Dermot is passionate about people and the planet – as a global leader in sustainable development, he has spent the past 18 years as CEO of WWF in the Pacific, then WWF China and now WWF Australia. Dermot has driven innovation thinking within WWF, especially on digital technologies, overseeing the establishment of WWF Panda Labs and WWF’s first global joint venture in OpenSC, of which he is Chair of the Board.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Dermot will work with Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab on rethinking the future of Non-Government Organisations. The research will look at the blurring of lines between profit and not for profit and how digital disruption is reshaping the notion of what civil society is and how it engages with stakeholders. He will explore the re-imagining of environmental NGOs globally, strengthen Australia/U.S. civil society networks and contribute to peer to peer learning with Philanthropy and NGO leaders.