Chief Executive Officer —Dr Adam Bandt

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When you grow up with a teacher mum, a social worker dad, and grandparents who send you ACF wilderness diaries at Christmas, you can’t help but fall in love with the places that make this country sing. From childhood holidays spent on the Coorong and the Murray’s lower lakes, to now taking our kids camping at Ikara/Flinders Ranges and Gariwerd/the Grampians, I know the importance of being connected with nature and each other.

My first ever protest was against nuclear powered warships pulling into the port of Fremantle. After studying law, environmental philosophy and politics, my first career was representing low-paid workers taking multinational corporations to court, fighting for social justice.

I was a partner in a national law firm when I read the science of global warming and was horrified. Determined to turn anger into action, I quit my job and started running for Parliament, making history by winning the seat of Melbourne in 2010 and being the local MP for 15 years. Together with people right across the country, we built a people-powered movement that delivered world-leading climate change laws and cut pollution.

Now more than ever, we need a people-powered movement that fights extinction. We will create a new world where nature and people thrive together and everyone has what they need to live a good life. By coming together, people have changed the course of history before, and now we’re going to do it again.”

Director of Campaigns —Dr Paul Sinclair

For over a decade now I’ve been finding ways of working with others to get water back into rivers, pollution out of our skies and oceans, places we love protected, and power to people to make the changes we need.”

I decided I wanted to put the world back together in a better way when I was a kid watching the forests and rivers around our family farm die.

I wasn’t going to stand by silently and let that happen again.

Now I get to speak out, show up and act for a world where forests, rivers, people and wildlife thrive. And I do this with over 700, 000 supporters and a great team at my back like a strong wind.

At ACF I have the privilege of leading campaign strategies, policy and program development and implementation for ACF's climate change and energy, nature protection, economics, government relations, democracy and community organising programs.

For over a decade now I’ve been finding ways of working with others to get water back into rivers, pollution out of our skies and oceans, places we love protected, and power to people to make the changes we need.

People are at the heart of it all.

I keep replenished by spending time with fantastic people and getting out into nature. That might mean getting submerged in Australia’s greatest river, spending time with Traditional Owners on Cape York or playing cricket in a great urban park ringed by big old eucalypts.

It all counts. I’ll be spending my time on Earth making sure it does.

Director of Fundraising —Christine Anderson

Working at ACF allows me to combine my love of fundraising and philanthropy with my yearning to leave the world a better place for future generations.”

I was born and raised in Canada and have been fortunate to live in countries as diverse as Algeria, Panama, Chile and the USA before moving to Brisbane in 2012 with my husband and two kids.

Before joining ACF, I led fundraising and marketing teams at Variety – the Children’s Charity of Queensland, and CauseForce, which enabled critical health and community services. Back in North America, after completing my studies in marketing, I worked in the corporate sector in international sales and marketing before deciding to change course and become a fundraiser over 12 years ago.

I’m proud to be a Certified Fundraising Executive and Executive Member of Fundraising Institute Australia. I’m a passionate advocate for ethical fundraising, lifelong learning, fundraising best practice and loving our donors.

Working at ACF allows me to combine my love of fundraising and philanthropy with my yearning to leave the world a better place for future generations. We are facing a crucial moment in the fight to protect nature and stop climate change, and it’s because of ACF’s generous supporters that we’re able to carry out our vital work of standing up for every living thing.

I am privileged to work with such a talented team of fundraisers to connect you, our amazing supporters, with the environmental issues you care most about. Thank you for supporting ACF!

Director of Engagement —Jane Gardner

I believe that despite our differences, we all want the same thing: clean air, a safe and healthy environment for our loved ones, the soothing balm of nature and freedom to enjoy Australia’s unique and beautiful big backyard.”

From reporting from the epicentre of the world's largest refugee camp, to running snap press conferences from disaster zones, to coaching the next generation of young climate activists, I have enjoyed an interesting career as a journalist and climate communications leader and have many tales to tell.

I was lucky enough to grow up in regional Queensland surrounded by bushland and pristine beaches, with tree frogs and birdsong the soundtrack of my childhood.

But it was living through lockdown in Melbourne that helped me fully appreciate just how intrinsically connected nature is to our wellbeing. I discovered many hidden treasure troves on daily nature walks with my young son. It saved our sanity.

Like so many Australians, I despair for all we lost in the Black Summer bushfires: billions of beautiful creatures, the clean air we breathe and our sense of being sheltered from the devastating impacts wrought by a rapidly changing climate.

I am deeply committed to using my time and skills to turn this situation around and feel very lucky to work alongside smart, kind and passionate individuals at ACF every day who share that same goal.

Together, we can work to preserve the things we cherish. We can harness the love of our natural world and the fury we feel towards those who threaten it, to build a better Australia and a brighter future for our kids.

Whale shark with patterned skin, swimming in blue water.

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