Colin Chartres

Dr Colin Chartres
Chief Executive Officer

Dr Colin Chartres has had a long and successful career in the private sector, academia and government roles. Before joining the Fund in 2014 he was Director General of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Centre, headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 2007-2012. Previously, he was Chief Science Adviser to the National Water Commission and held senior management roles in the Bureau of Rural Sciences and Geoscience Australia. He worked with CSIRO Division of Soils from 1984- 1997 where he focused inter alia on soil acidity, soil structure and salinity issues and their impacts on agriculture and from 2002-2004 in the Land and Water Division, where he was involved in business development and international science linkages.

Colin has a strong interest in the key nexus between science and policy, and through his work with IWMI, specialist interest in water scarcity and its impact on global food security and on science leadership and management best practice. Colin chaired the Expert Review Panel for the Australian Water Partnership from 2016-22 and has held Honorary Professorships in the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU and the University of Canberra.