Meet our committee members

Freya Marsden, Committee Chair

Committee Chair, Freya Marsden, is an experienced Chair and Non-Executive Director with extensive governance, corporate strategy and finance background. As an economist, Freya has a keen interest in ensuring long-term, effective outcomes and value for money for the Victorian government as well as for taxpayers.

Freya has deep experience in driving optimal outcomes supported through her extensive sustainability, environmental management, finance, risk and audit capability. This includes establishing and utilising frameworks that protect and create value, manage risks and optimise opportunities.

Freya brings to her role significant knowledge in the energy, water, infrastructure, transport and environmental; sectors including sustainability policy within government and the private sector both in Australia and internationally.

Freya also has extensive not-for-profit experience. She has been involved in developing policies in areas such as disadvantage and disability.

Joan Ko, Deputy Chair

Joan has spent her career providing sustainability advice as a consultant to government and industry, with a focus on decarbonisation, resilience and circular economy for cities. She is Arup's Climate and Sustainability Leader in the Australasian region, responsible for developing new approaches to sustainable development challenges.

Examples of Joan’s work include advising policymakers on the role of infrastructure in resilient communities, helping organisations transition towards a circular economy, and identifying barriers and drivers for net-zero emissions precincts in Australia. She is also a member of the Committee of Management for Working Heritage.

Joan holds a Master of Philosophy in Engineering for Sustainable Development from Cambridge, as well as a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Environmental Engineering. Joan is a Graduate of the AICD Company Directors course.

Tom Mollenkopf

Tom Mollenkopf is an independent adviser on water policy, strategy and governance and an experienced Non-Executive Director. He is a Senior Associate with consultants, AITHER, and President and Chairperson of the International Water Association, having served on the IWA Board since 2014.

Tom has a background in law, first in private practice and then as corporate counsel, before undertaking a series of executive roles in the water and environment sector, including as CEO of the Australian Water Association and CEO of the Peter Cullen Water and Environment Trust. He is passionate about sound evidence-based decision-making and the role of informed and respectful conversations in good policy.

Tom is a member of the Australian Water Partnership Expert Review Panel and a Non-Executive Director on several Boards. He also served for six years as President and Chairperson of Life Saving Victoria.

Tom holds degrees in jurisprudence and law from Monash University, a Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Chartered Governance Institute.

In January Tom 2023 was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for his distinguished service to business, particularly through the essential services industry, and to the community.

Tim Lo Surdo

Tim Lo Surdo is the Founder of Democracy in Colour, Australia's first racial and economic justice organisation led by people of colour. Before starting Democracy in Colour, he worked with low-paid workers to set up Hospo Voice, a new union in hospitality. Previously, Tim was the Head of Campaigns at Oaktree (largest youth-focussed anti-poverty organisation with over 200,000 members), a senior adviser to two Senators, the Campaigns Director at Jhatkaa (a movement of 1.9 million people acting for a fairer India), the National Communications Director at UN Youth Australia, and co-founded Open Sky, one of India’s most well-known performance art communities.

Tim has served as a Non-Executive Director on 14 Boards and is currently a Director of Plan International, No to Violence, the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Environment Victoria, the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Inner Melbourne Community Legal, and the Cultural Facilities Corporation. For his work, Tim was appointed in 2020 as one of 17 United Nations Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kate Symons

Kate Symons is a lawyer with qualifications in public administration and corporate governance. Kate has experience across a number of sectors and particular expertise in risk, governance and compliance and enforcement. Kate was appointed as a full time member of the Board of the Australian Energy Regulator in September 2024.

Kate served as a Commissioner for 8 years at the Essential Services Commission (Victoria) including a 5 year term as Chair from 2019 to 30 June 2024 regulating a number of sectors in Victoria including energy, water, local government and transport and Victoria’s energy efficiency program. Her leadership as Chair was key to the ESC becoming a stronger consumer-focused regulator with broader and more complex functions including a strong compliance and enforcement focus, particularly in the Victorian energy sector.

Prior to this, Kate held roles including as solicitor-assisting for the HIH Insurance Royal Commission, within the university sector and the Federal Court of Australia, and has worked in private legal practice both in Australia and overseas. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Adelaide, a Master of Public Administration from Flinders University, a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.