Changing of the Guard
04 December 2020
On the eve of its 50th anniversary, the
seven trustee governors of the Gottstein Trust Fund have elected Suzette
Weeding as the new Chair of trustees, after John Simon stepped down from the
role which he carried out for the past two years.
Trustees
thanked John Simon for his leadership and are delighted that he will remain on
the board as a trustee and will chair the Trust’s investment committee. The
transition comes after Mr Simon’s recent retirement from the Chair role at
Forest & Wood Products Australia.
“I believe in
the need for board Chairs to plan for and encourage succession,” said Mr Simon.
“It’s good practice to refresh leadership positions periodically and also
important to encourage and cultivate generational change for the future of our
industry.”
Mr Simon
congratulated Suzette and said that he was confident that the Trust is in good
hands with Suzette at the helm and management of administration and courses
being done by Helen Murray’s experienced team at Kurrumbene Projects and
Advocacy.
A Gottstein
Trustee since 2015 Ms Weeding is General Manager Land Management for
Sustainable Timber Tasmania. She is a director of the international Programme
for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), a leading alliance of
national forest certification systems which includes Responsible Wood in
Australia. She is also a director of the Forest Education Foundation.
A graduate of
the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Science, Suzette has almost 20
years of experience in senior roles directly responsible for environmental
management of forests, and management of areas of significant biodiversity. She
is a steering committee member of the Launceston National Institute of Forest
Products Innovation and her extensive involvement with industry groups includes
membership of the Tasmanian State Fire Management Council and the Forest
Practices Advisory Council.
Beginning in
1971, the Gottstein Trust was formed to honour the esteemed CSIRO forest
scientist Bill Gottstein upon his accidental death. Although his tremendous
contribution to the industry was tragically cut short, his legacy lives on in a
substantial way. Each year the Trust awards grants to people seeking to extend
their own knowledge in ways that also help to advance the industry.
The Gottstein
Trust is currently making its annual funding appeal which will underpin funding
for a new round of 2021 research, study tour and skill development grants to be
awarded to individuals involved with the industry.
For further information
please go to our donors page or email the Gottstein Team.
ENDS