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YEF welcomes new directors to its board

The Yarra Energy Foundation welcomes three new members to its board of directors:

The group also farewelled two outstanding members, former Chair and long-standing non-executive director, Ken Guthrie, and recently elected Mayor of the City of Yarra, Cr Sophie Wade.

“I am delighted to welcome Kirstin, Arunesh and Claudia, each of whom bring incredibly important experience to the board to help YEF grow and scale its impact in our mission to achieve a zero carbon future,” said David Anstee, board Chair.

“On behalf of the organisation I want to extend our gratitude to both Ken and Sophie for their extraordinary contributions over the years. Without them, YEF wouldn’t be the thriving organisation that it is today,” said Mr Anstee.

Ken Guthrie, an internationally recognised leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency, has contributed on the board of YEF as deputy chair, chair and non-executive director over 6 years. His commitment to emissions reductions through energy efficiency and support for stakeholder engagement has contributed to YEF’s work in retrofitting low-income homes for lower energy consumption, as well as to working closely with local climate action groups.

Cr Sophie Wade, lawyer and Mayor of the City of Yarra, made many lasting contributions especially as a member of the board subcommittee guiding communications and engagement with the Yarra community. Sophie has been an incredible advocate for YEF’s community energy projects and been a local champion for the local energy transition.

New board members Kirstin Schneider and Arunesh Choubey, who between them bring decades of business, strategy, and operational experience, were chosen from a highly competitive pool of over 200 applicants. Cr Nguyen was appointed as the replacement for Cr Wade as one of two Yarra City Council representatives on YEF’s board and previously served as Deputy Mayor between 2020-2021.

The three new directors have joined YEF at an exciting time with many community energy activities in the pipeline and an expanding network of partners, including the City of Yarra from which YEF receives core funding. YEF is pioneering the implementation of community batteries and is leading the Melbourne Metropolitan Community Power Hub, which assists residents and businesses to reduce emissions through access to discounted solar, electric appliances, and free energy advice.

All YEF board members participate on a voluntary basis. Read more about YEF’s board members.