Professor Marie Bashir was born in Narrandera, New South Wales. She is a medical graduate of the University of Sydney and a former medical resident officer at St Vincent's Hospital and The Children's Hospital. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and has served on the College's examinations and regional issues committees. Her key interests have included child and adolescent depression, mental health issues affecting refugee and immigrant children, and juvenile justice and Aboriginal health.

In 1987, Professor Bashir was appointed director of Community Health Services in the Central Sydney Area. In 1993, she was appointed Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, and in 1994 the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area. This was a time of major reform in mental health service delivery, which contributed to substantial change in the provision of public sector mental health services.

Professor Bashir has established professional links with psychiatry departments in Southeast Asia, enabling educational exchange and placement of Asian colleagues for postgraduate experience in University of Sydney teaching hospital facilities.

In March 2001, Professor Bashir was appointed Governor of New South Wales. Her previous awards include appointments as an Officer (in 1988) and a Companion (in 2001) in the Order of Australia. She was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 and in 2004 became an Honorary Member of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). In 2004, she was also elected as one of Australia's Living National Treasures. In 2006 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order invested her. On 1st June 2007 she was elected the 17th Chancellor of The University of Sydney.

In 2007, amongst a range of honours, she was inducted as an Honorary Life Member of the Master Plumbers and Mechanical Contractors' Association of New South Wales, and presented with an Honorary Contractor Licence for Plumbing, Draining and Gasfitting, issued by the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading.

Tom Clough has a Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Leeds. Following three years working as a mining engineer, he joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in 1974. From 1988 to 1994, he worked for global minerals and specialty chemicals group ECC International. In 1997, after some years as an independent consultant, he joined Holcim and assumed diverse management tasks in Asia. He was appointed CEO of Holcim's Philippine Group company in 1998 and, following Holcim's entry into the Indonesian market in 2001, Chief Executive of Jakarta-based PT Holcim Indonesia Tbk. He joined the Holcim Executive Committee in 2004, with responsibility for East Asia including the Philippines and Oceania, as well as South and East Africa.

Tony Arnel is Victoria's Building Commissioner and Plumbing Industry Commissioner making him the Chief Executive of two statutory authorities. He is responsible for the regulation of the State's building and plumbing systems and advises the Minister for Planning on all building control and plumbing industry matters.

His industry representations include founding Directorship and current Chair of the Green Building Council of Australia, and he was elected to the World Green Building Council Board in 2007. Tony also serves on the boards of the Australian Building Codes Board, Melbourne International Comedy Festival (current Chair) and Common Fate - a not for profit organisation aimed at improving the awareness of indigenous reconciliation issues in the business sector. He is a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and a qualified company director.

Over the past decade he has influenced the national sustainability debate, most recently with the Building Commission and the Green Building Council of Australia, in delivering the 5 Star housing energy standards in Victoria, the implementation of new sustainability standards into the national building code, and the accelerated uptake of the Green Star rating system for buildings.

Lawyer, Mediator and Company Director Graeme Innes has been a Human Rights Practitioner in NSW, WA and nationally for 25 years. Graeme was a member of the Australian delegation to the United Nations developing a Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Graeme has been active in the disability field for thirty years. He was Chair of the Disability Advisory Council of Australia for four and a half years.

He was the first blind President of Royal Blind Society of NSW, and the first Chair of Vision Australia, Australia's largest national blindness agency. Graeme has been one of Australia's delegates to the World Blind Union, and the President of that Union's Asia-Pacific region.

Graeme has been a consultant to organisations such as Westpac, Qantas, and Sydney Water, on disability issues.

Graeme has been a Member of -
    

Tim Costello is recognised as one of Australia's leading voices on social justice issues, having spearheaded public debates on gambling, urban poverty, homelessness, reconciliation and substance abuse. And since February 2004, as Chief Executive of World Vision Australia, Tim has also been instrumental in ensuring that the issues surrounding global poverty are placed on the national agenda.

His passion for justice and for helping to alleviate the suffering of poor communities in the developing world quickly became evident when the devastating Asia tsunami struck on Boxing Day, 2004. The leadership he showed at the time helped to inspire an unprecedented outpouring of generosity from the Australian public, with World Vision Australia raising more than $100 million for tsunami relief.

Tim has also played a prominent role in the Make Poverty History campaign. And in April 2008, he chaired the Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion Committee of the Australian Government's 2020 Summit in Canberra.

Prior to joining World Vision Australia, Tim served as Minister at the Collins Street Baptist Church in Melbourne, and as Executive Director of Urban Seed, a Christian not-for-profit outreach service for the urban poor. Between 1999 and 2002, he was also National President of the Baptist Union of Australia.

After ordination as a Baptist Minister in 1984, Tim established a vibrant and socially active ministry at St Kilda Baptist Church between 1986 and 1994. In 1993, he demonstrated his commitment to serving the community by successfully running for the position of Mayor of St Kilda.

Tim studied law and education at Monash University, followed by theology at the International Baptist Seminary in Rueschlikon, Switzerland. He also received a Masters Degree in Theology from the Melbourne College of Divinity.

In 2004, Tim was named Victorian of the Year; in June 2005 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO); and in 2006 was named Victorian Australian of the Year. He has written several books, including Streets of Hope: Finding God in St Kilda; Tips from a Travelling Soul Searcher and Wanna Bet? Winners and Losers in Gambling's Luck Myth (co-written with Royce Millar).

Tim and his wife Merridie have three adult children, Claire, Elliot and Martin.

Mike is a qualified architect, fellow of the RSA and Chief Executive of the British Cement Association.

He worked as an architect in private practice in Hampshire and London, before joining IBM in diverse roles including Design and Construction Manager, UK Consulting Architect, and in Quality and Business Process Management.

Seconded to the British Standards Institution, he led the development of the world’s first environmental management systems, now known as ISO 14001. Joining BSI he became a Board member with responsibility for Quality Assurance Services in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

Mike is past chairman of the Construction Products Association, Sustainable Construction Committee; a member of the Government's Project Board for the Sustainable Construction Strategy and is project manager of CEMBUREAU'S, Sustainable Construction Project Programme.

Mike is currently on secondment assisting the Industry to bring together the BCA; Quarry Products Association and The Concrete Centre into one single body.

Bernard Salt has been described as the next-generation Hugh Mackay and Phil Ruthven. Bernard is KPMG Director of Property. He has established an enviable profile within corporate Australia as an adviser and as a commentator on consumer, cultural and demographic trends. He is also author of a best-selling book The Big Shift launched in July 2001.

Bernard's client list reads like a Who's Who of Business investment and development. He has worked on a diverse range of projects-from advising retailers where and why to position stores, to being instrumental in the launch and expansion of a property trust established in 1995 and which now contains assets of more than $500 million.

When one publicly listed client advised the investment market of its intention to purchase an asset for more than $300 million, the client's stocks dropped. Bernard was engaged to educate analysts about the fuller potential of the proposed purchase. The client's stocks recovered almost immediately following Bernard's roadshow.

Bernard is engaged by Corporations to review market trends and to advise on property acquisitions and expansions. He is frequently quoted in the Australian media and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs including the Today Show, Business Sunday, Nightline and Healthy, Wealthy & Wise.

After a very public career in journalism, publishing and television, Richard Neville - best known as editor of the satirical Oz magazine in the 1960s - is now one of Australia's leading futurists. Since the 1990s, he has been helping audiences understand what is coming down the line and highlighting key issues long before they hit the mainstream, eg peak oil, peak water, resource wars, renewable energy, rising sea levels, and post-carbon lifestyles. With a great gift for communication and fresh insights, Mr Neville melds together a practical and philosophical worldview to help business people understand the importance of preparing for the future.

In 1996, Mr Neville co-founded Australia's first Futurist Network, a global centre for helping institutions shape the future. In his fortnightly column for The Bulletin - "Beyond the Bottom Line" - he explores the current workplace revolution. His books include Out of My Mind: A journey from Flower Power to the Third Millennium (1996), AmeriKa Psycho (2002) and Footprints of the Future (2003).

As Group Executive, Business Financial Services, Peter is responsible for business banking sales, relationship management, customer service, and product and risk management conducted by Westpac across Australia. Prior to this position, he has held several other senior roles in Westpac including General Manager positions in Marketing, Branch Banking and Consumer Credit.

Peter joined Westpac in 1995 from the State Bank of South Australia where he was the Chief Manager of Sales and Service.

Prior to his banking career, Peter served in The Royal Australian Air Force.

Robyn Bain was appointed Chief Executive of the Cement Industry Federation in October 2003. Robyn’s past experience has been as Senior Political Adviser in the office of the former Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson MP and Chief of Staff to the former Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile MP. Robyn also established the Forest Protection Society and was the National Director for 11 years.

William (Bill) Evans is a graduate of Sydney University (BEc. Hons I and University Medal) and the London School of Economics (M.Sc.). He has worked as a Research Manager for the Reserve Bank of Australia, Treasurer at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and prior to joining Westpac in 1991, was Director and Head of Financial Markets at Schroders Australia Limited for 8 years.

Bill joined Westpac in 1991 in the position of Chief Economist and Head of Research. During his time at Westpac he has also spent 2 years in New Zealand as Head of the Institutional Bank with responsibility for Westpac's corporate and financial markets businesses.

He is currently Managing Director Economics. He is the Bank's economic spokesman and is responsible for all of the Bank's economic and capital markets research, in addition to advising the Board on economic issues. Bill travels frequently, advising Westpac's customers on the Australian economy and financial markets. He has developed many important contacts in the U.S, Europe and Asia.

Bill is a life member of the Australian Business Economists. He was a delegate at the Rudd Government's 2020 summit.