Our leadership

Mr Combet has extensive expertise across government, investment, climate policy and industrial relations. 

He has most recently served as Chair of IFM Investors and Industry Super Australia. Mr Combet was formerly Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Defence Personnel, Science and Materiel, and a leader of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. 

He has also served as a director of ME Bank and a deputy chair of AustralianSuper. In 2020, Mr Combet was appointed by the Prime Minister to the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission to assist the national response to the pandemic. 

His qualifications include a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), Bachelor of Economics, Diploma in Labour Relations and the Law, Doctor of the University (University of South Australia), and a Doctor of Letters (University of Newcastle). He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for service to industrial relations. 

Professor Garnaut AC is a widely recognised academic, researcher and public servant. He is currently Professor Emeritus in Economics at the University of Melbourne and Professor Emeritus at the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University.

In 2008, Professor Garnaut presented the Garnaut Climate Change Review to the Prime Minister. In 2010, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency commissioned Professor Garnaut to update the 2008 review.

Professor Garnaut has held chair positions on boards of large Australian and international public companies, including BankWest, the Primary Industry Bank of Australia, and Aluminium Smelters of Victoria. Professor Garnaut is also a Director of ZEN Energy, a company developing innovative and sustainable energy technologies. 

Ms Harris is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Energy Regulator. She has previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Security Board and the Climate Change Authority. 

Ms Harris was the Deputy Secretary of the Energy Group within the Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and led the Secretariat for the National Emissions Trading Taskforce. She has held senior roles within the Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. 

Ms Lockwood is Director of Lockwood Advisory and the chair of Infrastructure WA, previously serving as Deputy Chair. Ms Lockwood also served as Mayor of the City of Karratha (known then as President of the Shire of Roebourne).

Ms Lockwood is on the boards of numerous organisations, including NBN Australia, Malka Foundation (chair), carbon capture and utilisation firm Airbridge (chair), Chief Executive Women, and the Green Building Council of Australia (deputy chair). She is a former board member of the Freight and Logistics Council of WA (chair), the Westport Taskforce (chair), Water Corporation, MNG (chair), Leadership WA (deputy chair), Infrastructure Australia, Internet of Things Alliance Australia, and Tourism Western Australia. 

Mr Maher is the general president of the Mining and Energy Union, a division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, a position he has held since 1998.

He has been an organiser, industrial officer and campaigner, with many years’ experience running industrial cases in industrial tribunals on behalf of members. Mr Maher has led union work on climate change since 2006, including through the Australian Council of Trade Union’s Climate Group since 2008. 

Ms O’Neil is the National President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), a position she has held since 2018. Prior to this, Ms O’Neil represented workers in the textile, clothing and footwear industry as an organiser and then branch and national secretary of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (now merged into the manufacturing division of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union).

Ms O’Neil has represented her union nationally and internationally and has led campaigns to win world leading rights for workers throughout clothing supply chains.

Ms Parker is chief executive of Australia Rio Tinto Group. She was appointed in 2021 after a 20 year career with the company. Ms Parker also has responsibility for health, safety, environment and security and communities and social performance.

Prior to taking up the chief executive role, Ms Parker was managing director, pacific operations, aluminium, a role she took after more than a decade of leadership, safety and operational roles across the iron ore and aluminium businesses.

Ms Parker holds a bachelor of science and a health and safety diploma from Curtin University and is a board member for the Rio Tinto Community Investment Fund.

Professor Quiggin is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) and Executive Director Jumbunna Institute at University Technology Sydney. 

Professor Quiggin previously served as the Deputy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. She has served on a number of boards, including the Arts Law Centre of Australia and Gadigal Information Services. 

Professor Quiggin is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with an extensive legal and policy background. She has a diverse career across human rights, consumer issues, financial services, governance, rights to culture, heritage and the arts. 

Professor Simshauser AM is the Chief Executive Officer of electricity transmissions operator Powerlink Queensland. He is also a Professor of economics at Griffith University, with a background in energy economics. 

Professor Simshauser has over 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, commencing his career with the Queensland Electricity Commission. He previously held senior executive positions at AGL Energy and Infigen Energy. He was also the Director-General of the Queensland Government Department of Energy and Water Supply from 2015 to 2017. 

Professor Simshauser is a member of CEDA’s Council on Economic Policy and a research associate in the University of Cambridge’s Energy Policy Research Group. 

Anna Skarbek has been chief executive officer of the non-profit think tank Climateworks Centre since its creation in 2009. She is also the director of the Green Building Council of Australia, the Centre for New Energy Technologies, Impact Investment Group, and Sentient Impact Group.

Ms Skarbek has been part of several advisory boards, including the Blueprint Institute’s Strategic Council, the Grattan Institute’s Energy Reference Group, the advisory board of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) Asia-Pacific Network, the Australian Government’s Energy White Paper reference panel, Victoria’s Independent Review of the Climate Change Act, and South Australia’s Low Carbon Economy Expert Panel.

Ms Skarbek was a founding board director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (2012 to 2017) and the Carbon Market Institute (2010 to 2012). She was also director of Amnesty International Australia and The Big Issue.

Ms Tyler is currently chief technical officer at BHP. She was previously chief geoscientist and chief of staff to the former chief executive officer, following on from various leadership-level operation and technical roles in the company over the last 18 years.

In total, she has more than 30 years’ experience in mining and geology, and holds a bachelor of science in geology and a master of mining engineering.