A CHANGING of the guard will take place in the Far North, with former Reef Restoration Foundation CEO Stewart Christie stepping down to join Terrain NRM.
Mr Christie will take up the helm of CEO at Terrain NRM in November, saying the move was an outstanding opportunity to further his commitments to protecting and restoring the environmental values of the Wet Tropics region.
"It is not an easy decision to leave RRF," Mr Christie said. "However, I am excited to be joining one of Australia's leading natural resource management organisations.
"Terrain NRM has recently been recognised as one of Australia and New Zealand's most innovative companies and is known for forging successful partnerships across the NRM sector and beyond."
Mr Christie said he was proud of the Reef Restoration Fund's achievements in establishing the first ocean-based coral nursery for the Great Barrier Reef, and of subsequent outcomes.
"This was only possible with the support of a committed and passionate team of directors, volunteers, corporate sponsors and supporters, which I'd like to thank enormously," he said.
Reef Restoration Fund chair Rob Giason will take over as RRF CEO, while also continuing in his chairperson role. He said Mr Christie's knowledge, experience and passion would be retained as he would remain a co-founding director.
"We are not looking at this as a loss but as an opportunity for stronger collaboration between both organisations to obtain better outcomes for this region,'' Mr Giason said.
"We will be securing additional resources before November to ensure a seamless transition."
Terrain NRM chair Keith Noble welcomed Mr Christie to the CEO role.
"Stewart brings new skills and experiences to our organisation,'' he said.
"We are looking forward to his contributions to our upcoming strategic review and future direction, and to him getting to know our many partners in NRM from landholders and community groups to industry and government bodies."
Mr Christie acknowledged the current CEO at Terrain NRM, Carole Sweatman, who has led the organisation for the past nine years.
"I wish Carole great success with the next phase in her career," he said.
"I would also like to thank Gary, Rob and the rest of the RRF board of directors for the opportunity to lead an inspiring organisation.
"Over the last three years we have developed the organisation from scratch, and it is in a strong position to continue to break through barriers and achieve our goal of planting one million corals on the Great Barrier Reef by 2026. I look forward to supporting the organisation in the next phase of its development."
