Greening Australia appoints new Chair Stephen Dunne

We are pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chair to the Greening Australia Board, Stephen Dunne.

Stephen has significant experience in financial services including a 21-year stint at AMP Capital, with 12 years as CEO.

Outside of financial services, Stephen is a farm owner with an active interest and investment in livestock breeding, farmland conservation and restoration – seeing firsthand the impacts of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

He currently holds multiple Board positions, including the Chair of the QIC Natural Capital Investment Committee (where he has been on the QIC Board for over 6 years), Chair of the Investors Group on Climate Change (IGCC) since 2019, and has been Director & Chair of the Investment Committee for the Cbus Super Fund since 2015.

Stephen said he is excited to take on this new role as Chair of Greening Australia, driving strategy and investment in tangible, on-ground action on climate change and biodiversity loss.

“As a farmer myself, I have a deep appreciation of and connection to the work of Greening Australia. I am proud to be part of a practical environmental organisation delivering tangible impact and leading the evolution of the sector. We are seeing an exponential growth in both the need and demand for environmental restoration, and rapid development in environmental markets to funnel investment into meeting this demand. Greening Australia is playing a pivotal role in helping to build these markets and in delivering the on-ground work that underpins them, so it’s a really exciting time to join the organisation.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are the greatest threats to our economy and to our livelihoods, so I was attracted to Greening Australia’s ambitious 2030 goals to tackle these challenges. In Australia and globally, a huge amount of capital is required to shape a nature positive future, but I’m optimistic that this can be done – we have no time to waste.” – Stephen Dunne

In addition to welcoming a new Chair, Greening Australia is currently recruiting for a new CEO. Outgoing CEO Brendan Foran, who has been at the helm of the organisation for 11 years, is confident that Stephen’s financial services background, vision and alignment with the organisation will drive success for Greening Australia as it continues to scale and speed up its operations in this critical decade for ecosystem restoration.

Brendan said: “We’re currently seeing enormous disruption in the environmental sector, with unprecedented demand from investors and policy discussion from government. I look forward to seeing the continued success and growth of Greening Australia under the leadership of Stephen Dunne and the new CEO.”

This week Greening Australia also welcomes Scott Anderson to its Board. A Birriah and Nywaigi Traditional Owner, Scott is a business management and community engagement specialist, and CEO of Many Nations. He is also Chair of Greening Australia’s Thriving on Country Committee, a formally recognised committee to the Greening Australia Board that is integral to the delivery, evaluation and governance of Greening Australia’s reconciliation journey.

Scott said: “As a proud Nywaigi, Birriah and Turrbal Traditional Custodian, I am humbled and honoured to bring my perspectives as an Aboriginal man to the Greening Australia Board. I am impressed by Greening Australia’s renewed commitment to First Nations people and communities as set out in the Thriving on Country Plan. We acknowledge that everywhere Greening Australia works is on First Nations lands and we play a significant role to support the social, economic and cultural outcomes of First Nations people through the important restorative works that Greening Australia delivers.”

For more information on this article, or any other Greening Australia news, please send us an online query.
 
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