Meet the Board of Directors
Explore the profiles of the leaders actively supporting our organisation towards the realisation of our mission: Forests For All, Forever. The FSC Australia Board, made up of nine individuals, is elected by and accountable to our members, featuring three representatives from each chamber—Social, Environmental, and Economic. Operating on three-year terms, our Board members contribute a wealth of expertise and unwavering dedication to shape the course of our organisation. Immerse yourself in the heart of FSC Australia's leadership, where commitment and experience come together to drive our mission forward.
Jon Dee - Chair of the Board
Environment Chamber
Jon Dee is a versatile social entrepreneur, business advocate, and influential figure in sustainability. An accomplished author, global keynote speaker, and founder of initiatives like Planet Ark and One Tree Per Child, Jon's impact extends to successful environmental campaigns and innovative projects. Recognised as the Australian of the Year (NSW) in 2010, he continues to drive positive change and sustainable growth as a business consultant and director of Social Build.
James Felton-Taylor
Economic Chamber
Deputy Chair of the Board
James Felton-Taylor is the owner and managing director of Australian Sustainable Timbers (AST), the first company in Australia to achieve FSC certification in Native Forest. AST is a forest management, sawmilling and timber marketing company based on the North coast of NSW, and James runs a group scheme of FSC-certified private native forests. Coming from a background in environmental science, farm forestry and remnant vegetation management, James is passionate about restoring degraded forests through regenerative forestry. James is involved with all aspects of the business from forestry consulting and management planning, to harvesting, milling and marketing of timber.
James holds a position on the FSC Australia Economic Chamber Board, actively promoting sustainable forest management practices in Australia.
Suzanne (Sue) Feary
Social Chamber
Deputy Chair of the Board
Sue Feary, a New Zealand-born Australian, holds degrees in science, archaeology, and cultural geography. With over 30 years of experience as a professional archaeologist and retired national park manager, she has actively contributed to assessing the cultural values of forests in Australia and participated in international initiatives on Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Sue's PhD focused on Indigenous Australians and the forest sector, exploring certification processes for potential contributions to social justice. As an inaugural member of the FSC’s Indigenous Working Group, she has played a crucial role in the development of the FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard for Australia, supporting FSC for its role in ensuring sustainable forest management aligned with economic, environmental, and social goals amid ongoing global timber demand.
Stuart Blanch
Environment Chamber
Stuart Blanch combines his farming background and expertise in ecology and law to advocate for sustainable certified plantations. Residing on Awabakal lands, he has a five-year history in forest policy with WWF-Australia and serves as a director at A Rocha Australia. Stuart is passionate about FSC for its role in uniting individuals dedicated to promoting high-standard, sustainable forests. He envisions substantial opportunities in Australia for expanding FSC-certified plantations, emphasising the increase in the supply of low carbon, low embodied energy timber and fibre.
In his words, "I like FSC because it brings together people and organisations passionate about supporting and growing investment, recognition and demand for forests managed to the highest standards of sustainability and stakeholder support. I see great opportunities in Australia for expansion of FSC certified plantations to increase the supply of low carbon, low embodied energy timber and fibre."
Carlie Porteous
Economic Chamber
Carlie Porteous, who has been a Board Director at FSC Australia since 2020, recently assumed the position of Hub Manager at the Murray Region Forestry Hub (MRFH). With over 12 years of experience in the forest and wood products industry, Carlie possesses a thorough understanding of the entire value chain.
Her expertise spans various aspects of the industry, starting with a key role in implementing Visy's full supply chain FSC certification. Demonstrating her unwavering commitment to the field, Carlie served as the General Manager of the Australian Forest Contractors Association, where she significantly elevated the business profile, engagement, and membership. With nearly a decade of experience in the waste transport sector, she excelled in contract management, operations, and project implementation.
In addition to her professional roles, Carlie also serves as a Trustee for the Gottstein Trust, underscoring her continuous dedication and investment in the forestry and wood products sector.
Rachael Cavanagh
Social Chamber
Rachael is a Minyungbal mibbiny from the Yugambeh Nation of Northern NSW and Southeast QLD. Rachael has a graduate degree in health and a postgraduate diploma in natural and cultural resource management from Deakin University.
Bringing over a decade of senior executive experience in partnership building, strategic planning, community consultation and policy development; extensive networks across all levels of government, community and business; a demonstrated ability to build collaborative vision; as well as strong cultural foundations.
Rachael is a mother, a carer, and a valued community member at her core. Professionally, she is a facilitator, broker, and connector. Her work is rooted in building relationships, trust, and rapport before business. She has established longstanding, genuine, and meaningful relationships within First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. These collaborations within First Nations communities have led to increased genuine investment and awareness of the crucial role that First Nations Women and communities play within the Environment and Climate Change sectors.
Rachael firmly believes that First Nations people are the greatest asset to our Country, especially in the current global climate. Her commitment to creating genuine relationships is unwavering.
Nicky Moffat
Environment Chamber
In 2023, Nicky became a director of the FSC ANZ Board, concurrently serving as a Protected Areas Campaigner at the Queensland Conservation Council. At the forefront of her mission is the endeavour to double Queensland's protected area system by 2030. Nicky actively engages with diverse communities, employing a collaborative approach to realise this ambitious goal. Central to her work is a dedication to securing a positive legacy for future generations, which forms the bedrock of her community-driven strategy.
Drawing on her background as a former journalist on the Sunshine Coast, Nicky brings a rich tapestry of experience from the realms of private forestry and agroforestry. Her expertise is further underscored by a history of active participation in forest conservation campaigning. Beyond her professional journey, Nicky's knowledge extends to tertiary teaching in sustainability and natural resource management. This multifaceted background contributes to her well-rounded perspective as she passionately pursues her commitment to environmental stewardship on the FSC ANZ Board.
Michelle McAndrew
Economic Chamber
Michelle McAndrew's background includes obtaining a dual science and forestry degree from the Australian National University in 2001. Since then, she has been actively engaged in the Queensland plantation forestry sector, focusing on operational policy, standards, integrated management systems, and sustainable forest management certification. Michelle, like many in the industry, recognises the pivotal role of sustainable forest management in transitioning to a circular economy and is enthusiastic about contributing to this journey.
Michelle notes "I support FSC as a trusted certification scheme to demonstrate sustainable forest management and as a driver for improving practices.".
Scott McLean
Social Chamber
A born and bred Tasmanian, Scott has worked in the Forest and Wood Products industry for three decades.
Scott has a multitude of experiences as a Tasmanian based employee representative and is well known to many forest industry stakeholders. He has worked on forest policy issues closely and has been at the forefront of discussions and negotiations about the management of Tasmanian production forests. He is currently a director of ForestWorks, which is a long-standing member of the social chamber of FSC. ForestWorks is a not-for-profit organisation offering skills development services for the forest, wood, paper, timber, furnishing, textiles, clothing and footwear industries.
Scott was the chair of the Tasmanian Forest Industry Training Board (TFITB) for almost a decade and is passionate about enhancing training and skills outcomes for Workers and the Industry.
Scott has been involved in many training and safety management issues over the years, including the introduction of mechanical harvesting, the FOLS system, high-risk licensing and training packages for Forest and Timber Products workers.
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