Board & Governance
The Board
As a co-operative and a not-for-profit, the Bower is overseen by a group of directors who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure the longevity of our environmental charity. The Bower Board of Directors is a group as diverse and knowledgeable as the Bower’s members, and many have a long-standing history with the co-op. The Board is elected annually by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
The Bower’s Current Board of Directors
Paul Wade – Chairperson
Paul’s career spans the transport, planning, water, and manufacturing sectors, with the last ten years as a senior executive in the NSW public sector. His experience includes policy and program development, governance, strategy, risk management, financial and commercial management, WHS, infrastructure delivery, asset management, and software engineering. He has postgraduate qualifications in the sciences, transport management, and public administration, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. His career and personal life have been shaped by a passion for ecological sustainability and social justice, and he looks forward to continuing this journey as a Director and Chairperson of The Bower Board.
Craig Rudd – Member Director-Treasurer
Craig is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 25 years experience in business and IT functions within corporate and not-for-profit organisations. He has served on several not-for-profit boards and has an ongoing interest in community level organisations seeking to deliver sustainable local outcomes.
Christine Simmons – Member Director – Secretary
Christine has held senior marketing roles during her career, primarily in legal education, legal and professional publishing and governance organisations. She served as a member of their Executive Committees helping to develop and implement strategic and operational business plans. Now retired she is keen to use her skills to contribute to the community via the work of The Bower as espoused in its Mission around the three prongs of environment, education and community.
Michelle Sheather – Member Director
Michelle Sheather works in International Development Coordination and international Project Management has worked on all continents, focusing on environmental and human rights and disarmament initiatives for 30+ years in the international and Australian NGO community. Michelle was the Chairperson of the Bower board until November 2024, and took over as General Manager from 2022 until February 2024.
Previously, Michelle held the role of Campaigns Director for Greenpeace International in the Netherlands with 35 global projects; and coordinated their priority campaign projects and field expeditions in remote areas such as the Norwegian Arctic and French nuclear test site in the South Pacific. Michelle worked for Amnesty International on issues relating to Africa and setting up AI’s Crisis Response Unit on large-scale human rights issues. She has worked on numerous UN Conferences and treaties; and runs global training programs. Michelle is also a permaculturist and permaculture teacher.
Shwetha Prem – Member Director
Shwetha is an architect passionate about sustainable building and good design. She is particularly interested in our tiny house and workshop courses. Swetha strongly supports the Reuse and Repair ethos of the Bower.
Marcelle Psaila – Independent Director
Marcelle is a waste and circular economy expert with over 20 years of experience in local and state government, consultancy, and social enterprise in the UK and Australia. She specializes in supporting communities to manage waste sustainably and advocates for the transition to a circular economy. With expertise in behavior change, research, data analysis, program design, and policy development, Marcelle brings valuable knowledge and passion to the role of not-for-profits in this transition. She will support the Bower in advocacy, community education, and driving positive consumer choices.
Kirk Simmons – Independent Director
Kirk is a practising lawyer having worked at Canva, Cricket Australia and eBay and in private practice at DLA Piper where he focused on commercial litigation. He is a proud parent, a member of the local community and is excited to be involved with the Bower to help reduce waste and promote recycling and reuse.
Nathan Smith – Chief Executive Officer
Nathan has a background in business management and marketing, including running a small business in Sydney for 15 years. He is committed to affecting behavioural change to improve our environmental footprint and relishes the challenge of growing the Bower’s role in being a leader in Australia’s circular economy.
Annual Report 2024
2024 Financial Report
2023 AGM Minutes
Bower Business Plan 2024 – 2027 (updated Nov 2024)
Annual Report 2023
2023 Financial Report
2022 AGM Minutes
Bower Strategic Plan 2022-2027 (updated Nov 2023)
Annual Report 2022
2022 Financial Report
2021 AGM Minutes
Bower Business Plan 2021-2023
Annual Report 2020-2021
2021 Financial Report
2020 AGM Minutes
Annual Report 2019-2020
2020 Financial Report
2019 AGM Minutes
Annual Report 22018-2019
2019 Financial Report
2018 AGM Minutes
Bower Strategic Plan 2022-27
Business Plan 2024-2027
Bower Rules
Bower Conflict of Interest Policy
Co-Operatives Compliance Checklist
Governance for Good the ACNCs Guide for Charity Board Members
Board meeting minutes
Members may request access to minutes in writing addressed to the board. Members can also view or copy minutes at the Bower by appointment (please email the General Manager info@bower.org.au to make an appointment to view meeting minutes or other Co-operative records).
