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PROFESSOR TONY HAYMET FTSE
CHAIR

In November 20021 Professor Tony Haymet FTSE was appointed Chair by the Board of The Antarctic Science Foundation. Professor Haymet is a scientist, an academic and a business leader. He is co-founder and co-owner of MRV Systems LLC, a for-profit company manufacturing in-ocean robots, both sea- and air-launchable with a wide variety of sensors, which he spun out of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2010. Haymet was formerly Director, Oceans, for the Minderoo Foundation based in Perth, Western Australia, and Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of WorldFish (Penang). Haymet worked in Antarctica during three summer seasons.

 Professor Haymet was the tenth Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UCSD Vice-Chancellor for Marine Sciences and is now Emeritus Director & Vice-Chancellor and Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Founded in 1903, Scripps is a US$200 million earth science institution. Together more than 1,600 people at Scripps address societally relevant issues in solid earth, seismology, oceans & atmosphere, fisheries and marine biology.

Professor Haymet was previously Chief of CSIRO Marine Research, then Marine & Atmospheric Research, founder of the “Wealth from Oceans” Flagship, and held the Established Chair of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Sydney. He is an elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Engineering (ATSE) and the Australian Chemical Institute (RACI). He is the author of 175 peer-reviewed publications, many highly cited, and numerous Opinion-Editorial pieces for leading global newspapers.

DR TONY PRESS AO FAIIA
COMPANY SECRETARY

Dr Tony Press is an adjunct professor at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania. He was CEO of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre from 2009 to 2014, following a decade as Director of the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).

Dr Press chaired the Antarctic Treaty’s Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) from 2002 to 2006; was Australia’s representative to the CEP, and Delegate to Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings from 1999 to 2008. He was Australia’s Commissioner to the Commission for the Convention on Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) from 1998 to 2008. Dr Press provided the Australian Government with the 20 Year Australian Antarctic Strategic Plan in 2014. He is a founding Board Member of the Antarctic Science Foundation.

For his contribution to the study of Antarctic policy Dr Press was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs in 2022. In 2023 Dr Press was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the preservation of the Antarctic and Kakadu.

SOPHIE TAYLOR-PRICE
DIRECTOR

Sophie Taylor-Price is a sustainability professional and geographer working with EY in climate change and sustainability. For the past 13 years, Sophie has worked with organisations to understand and take action on their sustainability risks and opportunities.

As a four-year-old, Sophie vividly remembers sitting on her grandfather’s knee, the late former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, as he launched Australia’s first ‘State of the Environment’ report’. Now an environmental leader in her own right, Sophie continues his environmental legacy and flies the flag for the next generation. Sophie has inherited his courage and conviction for conservation and building a better world. Sophie travelled to Antarctica with fellow sustainability leaders in 2012.

CHERYL WALMSLEY
PUBLIC OFFICER

Cheryl Walmsley’s career has primarily been in the engineering and project management sector, working in change management, organisational development, human resource management and employment relations. For over 35 years, Cheryl has worked in multinationals, including Elders IXL, Levi Strauss, Cathay Pacific Airways, KBR, Downer EDI, and for Bechtel and Ove Arup on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Project.

Cheryl has served on the Board of Lifeline Northern Beaches, was its Chair for two years and continues to be involved in the work of Lifeline. She attained a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the University of London (Birkbeck College) and is a member of the AICD and AHRI.

Cheryl said, “I am delighted to be joining the ASF. This role presents an opportunity to do something practical and positive for the environment. The Foundation strives to arm scientists with the necessary tools and support to obtain the knowledge we all need to understand our planet better. Understanding, protecting, and conserving our environment is essential to all of us, and Antarctica is unique. There has been a meaningful change in environmental awareness within our families and our communities, and I think there is a growing desire to act. For me, this is also an opportunity to demonstrate my respect for research scientists in general.”

Samantha O’Connor

Director

At our most recent Board meeting, Samantha O’Connor was elected as a Director of the Antarctic Science Foundation by unanimous decision. Foundation Chair Tony Haymet was delighted to welcome Samantha to the Board, noting that “Samantha’s appointment to the Board of ASF enriches the expertise that we will bring to bear in guiding and steering our Foundation and ensuring that we maximise the benefits we deliver to our stakeholders. I welcome Samantha and look forward to the contribution that she will make to ASF’s success.”

Samantha is an experienced senior executive with a solid commercial, legal, and governance skill set, having worked in both commercial and not-for-profit organisations for over 20 years. She commenced her career in funds management & investment banking at Bankers Trust and Citibank.

Samantha has more recently worked at a smaller boutique investment manager, Private Portfolio Managers, as General Counsel and COO. She has held COO and CEO roles at the not-for-profit organisations of the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) and the Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF).

Samantha is passionate about environmental research, sustainability and social responsibility. She holds a current practising certificate and GIACert and GAICD qualifications. “I was delighted to be invited to join the ASF Board, which supports scientific research and researchers in Antarctica. There is much to be done, with many fascinating projects underway and in the pipeline. I am looking forward to supporting the ASF to grow and achieve its potential as a preeminent foundation supporting important and impactful scientific research of Antarctica itself, its role in our global climate and oceanography, and, of course, deepening our understanding of the global impacts of climate change.”

Foundation CEO Andrew Kelly said, “Samantha’s expertise in corporate and for-impact sectors and her focus on climate and environmental issues are a coup for the ASF. Samantha will make a tremendous contribution to a Board keenly focused on pushing the Foundation forward and facilitating impact in Antarctic environmental research. I welcome Samantha to the Foundation and look forward to working with her in her new role.”

Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE FAICD

Emeritus Director

Dr Katherine Woodthorpe is one of Australia’s most influential people in innovation. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of ATSE since 2015. She currently serves as ATSE 10th president. In 2017, Katherine received an Order of Australia for her ongoing service to research and technology innovation in Australia. Dr Woodthorpe holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and an honorary doctorate from the University of Technology Sydney.

She has been a professional director for over 20 years, including as Chair of the Great Barrier Foundation, Natural Hazards Research Australia and the HEARing Cooperative Research Centre. She has been a Director of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Bioplatforms Australia (NCRIS), the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Vast Solar, and listed companies Sirtex and Anteotech. She previously chaired the National Climate Science Advisory Committee and currently chairs the Government’s “Vision 2040” committee reviewing the strategy for investment in medical research for the next two decades. 

From July 2019 to November 2021, Dr Katherine Woodthorpe was Chair of the Antarctic Science Foundation. She was unanimously voted by our Board in April 2023 as our first Emeritus Director to acknowledge her contributions to the Foundation and to help shape its future.