UQ Alumni discuss careers in sustainability (online)

University of Queensland graduates will share their insights into careers within the sustainability sector. The panel will discuss how they found their way into sustainability after graduation, what working in the sector is really like, and how students and graduates can build a career in it. The audience will also have the opportunity to ask questions at the end during a Q&A session.

The panel will include:

Simone Elias, Manager Environmental Sustainability. Simone completed a Bachelor of Environmental Management at UQ in 2015. Her career spans advisory, in-house, research and training in corporate sustainability, environmental accounting, and life cycle assessment. Simone is now the Manager of Environmental Sustainability at UnitingCare Queensland—a not-for-profit health, aged care and community services provider. Here she leads a small in-house Sustainability Team driving waste, staff empowerment, climate change mitigation and resilience initiatives across UnitingCare’s services.

Dr Nicole Garofano, Head of Circular Economy Development for Planet Ark. In her role, Nicole leads the ongoing strategic development of the Australian Circular Economy (ACE) Hub, the national reference platform for circular economy knowledge and collaboration in Australia. For almost 20 years, Nicole has worked in environmental education and action with a focus on waste management, and more recently, circular economy. Nicole has a PhD from research focused on the plastic food and beverage packaging value chain, identifying innovation to improve chain activities and outcomes. Nicole is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Packaging.

Andrew Gurnett is an Environment & Sustainability Manager with eight years of experience, working in the civil construction and building materials industries. Andrew has a particular focus on decarbonisation within those industries and has been involved in developing projects to deliver the carbon reduction aspirations of the companies he works for. Andrew is regarded as a tireless worker who shows determination to improve the culture and understanding of the workplaces he is in. Andrew’s wife and two children provide him the motivation to succeed. In his spare time, Andrew plays music and golf. 

Jayana is a recent UQ graduate and the first-ever recipient of the UQ Sustainability Award. Having completed a bachelor's in Environmental Management with honours, Jayana is currently working in a casual role as an Environmental Assessments & Sustainability Consultant with GHD while she prepares to start a full-time role starting early next year. In her time as a UQ student, Jayana has interned with the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) and CSIRO. She has shown outstanding commitment to sustainability and is excited to start a new journey where she can apply her learnings.