Dr Russell Reichelt AO FTSE

International Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr Russell Reichelt AO is a marine scientist and respected leader in ocean management who has dedicated his career to safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s coral ecosystems. As Director of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and later as Chairman and Chief Executive of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2007–2018), he guided the Reef through an era of unprecedented environmental change.

During his tenure, Russell oversaw the creation of the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report, the first comprehensive synthesis of scientific knowledge on the Reef’s health and the growing risks of coral bleaching and climate change. In 2018, he was appointed Australian Sherpa to the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, representing the Prime Minister in international ocean diplomacy.

Russell holds a PhD in Coral Reef Ecology and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and the UK Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST). His career reflects a lifelong commitment to using science to inform policy and protect the ocean environments on which communities and economies depend.