Dominique Hogan-Doran SC and Oliver Costello have joined the Natural Hazards Research Australia Board.
The transition of Natural Hazards Research Australia from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC over the past year has included a staged refresh of the Board, with the latest two additions joining three new directors who started in September last year.
Dominique Hogan-Doran SC brings over 25 years' experience as a barrister and trusted advisor, specialising in corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She also has experience as a trustee director in the financial services and funds management industry. Dominique is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and serves on the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Disciplinary Tribunal. Dominique has qualifications in law and economics. She is a graduate of the University of Sydney and of the University of Oxford, where she was the Menzies Scholar. In 2020, Dominique was Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.
Oliver Costello is a Bundjalung man from the northern rivers of New South Wales, with a diverse range of personal and professional expertise in culturally connected stewardship of Country. He is currently focused on First Nations knowledge and practice in caring for Country through regenerative cultural practices that support preparedness, recovery and resilience in relation to fire, floods and storms. He has extensive experience working within the Indigenous land and sea management, conservation and cultural heritage management sectors and has been particularly interested in empowering Aboriginal perspectives on fire, threatened and culturally significant species. Oliver set up the Firesticks initiative in 2009 and was a founding Director of the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation in 2018. He currently serves as a director of the Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation and is the Vice President of the Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium.
Dominique and Oliver join the current Board comprising Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO (Chair), Iain MacKenzie AFSM (Deputy Chair), Dr Greg Ayers, Tim Moltmann, Doug Smith APM, Kate Vinot and Sandra Whight.
The Centre Board is supported by three sub-committees, each with a focused purpose to strengthen the decisions of the Board.
The Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee provides the Board with assurance that adequate processes are in place with regard to matters of risk, audit and compliance. The Committee includes oversight of management of risk relating to the work of the Centre, financial management and reporting, compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements, and an external audit process and systems of internal financial control. Dominique Hogan-Doran will join this committee along with existing members Tim Moltmann (Chair) and Kate Vinot.
The Education and Training Committee provides the Board with advice on the strategic decisions the Centre should take to support and promote training and education to improve resilience to natural hazards. The role of the Committee includes oversight of the Postgraduate Research Scholarship, Associate Student, Early Career Researcher Development and Industry Fellowship programs, the Future Research-Skilled Workforce program and research-informed education and training program. Oliver Costello will join the existing Committee members Iain MacKenzie (Chair) and Doug Smith, along with Cheryl Desha, Clare Russell, Bhiamie Williamson and Paul Seager.
The Research and Implementation Committee provides the Board with strategic advice on the overall development of the Centre’s research and implementation programs. The role of the Committee includes oversight of the development and operation of the 10-year Research Strategy, Biennial Research program and Research Implementation Strategy, and includes Board members Dr Greg Ayers, Kate Vinot, Tim Moltmann and Sandra Whight, along with Ricky Archer, Mal Cronstedt, Anthony Bradstreet, Jennie Fluin, Hannah Wendel and Rob Webb.