Anna Skarbek appointed to national Net Zero Economy Authority board

The Australian Government has appointed Climateworks Centre CEO Anna Skarbek to Australia’s newly-legislated Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA) board, alongside the Chair Dr Iain Ross AO and five other prominent climate and finance leaders.

With decades of experience and Climateworks’ unique expertise in how to reach net zero emissions, Anna brings deep insights about the opportunities of a well-coordinated transition.

For the past 15 years, Climateworks has been at the forefront of net zero initiatives and solutions, demonstrating how Australia’s industries, regions and communities can thrive in a decarbonised economy. 

The NZEA will be critical in positioning Australia to prosper in a net zero world, ensuring collaboration and coordination across sectors.

Climateworks has long supported the creation of the NZEA, advocating for a coordinated, place-based approach to future-proof industries and the communities they support and a forward-looking approach to attracting investment for a prosperous zero-emissions economy.

Anna Skarbek and Climateworks have a long history of leading and engaging with industrial and place-based transitions and co-investment approaches to decarbonisation.

Notably, the Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative – co-convened by Climateworks and Climate-KIC Australia – outlined first-of-their-kind pathways to net zero emissions across the nation’s five heavy industry supply chains. This initiative engaged companies then responsible for approximately one-fifth of Australia’s industrial emissions and a third of the ASX100 market value.

The Government said the board members were selected based on their deep collective experience across regional development, the trade union movement, business, industry, Indigenous advocacy and climate policy. 

The following newly-appointed board members will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer, David Shankey and Chair, Dr Iain Ross AO:

• Michele O’Neil – President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions;
• Professor Robynne Quiggin – UTS Pro Vice-Chancellor, Executive Director of Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and member of the Wiradjuri nation of central western NSW. 
• Zoe Whitton – Managing Director at Pollination;
• Tony Maher – President of the Mining and Energy Union;
• Mike Mrdak AO – Chairperson of NEC Australia and New Zealand;
• Anna Skarbek – CEO of Climateworks Centre, a board director of SEC Victoria, the Green Building Council of Australia and the Centre for New Energy Technologies.