OUR PEOPLE

We bridge local knowledge with global expertise, creating partnerships for lasting change.

Image credit: Johnson Wang

Our People

Board of Directors

Martijn Wilder AM

FOUNDER & CEO, POLLINATION

Martijn is a recognised global leader in climate law and investment. He has advised governments and companies on innovative climate finance investments including the World’s First REDD+ Green Bond.

Martijn was head of Baker & McKenzie’s global climate law and finance practice for twenty years and has played a key role with Australia’s clean energy finance institutions. He is currently Chair of the Governing Board of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) based in Vienna. He was previously Chair of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and a former founding Director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. He helped establish and later Chair the Federal Government’s Low Carbon Australia finance body.

He is currently President of WWF-Australia and Chair of NSW Climate Change Council. He is Adjunct Professor of International Climate Change Law at Australian National University, a Director of the Climate Council, and Senior Adviser to Serendipity Capital. Martijn was a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar and was awarded an Australian Honour (AM) for his contribution to climate change law and the environment. In 2018, he was awarded the Financial Times Asia Pacific Legal Innovator of the Year.

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Rob Grant

MANAGING DIRECTOR, POLLINATION

For 25 years, Rob has been personally and professionally passionate about advocating for and delivering climate change abatement and clean energy policy, regulation, projects investments, businesses and industries.

His professional career includes roles as Director Energy at Fortescue Metals Group responsible for the company’s energy and green hydrogen businesses, Chair of the Clean Energy Investor Group, Senior Vice President Clean Power and Vice President Capital for SNC-Lavalin in Asia Pacific and for 18 years until July 2014 helped position Pacific Hydro as Australia’s most successful and dynamic international clean energy utility. Rob holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and has completed an MBA and Master of Applied Finance at Melbourne and Macquarie Universities.

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Lisa Miller

NON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lisa Miller studied zoology at UNSW and specialised in the field of evolutionary biology before starting her career as a scientist at the Australian Museum. After spending the last ten years growing leaders and teams at some of the fastest growing tech companies in Australia – including Canva – she has now united her passion for conservation and technology by establishing Wedgetail: an organisation devoted to preserving and restoring biodiversity through sustainable investment.

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Janine Mohamed

CEO (FIRST NATIONS), NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY

Janine Mohamed is a proud Narrunga Kaurna woman from South Australia. A nurse by training, she has more than 20 years experience in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, working in diverse roles that span management, workforce development, cultural safety and health policy and dedicated to strengthening the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector.

Previously Janine was the CEO of the Lowitja Institute, Australia’s community controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research Institute where she had a strong focus on the impact of climate change on human health, seeking to highlight Indigenous-led adaption and mitigation strategies that strengthen wellbeing and deliver benefits not only to Indigenous peoples but more broadly to the global community.

Janine was awarded an Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Fellowship in 2019 and in January 2020 was awarded a Doctorate of Nursing by Edith Cowan University. She was a speaker at a side event for the COP26 Glasgow Climate Conference in 2021, highlighting the intersection between Indigenous health and climate change.

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Amanda Young

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Amanda Young is a multisectoral executive with over 25 years’ experience in law, government, commercial, financial services and non-profit sectors. Her expertise is as an equity practitioner, focused on reducing structural inequalities across political, social, economic and sustainability domains.

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Our Team

Ariadne Gorring

CO-CEO POLLINATION FOUNDATION

As Co-CEO of Pollination Foundation, Ariadne starts where change takes root: with community. She bridges local knowledge with global expertise to spark practical, early-stage nature solutions. Her approach draws on decades of experience in multi-partner collaboration, Indigenous-led conservation, nature enterprise, Australia’s carbon industry and emerging nature credit markets.  

Ariadne serves on the Board of the Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership, was appointed to the 2022 Expert Panel reviewing Australia’s Carbon Credit Framework, helped convene the 2014 World Indigenous Network Conference in Darwin, and received The Nature Conservancy’s Barbara Thomas Fellowship in Conservation Financing finance fellowship. She is a Global Atlantic Fellow at Oxford University and holds a BA in Sustainable Development & Entrepreneurship and a Master’s in Social Change Leadership. 

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Jane Hutchinson

CO-CEO POLLINATION FOUNDATION

As Co-CEO of Pollination Foundation, Jane is passionate about achieving nature conservation at scale by flowing finance to the people best placed to do the work. Over more than two decades, she has led and governed across Australia’s conservation landscape, previously serving as CEO of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, a founding member of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, and Executive Director for Strategy & Innovation at The Nature Conservancy Australia.  

Jane currently serves on Australia’s Nature Finance Council, she is an alumni of The Nature Conservancy’s Barbara Thomas Fellowship in Conservation Financing and the Harvard Club of Australia Fellowship. In 2016 she was Tasmanian Australian of the Year for her contribution to nature. Jane holds a combined Science/Law (Hons) degree from the University of Tasmania. 

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Kirsty Galloway-McLean

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMPLISEED

Kirsty is a leader in global environmental governance and knowledge management, including 15 years with the UN working on sustainable development and information sharing. She is passionate about making policies practical, information accessible, and the power of people-led nature conservation.

Kirsty previously led the climate change and communications department of the Traditional Knowledge Initiative at Japan’s United Nations University, and she set up the first globally distributed information exchange system under international law for the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal. She ran the cross-disciplinary research Centre for the Mind at the Australian National University, was an advisor on risk assessment and intellectual property for the Australian government, and established BioChimera, a Melbourne-based consulting firm that specialises in assisting international environmental agencies and philanthropic foundations working with Indigenous peoples.

Kirsty has authored four books on climate change and Indigenous peoples, edited several scientific and technical journals, and written numerous articles on climate change adaptation, mitigation, REDD+, safeguards, access and benefit-sharing, Indigenous livelihoods, and traditional knowledge.

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Suzie Amundsen

FINANCE MANAGER, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

Suzie is the Finance Manager at the Pollination Foundation, based in the Melbourne office. She brings extensive experience in finance, audit and risk management across the superannuation sector, multinational consumer-goods, and dynamic start-ups. Suzie is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Monash University.

Her time at v2food, a plant-based food start-up, sparked a deep passion for sustainable food systems and agriculture. Suzie is committed to supporting initiatives that are financially responsible and strategically resilient, particularly those that align with communities, nature and environmental wellbeing.

She has a genuine love for well-working finance systems, clear reporting and embedding strong governance into day-to-day operations. She thrives in cross-functional environments where collaboration supports enterprise-wide decision making and impact.

Suzie believes strong financial stewardship enables real, lasting change. She is eager to ensure every opportunity for meaningful and positive impact is carefully assessed, pursued and delivered with care.

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Lauren Austin

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

As Communications Director at Pollination Foundation, Lauren brings stories that connect people, place, and purpose to life. She leads strategic communications that amplify community-led nature solutions and shift narratives. With deep expertise in visual storytelling, digital content, and campaign strategy, Lauren weaves compelling narratives that build trust, grow influence, and drive systemic change.

Lauren’s career spans global organisations, including Greenpeace, 350.org and the International Organisation for Migration (UN Migration), where she shaped high-impact messaging across diverse platforms and brands. She is particularly passionate about partnering with mission-driven organisations to use design and storytelling as tools for social and environmental transformation.

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Samim Hoshmand

ASSOCIATE, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

With a background of nature conservation and climate change, Samim has over 12 years of experience in various capacities with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), United Nations Industrial Development Programme (UNIDO), International Federation of Red Cross Society (IFRC) and Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs). He was also the National Ozone Officer implementing Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention for over 5 years. In May 2019 he has appointed a senior role as Director of Climate Change for Afghanistan, supervising over 40 staff and experts. In this role, he helped with securing over $22 million from the Green Climate Fund for Afghanistan. He also instructed climate change and environment laws at Kabul Education University. Samim was the founder and chairman of the Board for Environment Watch Afghanistan Society (EWA). He published several papers on nature conservation and climate change and authored a book in Farsi called “Towards Green Future” which he dedicated to Afghanistan’s natural beauty. Samim represented Afghanistan at various COPs and global meetings and actively negotiated and participated in media advocacy campaigns encouraging green development.

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Ami Kadota

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

Ami is an Executive Assistant based in Pollination’s Perth office, where she provides support to executives Ariadne Gorring and Jane Hutchinson. With a background spanning several years in customer service and office management, Ami has cultivated a reputation for delivering exceptional assistance and ensuring utmost client satisfaction.

Before joining Pollination Foundation, Ami held the role of Student Services and Experience Manager at Navitas English, overseeing operations across both Perth and Sydney campuses. This experience equipped her with the expertise to meticulously evaluate systems and procedures, ensuring adherence to the National standards for ELICOS providers.

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Brydy McDonnell

EXECUTIVE OFFICER, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

Brydy is the Executive Officer of the Pollination Foundation based in the Melbourne office. Prior to joining Pollination, she acted in a range of advisory roles within the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Delivering operational management of marine and terrestrial protected areas, she supported strategic programs including the Great Barrier Reef Field Management Program and the Minjerribah Protected Area Expansion Strategy.  Previously, Brydy worked as an Executive Assistant to various senior executives within the Queensland Government developing foundational skills in executive administration, recruitment, and office management.

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Ria Sivaraman

PEOPLE AND CULTURE MANAGER, POLLINATION FOUNDATION

Ria is the People & Culture Manager at Pollination Foundation, based in Brisbane.

She brings extensive experience from managerial and HR business partnering roles across the non-profit, international development, and education sectors. Prior to joining Pollination Foundation, Ria developed a deep understanding of organisational strategy and change, and how these intersect with capability and culture in global, diverse contexts.

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OUR VALUES

What defines us.

Catalytic Collaboration

We believe in connecting diverse thinkers to create breakthrough ideas. Real, systemic change can only be achieved by joining forces and forging new paths together.

We collaborate rather than compete. Our ideas are open source, meaning we share what we learn.

Thoughtful Transformation

We believe our impact must be significant and measurable and the transition just and fair.

We manifest our leadership through exemplary, ethical behaviours and business practices.

We respect the agency of others and design initiatives to benefit future generations.
We take an evidence-based approach, without taking shortcuts or jumping to solutions. Instead, we test, learn, adapt and scale.

Diverse Perspectives

We believe in the power of seeing through the eyes of others and bringing together diverse perspectives to explore new pathways through complexity.

We stay present in ambiguity, look for synergies and celebrate unexpected partnerships.

Courageous
Creativity

We believe that transformation takes courage to make ideas a reality. We’re the doers, creative disruptors and innovators doing things differently because tomorrow’s opportunities need more than yesterday’s solutions.

CONTACT US

If you share our ambition and commitment to intergenerational change benefitting nature and community, stay in touch.

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