Juan Donis

Juan has a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Petroleum and a Master of Engineering (Sustainable Energy). Currently working as Sustainable Community Lead with Southern Grampians Shire with over 6 years experience in Local Government , he has supported the delivery of the carbon neutrality goals for the Warrnambool municipality. Juan leads the delivery of Council’s waste management operations, policy development, renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. Juan is passionate about renewable energy and innovation to take action on climate change.

Elisha Nettleton

Elisha Nettleton is the R&D / Quality Manager for Sustainable Plastic Solutions (SPS). She comes to SPS with a biochemistry degree as well as being a qualified teacher. Having spent 12 years in the Education sector she made the decision to go back to her science roots and head up the laboratory side of SPS. Elisha focuses on trials for new products and formulations, maintaining the quality standards for incoming and outgoing goods, and developing the laboratory arm of SPS into a business of its own focusing on internal and external testing, creating Material Data Sheets for the recycled resin being shipped from SPS and qualifying supply streams from across our national networks.

Jamie Pepper

Jamie is a beef and sheep farmer on his family farm at Tahara, near Hamilton, a job he has had since 2015. He is an alumni of Leadership Great South Coast, participating in the program in 2021. This program gave Jamie exposure to community, volunteerism and personal capacity building.

Away from the farm, Jamie is Deputy Chair of Food and Fibre Great South Coast and is a Council Member of the National Farmers Federation Young Farmers Council, a role he has held since it was formed in 2022. Through both of these roles, Jamie is able to couple his love of agriculture with passionate advocacy, policy development, stakeholder engagement and helping to shape the bright future of agriculture more broadly.

Jamie is involved with the World Farmers Organisation and was part of their delegation to COP28 in Dubai. He also represents the WFO on the UN Decade of Family Farming Steering Committee which reports directly to the FAO.

Jamie’s interests away from farming include sport (AFL and tennis), managing (along with his partner) their accommodation business in Halls Gap, winery tours, reading and planting trees.