Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute
ABN 16 108 583 151
16 Dunmore Lane, Katoomba 2780 NSW
Australia
Tel (61) 041 888 3387
www.bmwhi.org.au; r.chapple@bmwhi.org.au
The Blue Mountains World Heritage Advisory Circle 2015
“The Circle”
Purpose: To engage a circle of key people who can contribute a range of skills, knowledge,
experience and advice to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute.
Advice and assistance may include:
1. Marketing and fundraising including philanthropy, events
 Advice and networks
 Assist with written materials
 Accompany with donor approaches
2. Networking and connections
3. Media coverage
 Help with writing & circulating media releases, contacting journalists etc
4. Political strategy and engagement
 Advise on timely meetings - who to see when
5. Educational and experiential programs
 Strategic directions, opportunities, & program design
6. Key strategic environmental directions and policy
7. Innovation and change leaders
 Organizational as well as activities/programs
Member composition and skills:
Each person on the Circle has a specific functional area of expertise (e.g. political, media,
marketing, fundraising, philanthropy, education, protected area or environmental policy and
practice, strategic thinkers, change-makers), plus may be invited to assist more generally with
fund-raising and promotion of the organisation.
Process & commitment:
Time commitment is optional – it can be minimal or more. A meeting will be held with the advisory
circle as a group early in the year for a briefing on the Institute, to meet each other, and discuss
plans. Throughout the year advisors may be contacted individually (usually by the Executive
Director) for advice from time to time and meetings held as needed.
The composition of the Advisory Circle will be reviewed each year.
The Institute has a Research Subcommittee and a Finance & Development Subcommittee, so the
Circle’s function is advisory, while formal research and financial machinations are addressed
through these subcommittees of the Board of Directors.
Benefits to Circle members:
Hopefully the engagement and contribution will be enjoyable and worthwhile. We aim to hold an
annual custom-made enriching experience for the Circle members in the wilds of the Blue
Mountains.
We acknowledge the Dharug, the Gundungurra, the Wanaruah, the Wiradjuri, the Darkinjung and the Tharawal
Nations as the traditional custodians of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area
Circle members 2015
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Bob Debus
Stuart Cohen
Pauline Markwell
Andy Small
Anthony Lowe
Sarah Lowe
Peter Cochrane
Dedee Woodside
Barbara Lepani
Les Robinson
Bob Debus
State MP for the Blue Mountains 1981/1988 and 1995/2007,Federal MP for Macquarie 2007/2010.
Held numerous ministerial portfolios including Minister for Environment 1999/2007, Minister for
Emergency Services 1995/2003 and Attorney General 2000/2007. Federal Minister for Home
Affairs 2007/2009. Also worked as a producer presenter at the Australian Broadcasting
Commission (1973/1980) and as the Director of the Australian Freedom from Hunger Campaign
(1989/1994).
Andy Small
Andy Small retired from the financial services industry in 1998 having served for nearly 15 years as
the local CEO of Legal & General, MLC and Zurich. Subsequently he was Chair of Job Futures, a
national not-for-profit and Berkley Group, a financial planning company, and a members’ group of
the CEO Circle. He was an inaugural year participant in the Benevolent Society’s Sydney
Leadership Program, an ethics counsellor and educator at St. James Ethics Centre and a mentor
for Non Profit Australia’s CEO program. He has a particular interest in social entrepreneurialism.
Stuart Cohen
Former radio and news journalist who has spent the past 24 years working for the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service in a broad range of media and community relations roles. Stuart was the
first Media manager for the NPWS having set up a media unit for the agency in 1994 and was the
Manager of communications during the establishment of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative. He is
an exhibiting photographer and award winning documentary maker and recently filmed and
produced a documentary for the Uganda Wildlife Authority and produced the Media management
chapter for the IUCNs international textbook "Protected Area Governance and Management."
Pauline Markwell
Pauline was the Foundation Director of Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation. Pauline's executive
career spans marketing, executive search, general management and fundraising. Pauline has
worked in diverse industries - food, detergents, professional services and horticulture.
Pauline mentors executive and has held board positions on public and private companies and
community organisations. In 2003, Pauline was awarded a Centenary Medal for her contribution to
Australian Society in the area of Business Leadership.
2/5
Dedee Woodside
Dedee’s background includes a PhD in ecology, work in national parks (Canada and Australia),
universities, research and development organisation and about 16 years as a General Manager
and Director at Taronga and Western Plains Zoos. Her professional passions include engaging
with communities to conserve biodiversity and help them improve their management of natural
resources, while reaping the benefits at a local scale. She applies these interests to her work in
developing countries, and rural and indigenous communities. Her work has given her experience in
over 30 countries.
Dedee is highly experienced in senior leadership positions including serving in senior roles in
government, management of zoos, management of international training institutes for the
environment and wildlife management, working with AID agencies, international governing boards
of conservation organisations, water resource companies, rural commodities and private business.
Dedee serves on the Boards of WWF-Australia, the Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre
and the Federal Ministerial Advisory Council for Animal Welfare (AAWSAC).
She recently has spent 7 years working in the irrigation industry and irrigated commodities to help
integrate sustainability planning and processes. In that process she developed a national
reputation for engaging rural communities in the process of change toward sustainability. Dedee
has technical training in the area of change management, facilitation and strategic planning.
Peter Cochrane
Peter held senior executive leadership and governance roles in the public and private sectors for
over twenty years. He currently consults on environment and sustainability issues.
Current:
Director of two not-for-profit companies: Ecotourism Australia and Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Director of Empowering Engagements, a small consulting company.
Co-chair of the Bioregional Advisory Panels for the Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review and a
member of its Expert Science Panel.
Adjunct Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University.
Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Group for the Protected Areas Learning and Research
Collaboration, based at the University of Tasmania.
Past:
Australian Government Ambassador for the IUCN World Parks Congress (2014).
Director of National Parks and head of Parks Australia (1999-2013). Helped develop and lead the
National Landscape initiative with Tourism Australia to redefine parks and tourism issues as
opportunities for regional collaboration and mutual benefit.
Deputy Executive Director of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association
(1994-99) working on national environment and competition policy issues.
Adviser to two federal Ministers on environment and natural resources issues (1990-94).
Qualifications:
Masters degree in Public Policy and a Bachelor of Science degree obtained while working at the
Australian National University on the ecology and eco-physiology of native plants (1974-1990).
Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2013-)
Nationally accredited mediator (2013-)
Member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (2000-)
3/5
Sarah Lowe MBA
Sarah is a passionate, ambitious and energetic senior marketing executive with 20 years’
experience in not-for-profit marketing and fundraising, corporate marketing and agency account
management roles.
Sarah is experienced in developing marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, developing,
implementing and evaluating social marketing projects and generating and growing revenue
through direct marketing. She is a strategic and analytical thinker with a strong background in
budgeting, forecasting and growing revenue to meet agreed targets and ROI.
Sarah’s social marketing projects include the problem gambling campaign for the Victorian
Government, public convenience advertising campaign for Prostate Cancer Foundation of
Australia, and the iconic Bernie Fraser advertisements for industry super funds.
Sarah is a Founding Member of the National Social Marketing Centre in the UK and a member of
the Australian Association of Social Marketing. She holds an MBA from RMIT University and a
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University.
Associate Professor Anthony Lowe
Anthony is Chief Executive Officer at Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, a broad-based
community organisation and the peak national body for prostate cancer in Australia dedicated to
reducing the impact of prostate cancer on Australian men, their partners, families and the wider
community. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith Health Institute and a member of
Actuaries Institute’s Leadership & Career Development and Public Policy Council Committees.
Prior to joining PCFA, Anthony was Chief Operating Officer at the National Breast Cancer
Foundation, the leading community-funded organisation in Australia raising money for research
into the prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer.
Anthony has held senior executive positions in the financial services industry in Australia, the US
and UK, ultimately becoming an Executive Director and Asia-Pacific business group leader at
Mercer Wealth Solutions.
Anthony is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries
(London). He holds a PhD in mathematical physics from the University of Southampton and a
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Master of Mathematics from the University of Cambridge.
Barbara Lepani
Barbara has held a diverse range of senior policy positions across her career in the public sector,
the not-for-profit sector, research sector and the private sector. Prior to joining the Australian
Public Service she was an Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Innovation at the
University of Sydney. This was followed by being a member of its Board of Directors, while working
through the vehicle of my own company, Lateral Solutions Pty Ltd. I have also been a Director of
the Council of Service of New South Wales and represented the community sector on a number of
government boards and committees. In Papua New Guinea, I led the National Population Policy,
as Director of Social Policy in the Office of Environment and Conservation.
Her strength lies in driving human-centred strategies to solve complex problems. She is keenly
interested in challenging roles which require translation of strategic concepts into integrated
solutions, across agencies or cross-jurisdiction. She has a demonstrated record in establishing
productive stakeholder relationships to drive transformative change and achieve results. She is
also an accomplished keynote speaker and workshop facilitator and has extensive experience in
researching and developing policy papers.
4/5
Les Robinson (remote member rarely to be seen since he lives way down the south coast)
Les is a specialist in community change and one of Australia's most engaging facilitators.
He is the author of Changeology, How to Enable Groups, Communities and Societies to do Things
They've Never Done Before, an entertaining and illuminating "crash course in social change thinking".
He brings behavioural science, rigorous process, clear thinking, warmth and fun to the practice of
designing change projects.
Les helps organisations devise innovative change projects. He trains their staff and volunteers in the
fields of sustainability, health promotion, road safety, natural resource management and emergency
management. He facilitates engaging forums, workshops, community events and conferences.
5/5