Our Impact - Next25

**Alexandra Burt**
Chair of the Board

Co-Founder, The Landsmith Collection

With nearly 20 years' experience in wine and tourism, Alexandra Burt is Co-Founder and Proprietor of The Landsmith Collection which owns and operates businesses that bring together luxury tourism, the natural world, and agriculture in Western Australia and the Top End. These include Voyager Estate, a leading producer of organically-farmed wines in Margaret River, and one of Australia’s most storied cattle stations, Bullo River Station, in the Northern Territory which, as well as a tourism offering, has a unique partnership with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Projects in development include a regenerative farm project and a boutique accommodation experience, both in Margaret River.
Alex spent 11 years on regional, state, and national wine industry boards and committees. As well as Next25, her current directorships include Tourism Australia and the Australian String Quartet, and she is Patron of Private Giving for West Australian Ballet. She and her husband, Julian, provide further support to not-for-profit organisations through their Wright Burt Foundation.
Alex has a deep interest in the future direction of Australia and sees the work of Next25 as pivotal to influence the nation’s leaders – and all of us – to think longer-term and make hard decisions that will benefit all Australians now and for generations to come.

**Nigel Andrade**

Partner and Member of the Board of Directors, Kearney

Nigel Andrade is a Partner and elected member of Kearney’s Global Board.
In 2022, Nigel joined Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council (GBPC) as a Senior Fellow. GBPC is rated by the University of Pennsylvania “Go To Think Tank Index Report” as one of the top for-profit think tanks in the world. Half of his professional time is now dedicated to working, intimately and over sustained periods, with select Boards and CEOs to uncover and realise powerful ways their organizations can address huge socio-environmental challenges while delivering sustainable returns. Nigel continues to lead Kearney IGNITE which he founded in 2015. IGNITE’s purpose is to deliver “sustainable growth”, that is both defensible and responsible, inspired by what matters to customers.
He is passionate about innovation, shared value and stakeholder capitalism and has co-authored the book Australia 2034: Luckier by Design.
Nigel’s two-decade career has seen him work and live in over 20 cities across SE Asia, India, Middle-East, Europe and North America prior to moving to Australia, where his wife, Darya, and he now lives between Sydney and Byron Bay on Australia’s east coast with their son Luke Alexander Andrade.

**Ralph Ashton**
Founder and Non-Executive Director, Next25

Ralph is a leading entrepreneur in building non-partisan initiatives that create catalytic change. He founded Next25 (previously Australian Futures Project) in 2011 to ensure Australia maximises and shares its success across current and future generations. Before founding Next25, Ralph spent a decade leading international public policy initiatives. He worked closely with governments, the United Nations, World Bank, business, academia, and non-profits across every continent, and notably:
- Co-created WWF’s Humanitarian-Conservation Partnership that changed how environmental and humanitarian organisations collaborate on large-scale disaster response
- Enrolled and chaired the eminent Terrestrial Carbon Group that changed the international debate and action on unlocking the 30% of the climate change solution represented by agriculture and forestry
Ralph's experience spans corporate law, investment banking, consulting, academia, NGOs, and think tanks. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator, and a trusted strategic advisor — working with businesses, governments, State Cabinet, the public service, politicians, the media, universities, NGOs, and philanthropists. He has also held visiting positions at Columbia University, La Trobe University, and the Australian National University.

**Attila Brungs**
Vice-Chancellor and President, UNSW Sydney

Attila is the Vice-Chancellor and President of UNSW Sydney. He was previously the Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research at UTS.
He is a distinguished academic and higher education leader with extensive experience in the government and corporate sectors. He has held senior roles with CSIRO and McKinsey & Company, and leadership roles and appointments including Chair of the Australian Technology Network of Universities and the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee; and member of the Universities Australia Board, the Federal Government Sustainability Research Committee, the Committee for Sydney Board, the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council, and the Federal Government’s National University Precincts Advisory Committee.
In 2018, Attila was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering for his research into heterogeneous catalysis and for his leadership in the higher education sector. He is a Rhodes Scholar with a Doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry from Oxford University and the University Medal in Industrial Chemistry from UNSW.
Attila is honoured to have returned to UNSW to lead the University in its mission to improve lives globally, through innovative research, transformative education and a commitment to a just society.

Merlin Crossley
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Quality), UNSW Sydney and Professor of Molecular Biology

Merlin Crossley has experience leading both Education and Research portfolios, and has served as Dean of Science and in several DVC roles at UNSW. He is also a Pro-Chancellor of the university and contributes at graduations.

He is an enthusiastic science communicator, Chair of the Editorial Board of The Conversation, of UNSW Press, Deputy Director of the Australian Science Media Centre, a member of the Editorial Board of BioEssays, and an Honorary Associate of the Australian Museum.

His lab works on CRISPR gene editing to treat inherited blood disorders. He has been recognised by multiple awards, including a Rhodes Scholarship, the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Medical Biological Science, the 2021 Lemberg Medal from the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In 2021 a new species of iridescent butterfly bobtail squid was named in his honour – Iridoteuthis merlini – Merlin’s bobtail squid.