Prof Mark Howden is Director of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, an Honorary Professor at Melbourne University, a Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Chair of the ACT Climate Change Council and contributes to several major national and international science and policy advisory bodies.  Mark has worked on climate variability, climate change, innovation and adoption issues for over 30 years in partnership with many industry, community and policy groups. He helped develop the national and international greenhouse gas inventories and has assessed sustainable ways to reduce emissions He has been a major contributor to the IPCC since 1991, sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Emily Briggs started as the inaugural Deputy Director General Climate and Sustainability in April 2023.

Emily has extensive international experience in climate and environment working across Government, the private sector and NGOs. She started her career at BP Australia. She has since held senior roles across the UK Government including energy, climate and green finance policy. Emily led the UK Government’s Brexit strategy on carbon pricing and played a key role in the UK Covid Green Economic Recovery program.

On return to her home in Western Australia, she joined Pollination, a specialist climate change investment and advisory firm. Emily led engagement with C-suite clients providing strategy, investment and business transformation advice on all aspects of the net zero, nature positive transition. 

Emily has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and Commerce and a Master of Science in Environmental Technology (Environmental Economics and Policy).

Lana Kovac is Director, Climate Resilience & VPS Action in the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). Lana has extensive experience in climate and environment policy, regulation, and governance across the Victorian Public Service. Lana currently leads a branch responsible for policy advice to build Victoria’s resilience to climate change and lead climate action through Victorian Government operations

Professor of Practice (Integrated Reporting), Deakin University and Special Adviser – Connectivity and Integrated Reporting, IFRS Foundation

Within the Deakin University Integrated Reporting Centre, Michael is Director – Thought Leadership and Industry Engagement and Director – Australian Business Reporting Leaders Forum (BRLF), Australia’s Integrated Reporting Community and a Reporting Stakeholder to the Australian Financial Reporting Council.

Within the IFRS Foundation, Michael provides strategic advice to the IFRS Foundation’s Chief Connectivity and Integrated Reporting Officer, leads the jurisdictional Integrated Reporting Communities program, and leads on thought leadership activities on intangibles and assurance connectivity. 

Michael is a member of the joint Australian Accounting Standards Board / Australian Auditing & Assurance Standards Board Sustainability Reporting Advisory Panel. He is a member of the Expert Reference Groups for the International Auditing & Assurance Standards Board’s and International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ Sustainability Reporting Assurance Projects.

Michael was associated with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) throughout its life as an independent organisation, between 2017 and 2020 as a member of the IIRC Board of Directors and since then as a member of the management team of the IIRC, then the Value Reporting Foundation and now the IFRS Foundation Integrated Reporting and Connectivity team.

Prior to joining the IIRC management team, Michael was a Director of KPMG Australia’s Better Business Reporting Services (2016-2020), and an audit partner of KPMG Australia for 27 years between 1989 and 2016.

Michael was the Executive Partner of KPMG’s Global, Asia Pacific and Australian Energy & Natural Resources groups between 2001 and 2010, a Director of the Australian Energy Policy Institute, and an alternate member of the 2015 B20 Infrastructure & Investment Task Force. 

Christian is responsible for providing strategic leadership of the AICD’s public policy agenda and governance practice program, engaging with members, government, industry and other stakeholders. A highlight of his time at the AICD has been co-founding the Climate Governance Initiative Australia – a multi-partner collaboration aimed at lifting boardroom climate capability.

Prior to joining the AICD, Christian held senior roles at financial services industry bodies. Christian was previously a diplomat with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and began his career as a solicitor at Herbert Smith Freehills. Christian is a member of the ASIC Cyber Consultative Panel, the AASB/AUASB Sustainability Reporting Project Advisory Panel and an AICD representative on the ASX Corporate Governance Council.

Perry has a degree in theoretical physics and trained as a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology, where he worked for 18 years, mostly as a climatologist. Since 2020 he has worked in the Climate Change and Energy Division of the ACT’s Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, where he is now the Director of the Adaptation and Resilience Policy team, which seeks to contribute to Canberra being a climate-ready city and strengthen Canberran’s resilience to climate change.

Julie is a climate change and sustainability professional with extensive experience in the public sector. Her experience, including as an executive, extends across organisational strategy, public policy and programs.

 Julie commenced her career by completing a PhD in earth sciences, and after a short stint in the mining and exploration industry, joined the public sector to focus on the management effectiveness of conversation action, and subsequently on corporate strategy development and assessing organisational and program performance and evaluation, in the sustainability and environment protection areas.

 Julie has a particular interest in helping solve complex issues leading her to work in climate change policy within the Victorian Government. She has contributed to the development and implementation of emissions reduction, climate change risk and adaptation policy, and the design and delivery of programs to support communities act on climate change. Julie led a policy branch to deliver climate change science and impacts evidence, the first set of legislated statewide adaptation action plans and complementary regional adaptation strategies, and a climate change risk management program for the Victorian public service.

Sarah Barker is a Managing Director at Pollination Law, and leads the climate and sustainability risk governance team.  She was previously a Partner at the Asia-Pacific’s largest commercial law firm, MinterEllison. Sarah has more than twenty-five years’ experience as a corporate lawyer, and is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on climate change governance, finance and liability risks.

Sarah is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Community of Experts. She brings the practical perspective as an experienced non-executive director, having recently completed two terms on the board of one of Australia’s largest pension funds.  She teaches the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s non-executive directors’ programme, and is an academic visitor at Oxford University’s Smith School.

Sarah is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers (Asia Pacific), and is recognised in the Best Lawyers Guide in both the Corporate Law and Climate Change Law areas of practice.