We are delighted to welcome new board members, Emily Drewniak and Richard Barley.
Emily Drewniak is a philanthropy and governance specialist with more than 20 years’ experience growing support for conservation, education and the arts. She has held senior roles at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia, Country Arts SA, and now serves as Philanthropy Executive (South Australia) at Bush Heritage Australia. Across these roles she has led major campaigns, built donor circles and crafted partnerships that connect people, plants and place.
Emily brings a strong focus on strategy, stakeholder engagement and a culture of giving, with particular expertise in major gifts, and fundraising governance. She also serves as a Board Director with MusicSA, supporting the growth of contemporary music in South Australia. On the BGANZ Board, Emily is committed to strengthening financial sustainability across the botanic gardens sector and championing the vital role of gardens in biodiversity conservation and community wellbeing.
Richard has worked in executive leadership roles in botanic and other publicly accessible gardens for over 40 years, at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, for Open Gardens Australia, and for the past 12 years at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Richard is a passionate advocate for the value and benefits of high quality curated and natural landscapes, for the need for conservation of biodiversity, and for building better pathways for development of the next generation of horticultural experts. Richard was a foundation member of BGANZ at its inception in 2004, and has a long track record of supporting the wider regional botanic garden networks. He was awarded an MBE for his contributions to horticulture in the UK in 2023, where he served on various charity boards as a Trustee.
The Board of Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand Ltd (BGANZ) sets the company’s strategic direction and monitors the performance of the company against defined goals and objectives. The Board also has responsibility for ensuring the company meets its compliance and accountability obligations through the establishment and monitoring of governance and risk management frameworks.
Board Members are selected based on their skills. They are responsible for assisting and supporting the Chair in the effective strategic leadership and governance of BGANZ in accordance with the company’s Constitution, and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC) Governance Standards.
