A new chief executive officer has been appointed to head WWF-Australia, bringing strong ties to China and significant knowledge of Asia and the Pacific.
Dermot O’Gorman, who is currently the head of WWF-China, will replace Greg Bourne as WWF- Australia’s new CEO on August 1.
Mr O’Gorman, who grew up on the New South Wales south coast, brings broad national and international conservation experience to the role, reflecting WWF-Australia’s increasing engagement in regional conservation efforts.
Mr O’Gorman took over as the Country Representative of WWF-China in 2005, where based in Beijing, he has overseen the rapidly growing domestic and international program.
Among his achievements as head of WWF-China are the establishment of a climate adaptation and wetland protected area network for the whole Yangtze River basin, the protection of 1.6 million hectares of panda landscape, and the promotion of an initiative with Chinese banks to green Chinaâs investment into Africa and other developing countries.
He first joined WWF in 1998, becoming the Head of Government and Aid Agency Partnerships for WWF-UK. In 2001, he moved to Fiji as WWFâs Regional Representative in the South Pacific, where he initiated the development of the Fiji Island and Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion planning approach and also supported Pacific Islands on fisheries and whale conservation.
After a number of years in the Pacific, he moved to WWF International headquarters in Switzerland as the Deputy Director of WWF’s Asia Pacific Program, overseeing conservation efforts across the region and managing WWF’s partnership with the Asia Development Bank.
&qout;Dermot brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience both domestically and internationally to the role of WWF-Australia CEO,&qout; said WWF-Australia President Denis Saunders.
&qout;This exciting appointment will ensure the organisation is well placed to meet the growing environmental challenges facing our country and the region, from over-fishing to the creation of protected areas, species protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation,&qout; Mr Saunders continued.
Mr Bourne will leave WWF-Australia after nearly six years as Chief Executive Officer, during which time his considerable climate change policy and business leadership skills has helped position the organisation as a central voice in the climate change debate.
More information
Rachael Hoy, National Media Manager, WWF-Australia, 0407 204 594.