Our Board

Tom Mollenkopf is an independent advisor on policy, strategy and governance. He is President of the International Water Association and a Senior Associate with the Aither consultancy. Over recent years he has advised government, NGO and private sector clients in Australia and globally. He is passionate about sound evidence-based decision making, and the role of informed and respectful conversations in good policy.

Tom's professional background is in law, first in private legal practice, then as corporate counsel - including Head of Legal at Australian Airlines (until its merger with Qantas) - before undertaking a series of executive and CEO roles in the water and environment sector. He was CEO of the Australian Water Association from 2007 to 2013, and later, CEO of the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust until 2021.

He is a Non-Executive Director of Peninsula Leisure and Dandenong Market, and is a member of the Victorian Sustainability Fund Committee and the Australian Water Partnership Expert Review Panel.

In January 2023, Tom was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia, in recognition of his distinguished service to business, particularly through the essential services industry, and to the community.

Sarah commenced as Managing Director of Gippsland Water in April 2017.

Sarah has extensive experience in successfully leading transformational change and implementing large scale technology solutions across multiple tiers of government. Her expertise is in governance, strategic leadership, complex problem solving, business transformation and creating enabling cultures to drive sustainable futures.

An experienced litigation lawyer and business leader, Sarah also holds a Director role and is former President of the Institute of Water Administration (IWA), is an Executive of the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN), and is an Independent Trustee of a private charitable trust.

Sarah lives in Gippsland and is passionate about driving change that will build a sustainable future for her region, and State.

Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts (ANU), Bachelor of Law (Honours) (ANU), and a Master of Business Administration (Executive) (Mt Eliza/Melbourne Business School). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has completed further study at both the Cambridge Judge Business School, and the Kennedy School of Government.

Jo is an experienced consultant across a range of consumer matters, specialising in consumer engagement and energy and water policy. Jo was previously Executive Officer of the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre and held executive positions for the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria and RSPCA Victoria. She was previously Chair of the Consumers’ Federation of Australia. Jo has a Graduate Diploma in Public Policy. Jo has been appointed as a member of the COAG Energy Council- Independent Energy Appointments Selection Panel for a four year term.

Christopher is a private management consultant, mentor and coach who was previously an Associate Director of Madison Cross Advisory Consultants where he led the Utilities/Energy Business. He has extensive board and senior executive experience in the Electricity, Gas, Telecoms, Water and Waste Industries.

Christopher is Director of the Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group, and formerly South Gippsland Region Water Corporation, the Stormwater Industry Association of Australia, Australasian Corrosion Association, Murray Irrigation Ltd, and Bendigo Community Bank.

He is an independent member and Chair of Wellington Council's and South Gippsland Council's Audit & Risk Committee, and previously member of East Gippsland Shire Council's Audit and Risk Committee.

Christopher has a Bachelor of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Degree, and is a Graduate and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He also has post graduate leadership and business training from Stanford University Business School (USA), Warwick University Business School (UK), and the London Business School (UK).

Katrina has extensive experience in strategy consulting and executive management. She was a director of strategy with Telstra, responsible for customer service transformation, product investment and innovation. She has consulted to State and Federal government, as well as a wide range of industries locally and in Asia.

Katrina currently serves on two other public sector boards - Bendigo Kangan TAFE and VARTA. She has worked as a corporate lawyer and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Felix has extensive experience in strategy development and delivery. He is a Logistics Business Manager at Viva Energy Australia. Having worked in the oil and petroleum sector for over two decades, Felix has held senior leadership roles with Shell and BP across Australia and Europe. He has also spent 10 years in BP’s global top 250 downstream talent program.

Felix has an Executive Education from Melbourne Business School, and a Bachelor in Economics and Business Administration from the Academy of Economics, Germany.

Penny has extensive board and committee experience, including current appointments on the board of Eastern Health, and the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority. Penny is also Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Department of Planning Industry and Environment(NSW), chairs the board of the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, and the CAANZ Public Sector Panel in Victoria.

Penny has previously held senior roles in the Victorian Public Sector and has been a partner in a large Chartered Accounting firm.

Penny is a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, and has a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne. She also has a Music Performance Diploma of the Australian Music Examinations Board, and an Honours degree in German and Music from the University of London.

Shara has an extensive background in industrial relations and law and is a National Organising Coordinator at the United Workers Union. She is also responsible for strategic decision making around dispute resolution options, including litigation in the Federal Court or arbitration in the Fair Work Commission.

Shara has been admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria as an Australian Lawyer, and has a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Politics and Chinese from Monash University.

Katie is a proud Noongar Yamatje woman from Whadjuk Noongar country. With over 20 years of leadership and business experience in various sectors, Katie believes in the power and responsibility of business to support social change. Her unique career has provided her with technical, strategic, and multi-sector expertise in driving growth and performance at the organisational and board level.

Currently Head of Culture and Inclusion in one of Australia’s largest employers, Coles Group, Katie has led a multi-year strategy and initiatives to build an inclusive and diverse environment. In her leadership she has seen Coles achieve gender balance in leadership, Gold employer status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQI+ inclusion and top 3 ranking in the Access and Inclusion Index. She also serves as a Director on the boards of the Reece Group Foundation and Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL), and mentors diverse up-and-coming board directors.

Jenny has over 20 years’ experience as an Engineer and Non-Executive Director, and a passion for decarbonisation and the energy transition. Jenny is currently the CEO of HILT CRC, a Co-Operative Research Centre that brings industry, universities and government organisations together to identify and de-risk decarbonisation pathways for Heavy Industry. Prior to this, Jenny worked across the energy industry at AEMO, the Australian Energy Market Operator where she focused on increasing renewable penetration in the Victorian transmission network, and at ExxonMobil, specialising in international joint venture and asset management.

Formerly a NED of HILT CRC before taking on the CEO role, Jenny is currently, ending in Feb 2024, an Alternate State Director at Agribio, a $288M Agricultural research facility and joint venture between the Victorian State Government and Latrobe University.

Originally graduating from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) & Bachelor of Science, Jenny is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), a Fellow of the Engineers Australia, and has completed an Executive MBA from Melbourne Business School and postgraduate studies into Climate Change Policy at the Australian National University.