Trust, Trustees & Trust committees

The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust is a statutory body established by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Act 1980. The Act was amended in 1983 to increase the number of Trustees from five to seven, and in 1985 to vest additional land in the Trust. The legislation defines the powers, authorities, duties and functions of the Trust and vests certain land and property in the Trust. It also governs the Regulations relating to all three Gardens and the Domain.

Trust objectives

• to maintain and improve Trust lands, the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the collections of living and preserved plant life owned by the Trust

• to increase and disseminate knowledge about the plant life of Australia, and of New South Wales in particular

• to encourage the public use and enjoyment of Trust lands by promoting and increasing the educational, historical, cultural and recreational value of these lands.

Chairperson

Mr Greg Martin BEc, LLB, FAIM, MAICD (Appointed Chair 1 December 2003; Appointed to Trust 1 July 2003; present term expires 30 June 2011)

Greg previously spent more than 25 years working with The Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) including the positions of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer over a 5-year period. Greg serves as a Non-Executive Director of Santos Limited and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), a non-executive director of Energy Developments Limited, Chairman of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Chairman of Jackgreen Limited and Chairman of the Everest Financial Group. He is a former Chairman of NGC Holdings Limited (a former New Zealand-listed company), former Chairman of the Energy Supply Association of Australia and former Chief Executive of Challenger Infrastructure, part of the Challenger Financial Services Group. 

Other Trustees

Professor Lesley Hughes B.Sc(Honours), Ph.D (Appointed 2 February 2009; present term expires 1 February 2013)

Lesley is internationally (and locally) recognised for her research on the impact of climate change on biodiversity, and more broadly on evolutionary ecology. She is currently the co-convenor of the Terrestrial Biodiversity Network operating under the auspices of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, and Head of Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. Professor Hughes is an active member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. Lesley chairs the Scientific Committee of the Trust.

Ms Tim Jackson Cert.Hort.UK, MAIH (Reappointed 29 May 2009; present term expires 28 May 2012)

Tim Jackson, former Vice President of the NSW Council of the Australian Institute of Horticulture, was President of the Friends of The Gardens from 2001 to 2003. A pioneer member of the Growing Friends, Tim was instrumental in establishing the Friends’ Artisans Exhibition in 2000 and in implementing the garden-themed Literary Lunch in conjunction with the Sydney Writers Festival in 2004. Tim, a member of the Horticultural Media Association, writes freelance gardening articles for various magazines and is still involved in the Australian Institute of Horticulture and very involved in community-based gardening.

Mr Tom Pinzone BEng (UNSW) FIEAust, MICE, MAICD (Appointed 26 April 2006; present term expires 25 April 2010)

Tom Pinzone is a consulting civil engineer with over 35 years professional experience. He is Business Leader Transortation for Gutteridge, Haskins and Davey (GHD) and was a Director of GHD from 2002 to 2008. His experience includes urban and regional development, water and wastewater and transportation projects. He is the co-author of a widely quoted series of Australian Infrastructure Report Cards. Tom has a long history of service with professional and industry associations at executive and committee level including Engineers Australia, ACEA and AusCID and has served on a number of government advisory groups. Tom chairs the Trust's Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee.

Ms Vanessa Priest Dip.Teach, B.Com, M.Tax, C.A (Appointed 2 February 2009; present term expires 1 February 2013)

Vanessa is a Taxation Consultant with WHK Horwarth, and has 15 years experience in chartered accounting, all of it in taxation advising and consulting. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Taxation Institute of Australia and has a Masters of Taxation Law. Ms Priest’s client base includes large family Trusts and various deductible gift recipients, and she has a particular interest in the tax issues associated with not-for-profit organisations. She is a regular presenter for various institutes and media outlets. Kate Grenot chaired the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Trust, and it was considered important to find a replacement with accountancy skills and experience.

Mr Michael Samaras BA (Hons) MBA (Reappointed 26 June 2006; present term expires 26 June 2010)

Michael Samaras is the Manager Media and Communications for Sydney Airport. His communications experience covers the fields of media, marketing, community and government relations.  Michael is also a Director of the Auburn & Lidcombe United Friendly Society. He has experience in a number of infrastructure sectors including urban road transport.

Mr Nigel Swinn (Appointed 11 November 2005; present term expires 25 July 2012)

Nigel Swinn has worked as a brand builder for over 20 years - originally growing a successful brand consultancy in New Zealand called Designworks, then after the business was bought out by John Singleton’s STW Group, forming an Australian consultancy called Yello. Now head of Yello’s strategic services, Nigel works as a brand consultant to a number of Australian and New Zealand businesses - working closely with the senior executives of companies as diverse as Westpac and Vodafone, Camp Quality and the Cancer Council. Previously a marketing manager at Tourism New Zealand, Nigel has facilitated business and brand strategies for brands ranging from large corporates such as Air New Zealand, Rio Tinto and Wattyl Paints, to small and entrepreneurial brands like the award winning BEE eco products range, the Cape York Indigenous Enterprise community and Taronga Zoo.

Trust Committees

Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee

Mr Tom Pinzone (Chairperson), Greg Martin, Ms Vanessa Priest

Botanic Gardens Committee

Ms Tim Jackson (Chairperson), Mr Michael Samaras, Dr Tim Entwisle, Ms Judy Fakes, Mr Anton James, Mr Simon Leake, Professor Peter Martin, Mr Anton James, Ms Colleen Morris, Mr Michael Samaras, Mr Mark Savio, Mr Bernard Proctor (Secretary)

Scientific Committee

Professor Lesley Hughes (Chairperson), Dr Jeremy Bruhl, Dr Tim Entwisle, Dr Dan Faith, Dr Murray Henwood, Dr Klaus Koop, Dr Brett Summerell