Banksia welcomes new Chair- Professor Kate Auty

Banksia would like to express a warm welcome to our new Chair – Professor Kate Auty, in joining our team. Professor Auty joins Banksia on the eve of our 30th Anniversary. We are really looking forward to Professor Auty’s experience and leadership in building on Banksia’s legacy towards our next 30 years.

‘Banksia Foundation’s reputation as Australia’s preeminent environmental awards program over the past 30 years has been a testament to the links its CEO and Board have developed with the business, government and community sectors. Like all innovators, the Foundation recognises the need to work with these sectors in a changing economic and environmental landscape.  I am delighted to be joining the Board at a time when the Foundation seeks to carve out new and exciting opportunities to celebrate the cutting edge work which Australian companies, governments and communities already undertake as we meet the challenges of the 21st century.’   

With her professional background and past experience in environmental sustainability and climate change, as well as her recent appointments as the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment Professorial Fellow with the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Melbourne, Professor Kate Auty will surely bring in some insights and new perspectives on pushing Banksia towards the next stage.

Professor Kate Auty’s current boards and advisor roles include: director on the board of the ReScope Project, the McPherson Smith Rural Foundation and Australian Women in Agriculture; member of the Advisory Board to AURIN; and member with the MDBA Advisory Committee on Social Economic and Environmental Sciences.  Since assuming her role in the Australian Capital Territory Kate has also assumed roles with Future Earth Australia (Australian Academy of Sciences), Fenner School (ANU) and the Institute of Applied Ecology (UCanberra). When Professor Auty accepted the role of Commissioner in the ACT she relinquished advisory roles with La Trobe University in Research Focus Areas involving sustainability, transformation of cities and in respect of water and agriculture. She also relinquished the role as chair of the advisory board to NeCTAR, and more recently she stepped down as chair of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute (University of Melbourne).

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Evans, our previous Chair, for all his contributions in the past 4 years, Richard will continue as a valued Banksia Board Member.