Our Media Commentary

Executive Commentary

Fiona is the Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Australia; she also serves on the Board of Frontier Advisors and the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute.  She is on the Advisory Boards of Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, Affirmative Investment Management, and ROC Partners. She chairs the ESG Advisory Board for Qualitas and is on the think tanks Climate Catalyst, and the UBS Sustainability and Impact Forum, as well the Advisory Committee for the NSW Commissioner for Anti-Slavery and the Australian Human Rights Institute.

Fiona has 25 years’ experience in the financial services, superannuation and pension sector. She joined the PRI from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), where she spent seven years as CEO.

Fiona was named one of the 20 most influential people in sustainability globally by Barron’s magazine and has twice been named one of Australia’s one hundred women of influence by the Australian Financial Review.

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Expert Commentary

Rachel is the Chair of Anti-Bribery and Corruption at the UN Global Compact Network Australia, and is a Partner at Allens Linklaters (Allens), specialising in Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution. Before joining Allens, Rachel spent several years managing law reform and other World Bank and Australian government-funded development projects in the Asia region. Rachel has particular expertise advising on complex regulatory and law enforcement investigations and is recognised as a market leader in anti-bribery and corruption and business crime matters as well as business human rights obligations. Rachel has strong experience engaging with a broad range of authorities including the AFP, DPP, ASIC, ACCC and the ATO. With local counsel, Rachel also acts in investigations conducted by the US DOJ and SEC and UK Serious Fraud Office.

Additionally, Rachel’s litigation experience includes advice on tort, competition and administrative law actions for clients across a range of sectors including mining, oil and gas, energy, banking, manufacturing, health and federal and state governments. Rachel has advised on regulatory disputes and litigation brought in Australia, the US, the UK and Papua New Guinea. Rachel has also advised on investigations and legal issues for offshore projects in China, Indonesia, India and across Africa.

Vanessa is Chair of Business and Human Rights for the UN Global Compact Network Australia and the CEO of Pillar-Two, a human rights advisory firm. Vanessa is recognised global and domestic corporate sustainability expert focusing on human rights. Originally an anti-trust lawyer, Vanessa was a Legal Advisor to the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, Harvard Professor John Ruggie and part of the core team drafting the internationally recognised UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. In 2016 she was recognised as one of 100 Australian Women of Influence. Vanessa also holds various expert advisory roles including as a member of the Global Reporting Initiative’s Technical Committee on Human Rights Disclosure, the Law Council of Australia and International Bar Association’s Business and Human Rights Committees, the Australian National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery, the Australian Border Force Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group and the Department of Treasury’s Governance and Advisory Board to the Australian National Contact Point. She is also a research fellow at the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

Anna is the Chair of Environment and Climate Change for the UN Global Compact Network Australia. Anna holds over 13 years’ experience in corporate sustainability roles in ASX listed companies, and brings deep experience in ESG reporting frameworks and stakeholder engagement. She was recently appointed to the role of Head of Sustainability Reporting and Engagement at Coles. Prior to her appointment, Anna spent eight years at ANZ and, until April 2022, was the Head of ESG Governance and Reporting, responsible for the bank’s external ESG disclosures (including the annual ESG Supplement), responding to external ESG assessments and supporting the bank’s key ESG governance bodies – the Board Ethics and ESG Committee and the executive Ethics and Responsible Business Committee. Read more here

Dan Wilcock is the Head of Sustainability Governance for the UN Global Compact Network Australia. He is responsible for delivering our Sustainable Governance workstream, covering areas including the Sustainable Development Goals, Anti-Bribery & Corruption, and the Bribery Prevention Network.

Dan has an extensive background in corporate criminal and regulatory investigations, compliance programs, international relations and sustainability. He is admitted to legal practice in Australia and Canada and holds a Master of Laws in Global Sustainability and Environmental Law. He has previously served in a range of executive roles in government and the not-for-profit sector, in areas including environmental policy, international relations, sport, competition and consumer law.

Dan is currently based in lutruwita / Tasmania and loves to be outside and active with his wife and two children as often as possible.

Dan is available to speak on a range of topics including:

• Global Sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• International environmental law
• Sustainable governance
• The intersection of sustainability and consumer law, including greenwashing
• The intersection of sustainability and competition law, including sustainability agreements
• Sport and sustainability
• Anti-bribery and corruption initiatives, including the Bribery Prevention Network.

Dr Evan Beaumont Center is the Senior Manager, Environment and Climate Change at the UN Global Compact Network Australia. He is responsible for programming related to net-zero emissions reduction, nature-positive business contributions and circular economy.

Evan has — holds a PhD in Communication (University of Kansas) and has published and presented extensively on environmental communication in relation to advocacy, enterprise and economics. Prior to joining the UNGCNA, he utilised his research expertise to develop cutting-edge programmes and partnerships within university, corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors.

Evan is available to speak on a range of topics, including:

• Net-zero transition for the private sector and the Paris Agreement
• Nature-positive contributions from business per the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
• Mandatory climate reporting
• Circular economy
• Corporate social responsibility and climate activism.