Mark Wootton (chair) with his wife Eve Kantor own, manage and live on a 12,000 acre grazing property at Hamilton, Victoria. Mark is also a director of the Poola Foundation. Poola’s current main responsibility is to distribute the funds of the late Tom Kantor, Eve’s brother.  $10-million from this fund has been used to establish The Climate Institute.  The impetus for this was simple: a belief that the extreme urgency of the situation requires decisive commitment and action from government and industry on a grand scale.  Mark is also Chair of the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and is a board member of the Victorian Ministerial Council for Climate Change Adaptation

John Connor, CEO of the Climate Institute, initially trained as a lawyer and worked as a research assistant for a Judge in the Land and Environment Court of NSW.  After a stint as an environmental consultant to business he became a researcher for Dr Peter Macdonald the Independent member for Manly, during and after his role in holding the balance of power for the minority coalition government of the time. From there he ran the Nature Conservation Council of NSW and then moved to the Australian Conservation Foundation helping forge links with farmers and business developing solutions on salinity and climate change. John most recently worked for World Vision where he co-convened the Make Poverty History campaign. John joined the Institute in March 2007.

Susan Jeanes is the Chief Executive of the Australian Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) the national body representing the Australian geothermal energy industry.  Susan is also Managing Director of new energy directions (ned).  ned works with progressive energy companies to promote their contribution to climate change and sustainability solutions to government and to the general public.

Susan has previously worked in the political arena, serving in the Federal Parliament as the Member for Kingston and working as an Advisor to the former Environment and Heritage Minister Robert Hill on climate change and energy policy.  She has also worked for a number of shadow ministers in various portfolio areas prior to the election of the Howard Government in 1996.  Susan also held the position of Chief Executive of the Renewable Energy Generators of Australia (REGA) until October 2007.

Adam Kilgour is Managing Director of the Specialised Communications Division for the ASX listed Photon Group Ltd and a member of its Executive Committee. He is responsible for 16 companies in Australia, New Zealand, United Kindom, China and the USA. Adam is also Chairman of Stirling Henry Global Migration.

Clare Martin brings a wealth of experience to the Climate Institute through her work in journalism, and public life. Ms Martin was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in 1995 and appointed Opposition Leader in 1999. She was elected the Northern Territory’s first female Chief Minister in 2001 and served in that capacity until 2007, retiring from Parliament in 2008. She is currently CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service.

Professor Tony McMichael is an environmental epidemiologist, at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, with a long record of research and publication. During 2001-2007 he was Director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at ANU. He has, over several decades, advised the World Health Organization, the UN Environment Program and the World Bank on matters of environmental risks to health. During 1993-2007 he played a central role in the assessment of health risks due to climate change for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as an Australian Government-nominated scientist. He is currently assisting the World Health Organization develop that body's newly-mandated international program of research and risk management in relation to climate change and human health. He is supported by a prestigious five-year Australia Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Dr. Graeme Pearman was elected to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science in 1988 and has been a member and chair of many Australian and international meteorological/global change committees. Graeme was the former head of CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research. He was also a recipient of a United Nation’s Environment Program Global 500 Award in 1989 for his active involvement in a national awareness program on climate change and in 1999 he was awarded the Australian Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to atmospheric science and promotion of the science of climate change to the public.

Dr Hugh Saddler is currently a Principal Consultant with Pitt&Sherry and the Managing Director of Sustainability Advice Team Pty Ltd. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Australian National University.  He has a degree in science from Adelaide University and a PhD from Cambridge University. He is the author of a book on Australian energy policy, Energy in Australia, and over 70 scientific papers, monographs and articles on energy technology and environmental policy, and is recognised as one of Australia's leading experts in this field.

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