Two Australian nominees elected to the IUCN Council
- Director ACIUCN
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
We are thrilled to announce that two nominees from Australia - Erica McCreedy and Bláthnaid Byrne - have been elected to the IUCN Council at the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
The IUCN Council is the principal leadership and governing body of IUCN.
Erica will represent Oceania and Australia on the Council, and Bláthnaid will oversee the finances of the organisation as the IUCN Treasurer.
Erica and Bláthnaid are preceded by outgoing IUCN Councillor Peter Cochrane, who was elected to represent Oceania at the 2016 World Conservation Congress in Hawaii.
Peter Cochrane was re-elected as an IUCN Councillor in 2021 and soon after that was appointed as IUCN Vice President.
We sincerely thank Peter for his 9 years of exceptional leadership and service on the IUCN Council and the ACIUCN Board.
We also commend Peter for his monumental contribution to nature conservation globally and locally. We wish him all the very best, and we hope to continue connecting and collaborating with Peter in the future.
About Erica McCreedy
Erica is a proud Ngāti Raukawa and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti woman and the Chief Operating Officer of the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance.
Erica is committed to elevating Indigenous voices in global conservation, strengthening Indigenous-led conservation, supporting regional collaboration, and ensuring that Indigenous knowledge systems are recognised and respected in global environmental governance.
Her work will focus on building bridges between communities, policy makers, and scientific institutions - grounding decision-making in Country, culture, and climate resilience.
Read more about Erica:
About Bláthnaid Byrne
Bláthnaid brings 20 years of experience as a corporate treasurer across a range of industries, including several years as Treasurer for the IUCN Australian Committee. This role deepened her understanding of IUCN’s mission and the importance of strong financial governance in supporting conservation outcomes. She is a Chartered Treasurer with the UK’s Association of Corporate Treasurers and a Fellow of the Australian Corporate Treasury Association - an honour awarded in recognition of her professional contribution and leadership, particularly in promoting diversity.
She founded the Women in Treasury network in Sydney to support women’s career development and build professional communities, reflecting her belief in inclusive leadership. Currently, she lead global engagement (across NGOs, FIs and the public sector) at the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), where she uses her treasury and financial expertise to support the shift of capital flows towards climate-positive investments.
Read more about Bláthnaid:
Comments