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.
The Members of the Trust meet regularly to guide the process of planning and implementing projects on Harbour Trust lands.
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.
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.
Former NSW Planning Minister Pru Goward is the cat with nine lives; an economist by training and a broadcaster by practice, she was a senior reporter with the ABC for 19 years and was the first woman to be ABC Television’s national political correspondent and later, the inaugural presenter of RN Daybreak, now a national breakfast institution. She was awarded a special Walkley, Australia’s highest journalist honour, for her television profile of an organised crime figure. She went on to be a senior executive in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and later the Commonwealth Government’s Spokesperson for the Sydney 2000 Games.
Following the Games, she was the first woman to head the Australian Property Institute before being appointed as Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner for six years, where she developed and championed the national economic and social case for a paid maternity leave, which eventually received bi-partisan support and is now a national entitlement. She also established the first national survey of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, which continues to this day.
Pru Goward entered the NSW Parliament in 2007 and served as minister for child protection, social housing, mental health, medical research, assistant minister for health and planning. As Planning Minister, she established the Greater Sydney Commission. Her ministries were marked by data driven, evidence-based reform, a cause she has continued to champion since retiring from the Parliament, as Professor of Social Interventions and Policy at Western Sydney University. Pru also sits on a number of boards and committees such as the Southern NSW Local Health District, the Cardio Vascular Research Network and the advisory board of Good Housing. Her consultancy work is focussed on diversity, gender and public policy more broadly. She has been commissioned by both the NSW and Commonwealth agencies to conduct reviews.
Pru has been honoured with a Centenary Medal and an Honorary Doctorate from Charles Sturt University. She has authored A Business of Her Own and, with her husband, a biography of former prime minister, John Howard. She is a regular commentator with the Australian Financial Review.
Appointed April 2022.
Steven is a driven executive with experience in a variety of public and private sector contexts. He has built a comprehensive understanding and proven delivery of governments, digital strategy, transformation, human centered design and customer experience, technology, and data driven insight achieved through a range of roles. Steven is a Chief Digital Officer in a Federal Government Agency in Digital Health. He was a former Director of Service NSW as it transformed how citizens interact with Government. Steven has also had roles as a Lecturer at the University of Sydney, and was a Management Consultant.
Steven has also actively contributed to his broader community having served as a Councillor for the City Parramatta from 2012 to 2021. He has held the positions of Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor, and Chair of their Smart City Committee. He has held board positions on the Western Sydney Region of Councils (WSROC) as the Senior Vice President. Together with his wife Jasmine, Steven also helped found and runs a registered charity (Project Generosity).
Appointed November 2021.
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, Projects)
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.
Interested in learning more about the Harbour Trust and our protected places on Sydney Harbour? Check out the below links.
Our places 
Chowder Bay
