The Board
Michelle Cheah
Director/Acting Chair
Michelle is a skilled partnership broker across the not-for-profit, private, public and education sectors; working closely with clients and stakeholders to address complex social issues. Her focus on collaboration, human-centred design and innovation is matched with a practical approach to program design and project management. Michelle understands the complexities of operating in dynamic environments and has expertise in building organisational capability and facilitating shared-value partnerships to deliver impact at scale
Lizzie Webb
Director
Lizzie works with organisations focused on building sustainable livelihoods, creating meaningful employment, accelerating climate action and economic transition, and improving community health and well-being. Her experience includes start-up design, funding and growth, organisational leadership and governance, social program design and environmental engineering. Lizzie brings a wide range of skills and experience to the Board.
Andrew Mahar AM
Director /Founder/ Public Officer
Andrew has been a community organiser for over thirty-five years, both in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Andrew has been recognised internationally for his work, including winning the prestigious Stockholm Challenge Award in 2001. In Australia, Andrew was recognised through the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award where he was a finalist as a Social Entrepreneur in 2002. In June of 2007 Andrew was recognised in the Bulletin Smart 100 Award for his work as a social justice campaigner. In 2008 Andrew was listed in the inaugural Victorian edition of Who’s Who. In 2009 he received the Australian Information Industry Association’s Community Award for the work Infoxchange had been doing to ensure we live in a digitally inclusive society. Andrew received an Order of Australia in 2013 for significant service to the community and social justice through the provision of access to technology and to Timor Leste. Andrew is the Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Victoria
Phil Cohn
Director
Phil has over 15 years’ experience in renewable energy, electricity markets, carbon markets and innovation. He combines technical knowledge with strong commercial and strategy skills to deliver complex projects in environmental and energy markets. He has diverse experience building start-ups and early-stage ventures, as well as advising at the board and senior management level across a variety of public and private sector organisations. Phil is an Executive Director at the climate change investments and advisory firm Pollination. Before joining Pollination, Phil was Chief Operating Officer at a clean energy start-up where he led corporate development and led extensive engagements with ASX200 clients, energy buyers and retailers. Phil was formerly an Investment Director at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency where he led the Agency’s distributed energy, demand response and grid integration investment priorities. In this role Phil developed expert knowledge in clean technology trends, barriers and opportunities and he developed an extensive network among project sponsors and developers. Prior to this Phil founded RAMP Carbon which provided project development, trading and advisory services to blue chip clients in the Australian and European carbon markets