Speaker Profile

John Thwaites is a Professorial Fellow, Monash University, Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Chair Climateworks Centre and Chair of The McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership.

John advises the Australian Government on the Circular Economy as Chair of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group.

He is a Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“SDSN”) launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to provide expert advice and support to the development and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

John has chaired many other organisations including Melbourne Water, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the Australian Building Codes Board.

John Thwaites was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. During this period, he held various Ministerial portfolios including Minister of Health, Minister of Environment and was Victoria’s first Minister for Climate Change. In these portfolios he was responsible for major reforms in social policy, health, environment and water.