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 is Chair of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group to the Australian Minister for Environment, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP.

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. He is also the Chair of the SDSN Association, which operates the SDSN network around the world.

John was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to the environment and to the people and Parliament of Victoria in the 2021 Australia Day Honours.

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.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, he was a barrister and Mayor of South Melbourne.

He has degrees in Law (Honours) and Science from Monash University. He is a Fellow Australian Institute of Company Directors