Our Board
The Board is the governing body of Sustainability Victoria, and accountable to the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change for the exercise of SV’s functions.  Board Members are appointed by the Minister.
Board members
Our Board is made up of the following members.
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Vicky Darling has over 17 years’ experience in government, including senior public sector strategic policy roles, and senior advisory roles for a former Premier of Queensland and a former Commonwealth Government Minister.
Vicky was a Member of the Queensland Parliament for six years from 2006 to 2012, including one year as Minister for Environment during which she negotiated with local government and industry to pass Queensland’s first waste reduction and recycling legislation and new litter laws.
Vicky also serves on the boards of the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation and the ACT Cultural Facilities Corporation. She has previous committee experience as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Waste Feasibility Study Community Reference Group, Chair of the Queensland Waste and Recycling Expert Advisory Panel, Parliamentary Committees, Budget Estimates Committees and the Far North Queensland Ministerial Regional Community Forum.
Vicky holds a Bachelor of Arts and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She attends the Board’s Performance and Culture and Audit Risk and Finance Committees as an observer.
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Sarah Clarke has broad multi-industry experience including in sustainability, public affairs, stakeholder engagement and ethics.
She is currently the Group General Manager, Sustainability and Reputation at Mirvac Group, which has been ranked number one in real estate by the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index and number one ESG company in Australia by J.P. Morgan. Sarah is also Deputy Chair, Mirvac Energy.
Sarah received a Master of Arts (Professional and Applied Ethics) from the University of Melbourne, is a graduate of the Prince of Wales Business and Sustainability Leadership course from the University of Cambridge, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons. English) from James Cook University.
She is attuned to integrity, leadership, purpose and trust. Sarah is a member of the Board’s Performance and Culture Committee.
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Peter Castellas has more than 20 years’ experience in environment and sustainability. He is the Chief Executive of Tasman Environmental Markets. From 2013 to 2018, Peter was the Chief Executive of the Carbon Market Institute, assisting Australian businesses in meeting the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to a low carbon economy. Other previous roles include Director of Sustainability, Carbon and Cleantech at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Managing Director of Cleantech Australasia for five years, where he designed and ran successful clean technology, finance and investment initiatives in Australia and overseas.
Peter holds a Bachelor of Education (Environmental Studies) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Cleaner Production and Environmental Engineering. Peter chairs the Board’s Performance and Culture Committee.
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Judi Harris brings expertise in education and local government with a strong focus on community engagement. She is a former Mildura Rural City councillor (2008–2016) and held the council’s environmental sustainability portfolio from 2012 to 2016.
Judi has held numerous board and committee memberships in arts, education and sustainability, including five years as Deputy Chair of the former Mildura Regional Waste Management Group. Her 36-year education career included secondary education, eight years as an enhancement tutor in communication and media studies at Monash University, and educational consulting in the United States of America for four years. Judi holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Secondary Teachers Certificate. Judi is a member of the Board’s Performance and Culture and Audit Risk and Finance Committees.
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Kerry’s strengths lie in corporate and operational leadership, financial acumen and positive organisational change. Kerry is the Managing Partner of a mentoring consultancy, The Leader’s Mentor. Previously he was the Chief Executive Officer of Court Services Victoria.
Prior roles include, the Chief Executive and Manager Director of CityWide Services (2001–2015), an environmental, civil engineering and recycling operation, owned by the City of Melbourne. Earlier he was the founding Chief Executive Officer of Excell Corporation (1996–2001) delivering open-space services, facilities management and civil engineering services to local government across Eastern Australia.
Kerry holds a Master of Business Administration (Chicago Booth Business School), a Certificate of Civil Engineering and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. and sits on three external boards as non-executive director and advisor. Kerry chairs the Board’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee.
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Neil Pharaoh has more than fifteen years of domestic and international experience in campaigning, advocacy and stakeholder engagement. He is an experienced Senior Consulting Executive, advising and consulting to improve strategy, impact, outcomes and engagement across the social purpose and business sectors.
Before consulting, Neil worked in various senior fundraising, marketing, communications, campaigns and government relations roles including education and child welfare and, internationally, in geopolitical risk and international aid and development organisations.
Neil currently serves as director for a number of philanthropic, health and education organisations. He has a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Marketing) and Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University and is a Graduate of the Australia Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Neil is a member of the Audit, Risk and Finance Committee.
Board Communiques
The SV Board meets seven times per year. A communique outlining key Board decisions and discussions is published below after every Board meeting.
Governance Charter
The Board has established and implemented effective governance practices to:
- promote responsible decision-making
- promote public sector values, and
- enhance performance and the delivery of its strategies and outcomes.
The Board will monitor those practices to ensure that SV exercises its functions effectively, and according to the laws, regulations and government policies (Governance Framework) which bind SV.
This Board Governance Charter provides an overview of:
- SV context for governance
- key external roles and interfaces
- key internal roles and accountabilities of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of SV, and
- key policies applicable to the Board.