Greenskills - Greenskills. Jobs for a sustainable future

Rob Gell

Chairman

Rob is a coastal geomorphologist by training; he taught Environmental Science and Physical Geography at tertiary level, then for twenty-eight years he has presented television weather. In his professional life he works as an environmental and communications consultant and is Chairman of Access Environmental Pty Ltd. He is also a company director, a published author and a photographer and is the President of Greening Australia Victoria.

Simon O'Connor

Economic Adviser
Australian Conservation Foundation

Simon O’Connor is the Economic Adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation. He has worked for a decade in the areas of finance, economics and environment in Australia and the UK for the private and not-for profit sectors. Simon’s role has him focused on the underlying economic drivers of unsustainability. He works across the organisation on issues including climate change, responsible investment, infrastructure, taxation, water trading and forestry.

Simon previously worked as a responsible investment analyst leading the Australian research team of Innovest, with a particular focus on risks of climate change across the ASX200. He has also worked as an environmental consultant to industry, and has extensive experience providing environmental economic advice to the NGO sector in Australia and internationally.

Dr. Garry McDonald

Manager National Centre for Sustainability

Dr. Garry McDonald is the Manager, National Centre for Sustainability (NCS) at Swinburne University and manages the strategic and business operations of NCS-Swinburne. The NCS is a collaboration of several tertiary institutes aimed at providing educational programs in sustainability through partnership with industry, government and community. Garry is currently focussed on an initiative to embed sustainability into every aspect of Swinburne University operations, most prominently, into the education and training curricula and courses of the University. In his previous recent roles with the Department of Primary Industries, Garry was Research Director, Sustainable Landscape Systems and Institute Director, Rutherglen Research Institute.

John Gertsakis

Senior Sustainability Associate WSP Environmental Pty Ltd

John Gertsakis is a Senior Sustainability Associate with WSP Environment & Energy in Australia. He works across a range of product-oriented environmental areas including product stewardship strategy, design for sustainability and environmental communications.

He consults to a diverse range of clients in commercial furniture, consumer electronics, business imaging, textiles and flooring. John is advisor and ecodesign judge on several boards and committees. He is also the executive officer of Product Stewardship Australia Ltd, an industry association developing national 'producer responsibility' or take-back scheme for end-of-life consumer electronics.

John is a regular contributor on the issue of product sustainability and has lectured and written widely. He was the head of RMIT University’s Centre for Design (2001- 04) where he continues his involvement as a research associate.