About

As a small business owner and founder of the Operation Next Gen Program, Kerry Anderson works with rural Australian towns encouraging them to take control of their own future by looking at existing landscapes with fresh eyes. Committed to sharing positive stories of rural businesses and communities, she is the author of two books; Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business (2016) and Australian Rural Entrepreneurs (2020) and frequently speaks at national and international conferences and events. As part of her work, she facilitates important community conversations with a rural emphasis.

In 2018 Kerry was named as one of Australia’s Top 50 Regional Agents-of-Change and awarded the Regional Innovation Ecosystem Leadership Award.

A graduate of the Australian Company Directors Course, Kerry serves on the Board of Castlemaine Health and is a volunteer tour guide at Buda Historic Home & Garden in Castlemaine.

Kerry was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) General Division, as part of the Australia Day honours on 26 January 2022.

Phillip has held and continues to hold a range of senior executive management roles in both the private, legal and public sectors in Australia.

He is currently Chief Executive and National Ombudsman of a not for profit company, Tolling Customer Ombudsman Ltd. He has a number of key directorships including Box Hill Institute of TAFE, Kew East Financial Services Ltd and CBLA. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust.

Phillip is a member of a number of Commonwealth and State dispute, disciplinary and professional standards tribunals.

Joan is a Chartered Environmentalist focused on sustainability in strategy and planning. She is a senior leader in Arup's consulting services and is also appointed to the Victorian Government's Sustainability Fund Committee.

Joan specialises in leading multidisciplinary teams that work across environment and economics. Examples of her work include advising policymakers on the role of infrastructure in resilient communities, helping organisations transition towards a circular economy, and identifying barriers and drivers for net zero emissions precincts in Australia.

At Working Heritage, Joan chairs the Audit and Risk Management Subcommittee. She is active in embedding sustainability and climate change resilience into Working Heritage's strategic agenda.

Trudy extablished the small firm of Trudy Rickard Architect around 2005. Based in South West Victoria, the firm undertakes a variety of commercial and residential architectural work, with an emphasis on heritage conservation projects. Trudy has been the Heritage advisor at Southern Grampians Shire Council since 2010 and was the heritage conservation architect for the City of Greater Bendigo in both the Statutory Planning and Property departments from 2015 to 2021.

The firm has carried out heritage work for numerous individuals and organisations including the National Trust Australia (Victoria), the councils of Moyne, Glenelg, and Warrnambool as well as for Parks Victoria and Worn Gundidj enterprises at Tower Hill. We seek to promote good conservation practice while incorporating sympathetic, modern architectural design that supports contemporary, sustainable use.

Megan has a background in architecture, and currently works as a heritage consultant in Melbourne. She has broad experience in heritage conservation in Victoria over about 35 years, mainly in the public sector, at both state and local government levels.

After some time in private practice, Megan worked for Heritage Victoria (HV) for over 20 years, assessing places for the Victorian Heritage Register, assessing permit and development applications, and managing a number of teams including the grants program team. She also worked for 6 years for the City of Greater Bendigo, working to ensure the City’s many heritage assets were in good condition and well used.

Megan has been a member of ICOMOS since 1992 and is currently Co-convenor of the National Scientific Committee on Industrial Heritage. She is passionate about ensuring Victoria’s heritage places are actively used and valued and is deeply interested in the practical side of conserving buildings.

Adam Magennis career includes 17 years working within the Victorian Heritage, Environmental and Communities sector within local and state government.

Prior to a career in the public service, Adam's first career was in the Victorian building sector as a qualified bricklayer and stone mason. He has also worked as a mason in Ontario Canada, Michigan U.S.A., New South Wales and South Australia.

Adam is a qualified archaeologist, Archaeology (Honours) 2014 La Trobe University and is undertaking a current PhD candidature in archaeology.

He enjoys coastal fossicking, investigating cultural archaeological landscapes, plays super rules footy with Peninsula Raiders and has a keen interest in historical brickwork, brick architecture and brick making. Adam has also been a professional artist for over 25 years and is director of Kaptify.

Borz is the Chief Executive Officer of Sustain Group, a leading sustainability focused asset management company building and managing commercial properties. Having held senior executive positions within leading design, construction and facility management companies across Australia, he has made it his mission to leave a legacy of sustainable change in the property sector.

Borz’s passion is to constantly improve on the total cost of ownership and facilitate a broader view of facility management practices that cover utilities and risk of operations.

Borz holds a Masters of Corporate Sustainability Management, undergraduate Aerospace and Mechanical engineering degrees from Monash University as well as postgraduate qualifications in contract law and project management.

Jeffrey is a Chartered Engineer and Principal Sustainability Consultant working in Aurecon’s Melbourne office. He has 35 years’ experience working as a consulting engineer in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

He is a passionate advocate for sustainable buildings, heritage and good design. He is a member of the Heritage Council of Victoria, a technical expert on the Victorian Design Review Panel and a member of the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian Sustainable Development Committee.

Jeff works with many government, commercial and educational clients helping them meet their Environmental, Social and Governance goals and transform their organisations for a net zero carbon, resilient and healthy future.

Ross has been part of Working Heritage since late-2013.

Ross has degrees in architecture and heritage conservation as well as being a trade-certified carpenter and joiner.

Before joining Working Heritage, Ross worked on nationally and internationally significant heritage places with Root Projects Australia and at the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

He has a particular interest in cities and urbanism with a focus on how cities can conserve and adapt their historic fabric to enable the social outcomes and economic development critical to urban life.

Working Heritage's longest-serving staff member, Samantha, has been with the organisation since 2011, when it was known as Mint Inc.

Samantha has a degree in Media Arts from RMIT University. In a previous life she lived and worked overseas.

Samantha has a natural affinity for organising and management. She is interested in the unique opportunities that heritage places offer artists, artisans, makers and community groups.

Outside of work she spends her time reading and making, and most recently catalogued her vinyl collection according to mood.

Kieran has been part of the Working Heritage team since 2019.

With a master's degree in cultural heritage, he has held various roles within the industry since 2013.

Kieran enjoys making histories accessible through storytelling and enjoys working with communities to facilitate the conservation of Working Heritage's assets.

He is fascinated by the burgeoning intersection of heritage conservation, interpretation and new technologies.

Outside of Working Heritage, Kieran runs a business specialising in digital storytelling for heritage sites and organisations.

Rachel joined Working Heritage in August 2022, bringing with her a wealth of experience in office support & administration. Growing up in rural England, surrounded & fascinated by heritage buildings, Rachel connects deeply with Working Heritage's vision and ambitions.

Away from work Rachel enjoys spending time with her family & friends, travelling, and puzzling.

Neergard brings a wealth of project management and community engagement experience. He has experience in the commercial, health, education and government sectors. Neergard has a degree in architecture and engineering as well as a Masters in strategy, economics and organisational psychology. Outside Working Heritage, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Having joined the Working Heritage team in 2021 in the role of Property Manager, Graham brings with him over 15 years of experience in various property related fields.

Honesty and integrity, along with determination and dedication are philosophies Graham strives for in all aspects of life, with particular focus on his clients and achieving the right results. As a fully licenced Estate Agent Graham, brings a wealth of knowledge in property management, sales, contract law as well as overall business management.

Graham has a keen interest in Heritage, Architecture, and Sustainability along with working on large building projects.

Sandi joined Working Heritage in 2022. She has a master's degree in Marketing Communications. As a social media enthusiast, she also has a keen interest in content marketing and storytelling. She is fascinated by the process of adaptive reuse and breathing life into old structures.

Outside of work, she spends her time dancing, traveling and blogging.

Nancy joined the Working Heritage team in 2022 as a finance and payroll officer.

She has a degree in accounting and is a certified practicing accountant. Before joining Working Heritage, Nancy took various accounting roles in accounting firms and not-for-profit organisations.

Outside of work, Nancy has an interest in history, collecting wood crafts, and a passion for the Japanese garden.