ABOUT THE BOARD

WMRR is a member-driven, CEO-led, not-for-profit organisation governed by a Board of Directors. WMRR’s Board currently has nine (9) Directors. Three (3) members of the Board are elected, including the President and Vice President. Up to five (5) members of the Board come from peak industry companies, with the remaining Directors being skills based to ensure the Board reflects the diversity of our essential industry.

The composition of WMRR’s Board aims to:

• Embrace inclusivity and diversity.
• Include Directors who are active WMRR members who participate in, and contribute to both WMRR and industries initiatives.
• Be geographically representative to provide national coverage.
• Comprise Directors who have a broad set of skills and experience bringing insight and knowledge of the breadth and depth of WARR activities, including (but not limited to) infrastructure investment and operations, collection, remanufacturing, recycling, resource recovery, energy recovery, community engagement and education, as well as government policy and operations. 

 
Directors of the Association are responsible for the strategic direction and governance of the organisation. Board positions are voluntary, and the Board meets formally a maximum of six (6) times a year. Directors are required to have an understanding of the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 and Directors’ obligations and duties, including the financial competence associated with holding the role of a Director.

MEET THE BOARD

GEOFFREY WEBSTER

WMRR National President
Director, Waste and Management Services

Once you’re in the waste and resource recovery industry, it gets in your blood and it seems you are destined to never leave. This happened to Geoff Webster many years ago and it is now a passion that drives many facets of his career and business. It is an essential service that was recognised due to the impacts of COVID and it now has a platform that we must continue to develop as continual change within the marketplace drives the need for improvements in how materials are managed. Each group in the sector – be it industry, government (at all levels) or their advisors – will play a crucial role in achieving these objectives and Geoff sees it as WMRR’s role to assist through advocacy and facilitation of information dissemination. Having sat in both the consulting and operational roles through his career, performing at senior management level, Geoff provides the right qualities to support and lead WMRR’s continued activities in this space. WMRR is a critical element in ensuring its members succeed in a challenging environment and having been exposed to so many elements from all facets of the industry, Geoff has the skills to complement the rest of the Board and the management team in delivering on the needs of the WMRR Presidency.

ISABEL AXIO

WMRR National Vice President
Senior Consultant, RMCG 

Isabel is a senior consultant in the waste and resource recovery area who has developed diverse experience across industries, states and work complexity. She understands on-ground practical operations of collection systems and site management, and also works effectively with strategic planning for businesses, local councils and state and federal governments. Isabel has specific insight on the Tasmanian landscape where she has resided for the last eight (8) years. She also has extensive knowledge of the primary industries waste and resource management and ongoing work. Her passion is in waste avoidance and organic recycling and my training in circular economy principles drives her thinking.

HENRY ANNING

Chief Executive Officer - ResourceCo Energy Systems, ResourceCo 

With over 14 years’ experience and expertise across waste, finance, energy and sustainability, Henry is a leader in the delivery of waste to energy solutions across Australia. He previously led Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s waste team and is a former Associate Director at Low Carbon Australia. Henry is also a Director of Bioenergy Australia.

MARK BIDDULPH

Head of Corporate Affairs, Cleanaway 

Mark joined Cleanaway in January 2020 as Head of Corporate Affairs. The role includes management of media, policy development and government relations. Mark has previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP, Premier of Queensland, and Chief of Staff to various Queensland Ministers.  As Deputy Chief of Staff (Policy) to the Premier of Queensland, his role involved close liaison with members of Cabinet and Parliament, Directors-General and Chiefs of Staff about policy development, legislative reforms and parliamentary tactics and strategy. Mark has an excellent track record of establishing and maintaining strategic relationships with government officials, the private sector, peak bodies and key community-based organisations. Through his involvement at ministerial forums, he has developed a strong network of key stakeholders across the nation. This includes advisors across the political spectrum and senior government officials from other States and Territories.

PHIL CARBINS

General Manager, Veolia Australia & New Zealand

Phil has over 25 years engineering, operations, asset and business management experience within technical, environmental and regulated industries, including over 20 years waste management and resource recovery experience.

Since October 2020 in the role of General Manager Business Development, Phil has been responsible for identifying, shaping and securing Veolia’s business development opportunities and growth prospects for Australia and New Zealand in alignment with Veolia’s strategy and ecological transformation principles, including the formulation of business unit and geographical strategies, based on in depth knowledge of waste and circular economy policy, followed by the delivery of resource recovery solutions for our customers and partners. Earlier experience with SUEZ included managing the Sydney portfolio of greenwaste processing facilities and landfill assets.

Prior to joining SUEZ in 2014, Phil senior management positions with Waste Assets Management Corporation (NSW Government), Transpacific Industries Group Ltd and Enviroguard Pty Ltd (a CSR/Brambles joint venture) with earlier experience in the concrete industry and consulting civil engineering.

KATHERINE DODD

General Manager and Principal Environmental Consultant, MRA Consulting

Katherine has more than a decade’s experience specialising in waste management and resource recovery. She has experience working on small to large multidisciplinary projects across environment and engineering for a variety of clients including government, private and not-for-profit organisations.  Katherine is a skilled project manager who prides herself on open and proactive communication with her clients. Katherine has directed a number of multi-stakeholder projects which require additional complexity to ensure the collective objectives are agreed and worked towards over the life of a project.  

Katherine’s technical expertise is broad across the waste and resource recovery sector and has included but not limited to preparation of waste strategies, waste management plans, waste auditing, characterisations and modelling, financial modelling, feasibility studies and options analysis, environmental compliance, and NSW planning approvals. She is actively involved in the industry holding positions as the Vice President of WMRR's NSW/ACT State Branch Committee and is a Technical Support partner of Planet Ark’s Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub).

ALEX HATHERLY

Chief Operating Officer, REMONDIS Australia

A Mechanical Engineer by training, Alex has many years of experience across large scale international logistics and manufacturing operations in steel and mining industries, working both for BlueScope and BHP. Alex has an MBA from Sydney Business School, and has led large operations in several states across Australia. He joined the waste management industry in 2016 and has a passion for resource recovery that led to the development of several new processing facilities within the Australian recycling landscape in recent years. Formerly Chief Technical Officer, Alex took on the role of Chief Operating Officer in June 2023. 

GARTH LAMB

Chief Development Officer, Re.Group

Garth was hauled into the waste game as editor of Inside Waste magazine, before moving to Hyder Consulting (now Arcadis) where he headed up Australia’s leading team of strategic waste advisors. Having worked with all levels of government, and private sector operators, he understands the complexities and challenges around sustainable waste management.

In 2014, Garth took up a post with Re.Group, an innovative Australian company that specialises in building and operating infrastructure to recover resources from waste – part of the critical infrastructure required in any modern society. His role as the Chief Development Officer involves helping clients deliver sustainable solutions for their communities across all urban waste streams.

MICHELLE MANDL

General Manager, Communications, Customer and Engagement, TOMRA Cleanaway

Diverse experience in the waste and resource recovery sector has afforded Michelle a unique lens into the day-to-day habits of Australians waste disposal practices. Michelle joined the industry more than two decades ago and over the period has built a profile as a behaviour change expert for waste and resource recovery. Commencing her career as a teacher and environmental educator, Michelle’s environmental passions led her to an Australian Government and European Union joint scholarship in Denmark and Wales where she completed a Master of Environmental Management, majoring in organic agriculture, sustainability and resource management. Hooked on ‘waste’ when auditing school rubbish bins with western Sydney municipalities in the early 2000’s, Michelle has been passionate about resource management and Australia’s journey towards more sustainable and circular practices since.  Michelle is currently a General Manager at TOMRA Cleanaway, an Australian leading network operations services provider, delivering convenient and accessible container deposit schemes. Michelle has been an active member of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia since 2006.