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Harbour Trust Ranger helping visitors at Georges Heights in Headland Park, Mosman.

Our organisation

The Harbour Trust is governed by the Members of the Trust while the agency’s day-to-day operations are managed by the Executive Team.

The Members of the Trust are non-executive directors appointed by the Minister for the Environment and Water. In accordance with the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001, this body consists of eight members including the Chair as well as two members recommended the NSW Government, one representing the interests of First Nations People, and another who provides a local government perspective and experience. 

The Executive Team is comprised of 6 directors under the leadership of an Executive Director. The Executive Director is appointed by the Minister on the recommendation of the Members of the Trust and manages the affairs of the agency subject to the directions and policies of the Trust.

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Trust members

The Members of the Trust meet regularly to guide the process of planning and implementing projects on Harbour Trust lands.

Professor Tim Entwisle (Chair)

Professor Tim Entwisle has worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (UK) and Sydney, and most recently as the Director and CEO of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. He is an experienced board member and chair and his recent involvement chairing panels and forums discussing the use of open space will be very relevant in this new role. He brings capabilities in environmental and heritage conservation, interpretation, land planning and management, business, financial and asset management, tourism and marketing.

Appointed November 2023.

Trust members

The Members of the Trust meet regularly to guide the process of planning and implementing projects on Harbour Trust lands.

Professor Tim Entwisle (Chair)

Professor Tim Entwisle has worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (UK) and Sydney, and most recently as the Director and CEO of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. He is an experienced board member and chair and his recent involvement chairing panels and forums discussing the use of open space will be very relevant in this new role. He brings capabilities in environmental and heritage conservation, interpretation, land planning and management, business, financial and asset management, tourism and marketing.

Appointed November 2023.

Terry Bailey

Terry Bailey has 35 years’ experience working in the environment and heritage fields. Terry has gained a thorough understanding of planning legislation and policies through executive leadership roles in the New South Wales and Australian governments – his most recent public sector appointment being Chief Executive of the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage.

Terry is the Executive Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering at the University of Tasmania and a former Executive Director of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Terry is a reporter under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 to the Federal Minister for the Environment, a Commissioner on the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission and Chair of the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council.

Terry has worked extensively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His interest and passion, including in joint management of protected areas, was developed in Kakadu where he worked in various roles, including as Park Manager. Between 2004 and 2010, Terry prepared world heritage nominations for the Australian Government, including the Ningaloo Coast, the Australian Convict Sites and the Sydney Opera House. Terry is an expert advisor in world heritage to the Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland governments.

Appointed November 2023.

Chantelle Fornari

Initially from a sales and marketing professional background, Chantelle has dedicated herself over the past decade to delivering outcomes for communities through her roles in local government and on various boards and committees including the not-for-profit sector. Chantelle has broad experience in strategic planning, community engagement and stakeholder management.

Chantelle was elected as a Councillor on Ku-ring-gai Council in 2012. During her five-year term as Councillor, Chantelle served on a number of boards and committees representing the community and held the position of Deputy Mayor for a term.

In 2019, Chantelle was appointed to sit on the National board of StreetWork and served as Chair of the local board for the Hornsby – Ku-ring-gai region until 2021.

Appointed April 2022.

Alexandra O’Mara

Alexandra O’Mara has over 20 years of experience leading strategy development, execution, and delivery of results in different spheres of the public and private sectors, providing strategic advice as the Director and Founder of Sustainable Solutions Advisory which focuses on sustainability, impact, engagement and leadership. Alexandra is the Chief Advisor to the Urban Transformation Research Centre of Western Sydney University and was a Deputy Secretary in the NSW Government for over 5 years.

Appointed November 2023.

Alison Page

Alison Page is a Walbanga and Wadi Wadi woman (from La Perouse, Sydney) and is an award-winning Designer and Film Producer whose career spanning 23 years links indigenous stories and traditional knowledge with contemporary design. She appeared for eight years as a regular panelist on the ABC TV show, The New Inventors, in 2015, was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame and is the winner of the 2022 Interior Design Excellence Awards Gold Medal.

She was one of the original members of Merrima Architecture, Australia’s first Indigenous architecture group, which was part of the NSW Government Architects Office, who she continues to work with to integrate ‘Country’ into large scale developments in NSW, such as Barangaroo where she is the First Nation’s Advisor.

Alison’s most recent work is in collaboration with Cinematographer Nik Lachajczak in Creative Agency Zakpage, producing films and public art that tell place-based stories. In 2021, Alison co-authored a book with Paul Memmott about Indigenous architecture and design, published by Thames and Hudson Australia called Design, Building on Country as part of their First Knowledges series. She is a Board member of the National Australia Day Council, Councillor with the Australian National Maritime Museum, Board Member at the Art Gallery of South Australia and Chair of the Aboriginal research group, Ninti Pty Ltd. Alison sits on the Federal Government's Creative Economy Taskforce.

Appointed April 2022.

Ann Sherry AO

Ann Sherry AO is one of Australia's leading business executives with a career that spans government, banking and cruise tourism. She has a passion for improving opportunities and removing barriers for women in STEM and sport and supporting opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

Ann is an Adviser, the former Chairman and was Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia for a decade. Carnival Australia is the largest cruise ship operator in the Australia/Pacific region. She has also held several other executive and non-executive positions at significant corporations and public sector bodies.

Appointed November 2023.

Executive team

Janet Carding (Executive Director)

Janet has enjoyed a distinguished career in the galleries and museums sector, having served cultural organisations across three continents. Hailing from England, she commenced her career as a curator in Medical History at London’s Science Museum. She went on to oversee planning and major projects as a member of the senior management team.

In 2004, she migrated to Australia and joined the Australian Museum, Sydney as Assistant Director, Public Programs & Operations. In addition to overseeing the Museum’s exhibitions and public programs, Janet played a key role in the Museum’s Revitalisation Project and, during her tenure, was granted Australian Citizenship.

In 2010, Janet became the first woman to be appointed the Director and CEO of the Royal Ontario Museum, one of Canada’s leading cultural bodies. Under her leadership, innovative formats and digital initiatives were employed to broaden the Museum’s audience and raise the profile of its vital, behind-the-scenes research.

In 2015, Janet returned to Australia to become Director of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart – the State Government’s leading natural, cultural and heritage organisation. She implemented a successful five-year strategic plan that saw the Museum re-establish itself as a cultural hub for Tasmanians and a key tourist destination.

Janet helped strengthen the Museum’s relationship with Tasmania’s Aboriginal people. This included making a formal apology for past Museum’s practices, and initiating the repatriation of significant rock carvings to country. During this period, she also served the Australian cultural sector in a number of high-profile volunteer roles.

Janet joined the Harbour Trust as its Executive Director in September 2021.

Libby Bennett (Director, Heritage and Design)

Libby is a senior heritage architect with 30+ years’ experience in the field of heritage conservation including major projects, adaptive reuse, advice on heritage issues, and design and heritage asset management. Her career has encompassed working across both private and government organisations. Prior to joining the Harbour Trust, Libby served the Department of Defence as the heritage architect for their Sydney sites. She brought this expertise and knowledge to the Harbour Trust when she joined at the agency’s inception two decades ago. Throughout her career with the Harbour Trust, Libby has been passionately and extensively involved in the rehabilitation, conservation and adaptive reuse of the Trust’s sites and heritage assets.

Maree Doherty (Head of Property and Leasing Management)

Maree is an accomplished property professional with more than 20 years of expertise in specialised property fields including strata management and portfolio management as well as property and leasing management. Maree demonstrates a client-centric approach and is committed to establishing – and nurturing – long-term professional relationships founded on mutual respect and the achievement of shared objectives. She thrives on interacting with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, embracing each unique perspective, and is committed to solving problems, ensuring success and getting the job done efficiently and effectively.

Graham Izod (Director, Assets and Parklands)

Graham has more than 25 years’ experience in Construction/Building Services and the Facilities Management industry. His knowledge spans the whole building lifecycle from concept and design through to construction and operations. Graham has managed facilities across numerous industries including government, finance and entertainment. He began his career with a mechanical services company installing ductwork, and later managed installation projects, before moving to Tier 1 Construction organisations where he managed building services for large construction sites.

Throughout his extensive career, Graham has accrued extensive senior management experience in construction and facilities management, overseeing teams on a local through to national level on both the client side and as the representative as the outsourced provider. Graham’s strengths include operational leadership, asset management, PMO, governance, stakeholder engagement, vendor/contract management and change management – all with WHS leadership at the forefront. He is a passionate advocate for best practice and safe work environments and is committed to creating environments that not only resonate with people but have high tenant retention.

Bernadette Or (Chief Operating and Financial Officer)

Bernadette is an experienced CFO and non-executive director with more than 25 years of executive experience leading a range of enabling services (people, finance, technology, commercial and risks) at various NGOs and NFPs.

Prior to joining the Harbour Trust in March 2023, Bernadette worked at the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW, Western Sydney University, Northern Suburbs Rugby Football Club, CoAct plus other for-profit and for-purpose businesses.

Bernadette was the Chair of Crohns and Colitis Australia until 2014 and is currently the Chair and President of Family Planning Australia.

Kathryn Roberts (Director, Marketing and Visitor Experience)

Kathryn is a senior marketing and communications lead with 20+ years’ experience building brands and developing innovative strategies that engage consumers and visitors in a meaningful way. Her speciality areas include consumer-centric strategies and management, managing stakeholders including customers, government and community, and building brands, products and places.

Daniel Sealey (Director, Planning)

Daniel joined the Harbour Trust as a town planner from the NSW Department of Planning in 2003, at a time when Harbour Trust lands were awaiting restoration. Daniel contributes to the careful fostering of the sites’ ongoing revival in ways that protect their environmental and heritage values, and which engage positively with stakeholders. His experience includes preparing plans and policies, assessing environmental impacts, managing site operational issues, and community consultation.

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Helpful links

Interested in learning more about the Harbour Trust and our protected places on Sydney Harbour? Check out the below links.