CEO - John Connor

John 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.

Deputy CEO - Erwin Jackson

With nearly 20 years practical experience in climate change policy and research, Erwin has developed and led many national and international programs aimed at reducing greenhouse pollution. This work has been undertaken in Australia, Europe, North and South America, the Pacific and Antarctica. He has represented non-governmental groups and advised government and business in national, regional and international fora, including being a non-governmental expert reviewer of the reports of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He has sat on research advisory committees on low emission technology deployment for the CSIRO and the University of Queensland’s Centre for Low Emission Technology. He is currently a member of the Victorian Premiers Reference Group on Climate Change. Erwin has written, researched and produced many publications on climate change and energy policy including a number of review papers in scientific journals such as the Medical Journal of Australia. He has given lectures at institutions ranging from the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London to local community group meetings in far north Queensland.

Business Director - Julian Poulter

Julian is responsible for The Climate Institute’s projects in the business sector, with several of the initiatives focussed on investment and finance. He is a highly experienced business professional, with his primary experience in strategy and change consulting combined with several CEO and director roles. He has had a successful consulting career with firms like KPMG, Origin Europe,  SAP and Oracle and has managed projects and operations in many diverse industries including investment finance, manufacturing, venture capital, energy, oil and gas, distribution, retail, Information Technology, tourism,  transportation,  commercial property, and media. He is currently a director of several firms, a business lecturer at Sydney University and is passionate about the ability of the free market to accelerate climate change solutions.

Communications Director - Harriet Binet

Harriet joined the Climate Institute as Communications Director in June of 2008, moving to its Sydney office from Griffith in the Riverina where she was Public Affairs Officer for the Murray-Darling Basin Coordination Unit program to assist drought-stricken farmers.

Hailing from Australia’s “clean-energy island”, she graduated from the University of Tasmania in politics and economics while training as a journalist at the local Hobart Mercury where she later went on to cover state politics.

Overseas work included a five year stint in the UK as a Public Relations Officer for local government and Media Officer for the aid agency Oxfam Great Britain. Based in Oxford, she worked on the Make Poverty History campaign, World Trade talks, G8 and humanitarian projects including emergency relief work in Indonesia and post-war Lebanon.

Jill Berry has worked for over twenty years in the areas of regional community development, corporate and philanthropic fundraising and marketing in senior executive management roles in not for profit companies. She has a strong history in government relations, innovative fundraising solutions and marketing across a diverse range of communities. Her history includes Local Government, International Festivals, theatre and a broad range of consultancies. Jill’s Boards have included The Australian Dance Theatre, Museum of South Australia and the Adelaide Festival. Jill is a director on the Board of The Australian Theatre For Young People.

Policy & Research Manager - Will McGoldrick

Will specialises in environmental policy, with a particular interest in international climate change law. Before starting at The Climate Institute in May 2008, Will spent three years in Samoa, as a climate change advisor to the Samoan Government. Will has undergraduate degrees in arts and science and recently completed a Masters Degree in international law.

Regional Projects Manager -  Corey Watts

Corey Watts has more than ten years’ experience working at the nexus of farming and sustainability issues. Growing up in the southwest region of Western Australia, he studied biology at Murdoch University and later worked with the WA conservation and agriculture departments on wildlife research in the state’s forests, wheatbelt and pastoral country. Before joining The Climate Institute, Corey spent eight years at the Australian Conservation Foundation working with farmers, agribusiness and the food sector on issues as diverse as farmland stewardship, bioenergy, national natural resource management policy and sustainable food futures. He is a past member of the Australian Landcare Council and a member of Foster’s Wines Expert Reference Group on sustainability. Corey lives in Melbourne where he is enrolled part-time in a Master of Environment programme at the University of Melbourne.

Investment Analyst - Fiona Skewes

Fiona brings a wealth of investment knowledge to The Climate Institute, with over ten years' experience in the superannuation/pension fund industry in Australia and the UK, within both government and private sector organisations. She has broad investment experience in all of the traditional asset classes and strategies and spent the past five years focused more specifically on the design of derivative-based liability-driven investment strategies for pension funds. Fiona has a bachelors degree in mathematics and finance and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Research Project Manager - Amrekha Sharma

Amrekha joins The Climate Institute with diverse experience in both government and non-governmental organizations working in climate change, both in Canada and Australia. She has honours undergraduate degrees in both Communications and French from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, as well as a Masters in International Security Studies from Macquarie University in Australia, where she focused in Human Security. Amrekha has been working in the international climate movement over the past year, most recently on the Tck Tck Tck global climate campaign, coordinating international days of action in the lead up to the COP15. She is passionate about the humanitarian impact of climate change on the developing world, food and water security, and the potential of the global grassroots climate movement.

New Media and Publications Manager - Garrett Stringer

Garrett has joined The Climate Institute with several years of experience in marketing and conservation education in Australia and the United States.  He has also served in a consulting capacity in new media, branding and corporate sustainability.  He has just recently completed his Masters of Environmental Management at the University of New South Wales and holds a honours undergraduate degree in Marketing and International Business from New York University.

Office Manager - Esther Green

Esther, who has a BSocSci from Waikato University, joined The Climate Institute (TCI) in May 2006, bringing diverse administration experience from NZ, UK and Australia. She has enjoyed being a part of the growth of TCI, starting with just two permanent staff to 12 staff today. She took a year’s maternity leave from April 2007 and recently returned to job share with Jenny Recio.

Administrative Officer - Jennifer Recio

Jenny Recio gained her extensive management and administrative experience working for many years with CSIRO, Canberra and in particular the Division of Entomology where she held positions in both the Human Resources and Finance Sections; Finance Office at the Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, University of Sydney where she also participated on numerous university financial systems and feasibility committees. Jenny then entered the private sector as Office Manager with a Sydney law firm, before joining the Climate Institute in March 2008. Jenny job shares with Esther Green in the role of Office Manager and assistant to the CEO.