Corey Tutt is a Kamilaroi man from Nowra on the New South Wales south coast. As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a zookeeper and in high school he developed a love of STEM subjects. But unlike the arts and sport, he found there was little encouragement for Aboriginal people to pursue careers in STEM. In 2018, while working as a research assistant for the University of Sydney, Corey founded DeadlyScience, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to provide science books and telescopes to remote schools in Australia, and connects young Indigenous people with mentors to encourage their participation in STEM subjects. n 2020, Corey was named the NSW Young Australian of the Year, and a Human Rights Hero by the Australian Human Rights Commission. He continues to work tirelessly to send STEM resources to Indigenous communities, and show First Nations kids that STEM is for them. The organisation has even attracted international attention, with Corey presenting at Harvard and Oxford universities.

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I'm an activist/academic who works at UQ and Deakin on various climate change and Great Barrier Reef related projects while trying to retain hope for the future - some of which is delivered by all the amazing work Groundswell does! Also I'm co-founder of Advocacy Research Network, which provides free research support for progressive advocacy groups, as well as a few other groups working to track fossil fuel influence (eg influencetracker.org and soon to a launch fossilfreeclassrooms.org) and predict effective environmental advocacy (eg theenvironmentalmovement.org). I'm looking forward to meeting others on the shortlisting round! Thanks again for the invitation and for all the work your team is doing. 

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Suzy Anderson Bessell is a commercial lawyer and business woman with extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, leading sales, marketing, operations and customer experience teams.

In 2021, Suzy co-founded North Sydney Conversations, a community organisation sharing expert climate knowledge to inspire grassroots action. That work led her to become Co-Campaign Manager and Board Director for Kylea Tink's successful 2022 campaign to become the independent Federal MP for North Sydney. Having worked as a Senior Consultant for Workplace Giving Australia, Suzy is experienced in corporate philanthropy and fundraising, and now works as a corporate facilitator. A Climate Reality Leader, she continues to support climate-focused independent MPs and facilitates MP letter-writing sessions with Climate for Change.

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Jessie lives in Melbourne. She works in data analysis and studied fashion sustainability and is passionate about circular economy and clothing reuse. Outside of work, she spends her time sewing, knitting, and playing roller derby.

Guy Abrahams is Director of the ART+ENVIRONMENT consultancy, a valuer for the Australian Cultural Gifts Program, and Co-founder and former Chair & CEO of CLIMARTE. He has been directly involved in climate litigation against Australia’s largest company (Abrahams v Commonwealth Bank of Australia 2017, and 2021). Guy was a lawyer before becoming Director of Christine Abrahams Gallery, one of Australia’s leading commercial art galleries. Guy holds Law and Arts degrees from Monash University and a Master of Environment (climate change politics & policy) from the University of Melbourne. Previous positions include Chair of the City of Melbourne’s Art & Heritage Collection Advisory Panel and a member of their Public Art Advisory Panel, President of the Australian Commercial Galleries Association, Board member of the Melbourne Art Fair, the National Gallery of Victoria Art Foundation, the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and the Banksia Environmental Foundation. Guy was an Associate of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute and received climate communications training from former US Vice President Al Gore. Guy continues his advocacy for urgent action on the climate crisis through his engagement with climate and environment NGOs.

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Madeleine has over 30 years' experience in people, culture, and organisational leadership. This includes 13 years at AMP Capital, a global investment firm, the last six as Global Head of People, Culture & Corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Amongst other responsibilities, she was involved in the development and implementation of investing and people policies promoting inclusion, environmental stewardship, ethical investing, and a Reconciliation Action Plan. She now works as an Executive and Mindset Coach through her practice, M3 Coaching.

Madeleine holds a Master of Science in Coaching Psychology from the University of Sydney, Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Marketing from Monash University, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a former Fellow.

Madeleine is an active member of her local community, including working on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament campaign, volunteering at the Flametree Food Co-op, and being an active member of the Wombarra Surf Life Saving Club. She is passionate about philanthropy and its role in helping protect and nurture our environment so it can sustain and enrich future generations. She lives on the land of the Wodi Wodi people on Dharawal Country, land that was never ceded and always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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Victoria McKenzie-McHarg is the CEO of Women's Environmental Leadership Australia and one of Australia’s most respected and compelling voices on the critical intersection of climate action and gender equity. With nearly twenty years’ experience in climate campaigning and strategy, she has led efforts to make Australia’s response to the climate crisis more effective, inclusive, and just. Former Chair of the Climate Action Network Australia and current CEO of Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA), Victoria combines sharp strategic insight with deep experience supporting grassroots and community leaders. Her work reveals how advancing gender equity and climate justice go hand in hand, and how the leadership of women and gender-diverse people is driving the bold, collective action our planet urgently needs.

WELA is an independent not-for-profit organisation that is empowering, supporting and funding diverse women’s leadership for our environment and climate, in order to transform Australia’s response to these crises.

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