Gawler
Appointed: 2019
Chair: February 2024
Click here to learn more about Janina Gawler
Deputy Chair: October 2022 - February 2024
Committees: Governance, Audit and Risk (Chair)
Grants Advisory Panels: Healthy & Climate Resilient Communities (Chair); Inclusive, Sustainable Economy & Jobs
Janina is a social performance and community engagement professional with extensive experience across local government, federal government and the extractive industries sector. Previously Janina was CEO of the Australian National Training Authority and also Mayor of Echuca. Janina now has her own consulting business and, with a history of generating partnerships with Indigenous communities, is committed to social innovation and community development.
Bernadette Murdoch
Appointed: 2019
Deputy Chair: February 2024
Click here to learn more about Bernadette Murdoch
Committees: Community Engagement and Development (Chair)
Bernadette is a brand and communications expert with a passion for community investment. Bernadette is currently Global Head, Reputation with CSL. She has led community investment programs that have had a strong social return on investment in healthcare, education, and the environment. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Dr Raphael Arndt
Appointed: 2016
Click here to learn more about Dr Raphael Arndt
Committees: Investment (Chair)
Raphael was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Future Fund in 2020. He leads a multi-disciplinary investment organisation which is responsible for managing six long term funds on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. Prior to this, Raphael was the Fund's Chief Investment Officer and Head of Infrastructure and Timberland.
Click here to learn more about Linh Do
Committees: Governance, Audit and Risk; Community Engagement and Development
Grants Advisory Panel: Homelessness & Affordable Housing
Linh Do is passionate about addressing climate justice and social inequality and has a background in advocacy, engagement, media and social enterprise. She is the founding director of the Wattle Fellowship at the University of Melbourne and serves as the international lead at Climate Catalyst. In the lead up to the Paris negotiations, she served as the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Verb. Linh holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and is deputy chair at Climate Action Network Australia.
Jane Hansen AO
Appointed: 2017
Click here to learn more about Jane Hansen AO
Committees: Community Engagement and Development
Jane Hansen is a Company Director with more than 25 years investment banking and management experience in London, New York and Australia. Currently Chair and CEO of the Hansen Little Foundation and all associated philanthropic initiatives, Jane is also Chair of the Melbourne Theatre Company, Chancellor and Member of the Council of the University of Melbourne. She is also on the board of Opera Australia and a member of Chief Executive Women. In January 2020 Jane was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community, to education and cultural institutions, and through philanthropic support for charitable foundations.
Prof. Rob McGauran
Appointed: 2017
Deputy Chair: October 2019 - 2022
Click here to learn more about Prof. Rob McGauran
Committees: Community Engagement and Development
Grants Advisory Panel: Homelessness & Affordable Housing (Chair)
A founding Director of award-winning design practice MGS Architects, Rob’s particular areas of interest are around the themes of knowledge, inclusive, sustainable, and connected cities and the buildings, partnerships and programs that support these themes. He is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture Practice at Monash University and Professorial Fellow of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Melbourne. In the not-for-profit sector, Rob has been a board member of Housing Choices Australia and Melbourne Affordable Housing and a Future Ambassador for Melbourne 2026.
Mary Nega
Appointed: 2023
Click here to learn more about Mary Nega
Committees: Investment
Grants Advisory Panels: Inclusive, Sustainable Economy & Jobs (Chair)
Mary's work focuses on supporting underrepresented or vulnerable communities, particularly young people and culturally diverse groups.
Mary is the CEO of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, charged with advocating for young people and representing the youth sector to uphold the rights of all young Victorians.
She previously served as the CEO of Global Voices, an independent, youth-led, not-for-profit organisation. In this role, she led initiatives that provide practical experience for young Australians at key institutions shaping global decision-making through a policy fellowship program.
Prior to this, Mary held key roles in public interest bodies. She was Vice-President of the African Australian Legal Network, Treasurer of the Afro Australian Student Organisation, Chair of the MLS Public Interest Law Network, Member of the Multicultural Youth Network, President of the University of Melbourne African student body, and a member of the US Consulate Youth Advisory Council.
Mary has a JD from the University of Melbourne in law and a bachelor's degree in commerce from the same university. She holds a diploma of governance from the Institute of Community Directors Australia and has completed the governance foundations for Not-for-Profit directors program with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
John O'Connor
Appointed: 2024
Click here to learn more about Wei Sue
Committees: Investment
Wei leads Climateworks’ Strategy team, applying strategic thinking across the organisation’s systems to support ambition for real-life impact at scale. This includes leading the design, implementation and review of Climateworks’ strategic goals, as well as driving organisation-wide capabilities such as research and modelling. She also works to build collaboration efforts within and across Climateworks teams, as well as with external stakeholders.
Previously, Wei headed the Sustainable Corporates system team, focusing on accelerating systems change in organisational-level net zero strategies of companies and investors. She has also supported the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative (ETI), working with large corporations in Australia’s hard-to-abate sectors. Wei has also led several projects to develop decarbonisation strategies, including Monash University’s Net Zero Strategy. She was the project manager and co-author of ClimateWorks’ Energy Productivity Index for Companies, publishing the first global energy productivity benchmark of listed companies.
Before joining ClimateWorks, Wei was a sustainability consultant, working with government and corporations developing sustainability strategies. And between 2017-2018, Wei grew her management consulting experience in the energy sector, working with electricity networks and retailers to develop strategies and plans to integrate distributed energy resources.
Wei holds an MBA from the Melbourne Business School and New York University’s Stern School of Business (on exchange), an Honours degree from the University of Melbourne as well as a Bachelor of Science from Monash University.
Committees
Community Engagement and Development Committee
Governance, Audit and Risk Committee
Patron
Honorary Founding Patron - The Lord Mayor of the Day