Governance
We are grateful for the active participation by these experienced members of ACCR's governance bodies
ACCR Board
Howard Pender
Convenor, Office bearer
Howard was awarded a university medal in Economics at the Australian National University. He worked at the Australian Treasury, an investment bank and was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International and Public Law at the Australian National University. He co-founded and was a Director of Australian Ethical Investment for 20 years until 2011. Howard was also a Director of 2 other ASX listed companies.
Brynn O'Brien
Executive Director, Office bearer
Brynn is ACCR’s Executive Director and an experienced lawyer and strategist. Prior to joining ACCR in January 2017, she worked as a consultant and advisor on business and human rights projects and practised as a corporations and international lawyer. Brynn is an expert in corporate governance, active ownership, environmental, social and governance (ESG) materiality and international law. She has degrees in Medical Science and Law from the University of Technology Sydney, a Master of Laws from Columbia University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute for Company Directors (AICD).
John McKinnon
Office bearer
John was awarded a University Medal in Mathematics from ANU, has an MA in Biblical Studies and a PhD in Social Enterprise and development. He spent 17 years in the finance industry before joining overseas aid and development NGO, TEAR Australia, in 2005, managing first their NSW and then the Australian operations. John currently manages a charitable foundation and is involved with numerous NGOs, with both an environmental and anti-poverty focus.
Armina Rosenberg
Office bearer
Armina was most recently Portfolio Manager at Grok Ventures, the private investment firm of Mike Cannon-Brookes, one of the co-founders of software company Atlassian. She managed the global equities and derivatives portfolio and also analysed fixed income, infrastructure and private investments. Prior to Grok, she spent eight years at JPMorgan in the Equities Research Team covering Emerging Companies. Having grown up in Housing Commission in Western Sydney, Armina has always been a great advocate for diversity. At J.P. Morgan she was on the Women's Committee, the PRIDE Committee and the Diversity Council. At Grok, she has founded The FOLD, a networking group for women in investment roles at family offices.
Julie Bignell
Office bearer
Julie Bignell was the former Deputy Chair of Care Super and Director of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors. She is currently a Director at Austin Health, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and is Treasurer of Womens’ Health Victoria.
She's formerly been a director of the North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. Julie's an experienced committee chair and she's chaired committees on finance and risk, corporate governance, member and community engagement and human resources and industrial relations issues.
Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics & Japanese) and a Graduate Diploma of IR/HRM, and completed an RG146 Financial Advice qualification as part of the Trustee Director course administered by the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, (now Super Members Council of Australia). Julie is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and graduated the AICD Company Directors Course.
Research Committee
Professor Marian Baird AO
Research committee chair
Marian Baird AO is Professor of Gender and Employment Relations at the University of Sydney, a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and an Expert Panel Member of the Fair Work Commission. Marian is one of Australia's leading researchers in the fields of women, work and care. She is and a Chief Investigator on the Centre of Excellence on Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) and Co-Coordinator of the International Network on Leave Policies & Research. Marian’s research has had a profound impact on Australian work and care public policy.
Professor Marcia Langton AO
Professor Dr Marcia Langton AO, BA (Hons), ANU, PhD Macq. U, D. Litt. ANU, FASSA is the granddaughter of an Iman man and is proud of her Indigenous heritage from her grandmother who worked in the pastoral industry in southwest and western Queensland. Langton has qualifications in anthropology and geography, and since 2000 has held the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. She has produced a large body of knowledge in the areas of political and legal anthropology, Aboriginal alcohol use and harms, family violence, Indigenous agreements and engagement with the minerals industry, and Indigenous culture and art. Professor Langton is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a Fellow of Trinity College, Melbourne and an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Queensland. In 2016 Professor Langton was honoured as a University of Melbourne Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor. In 2017 Professor was appointed as the first Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Graeme Ivan Pearman, AM, PhD, University of Western Australia
From 1971 to 2004 Graeme worked at the CSIRO. Prior to his departure he was Director of the Division of Atmospheric Research. Graeme Pearman has published over 200 scientific journal papers primarily on aspects of the global carbon budget. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Royal Society of Victoria, the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Oceanographic and Meteorological Society. He was awarded the CSIRO Medal (1988), a United Nations' Environment Program Global 500 Award (1989), Australian Medal of the Order of Australia (1999) and a Federation Medal (2003).
Learn about Graeme's research history at the CSIRO.
Mr Julian Poulter
Julian is a partner at Energy Transition Advisers and globally recognised in the field of climate risk, clean energy investing, responsible investment, and sustainability.
Julian is currently responsible for investor outreach for the Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) programme, a leading consortium that has become an international forecasting standard for the low carbon transition.
He has over 35 years business experience with over 25 of these in senior executive positions. His consulting career began at KPMG in business strategy and transition consulting covering sectors such as oil and gas, and finance. He moved into general management including being CEO of two data management companies. He has worked in the climate risk area since 2006 including 10 years as CEO of AODP, the investment disclosure framework referenced and incorporated into the TCFD framework.
Mr William Wu
William is a Portfolio Manager and Investment Stewardship within Schroders’ Australian Equities team. He is the lecturer and co-author of Sustainable and Responsible Investing at the University of NSW. More recently, William has been awarded the 2021 Aspen Institute Ideas Worth Teaching Award, presented for his sustainable and responsible investing work. William commenced his investment career in 2007 and spent several years at Perennial Value Management and Melior Investment Management where he was Portfolio Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance Major) from the University of New South Wales and has achieved CFA level 1 certification.
Howard Pender
Convenor, Office bearer
Howard was awarded a university medal in Economics at the Australian National University. He worked at the Australian Treasury, an investment bank and was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International and Public Law at the Australian National University. He co-founded and was a Director of Australian Ethical Investment for 20 years until 2011. Howard was also a Director of 2 other ASX listed companies.
