The Margaret River region's peak conservation group has appointed a new general manager to take the organisation forward in 2022 and build on 20 years of vital environmental work in the community.
Drew McKenzie is the new general manager of Nature Conservation Margaret River Region (NCMRR).
He has an Environmental Science degree and 26 years' experience working in environmental management, which includes working for local government, private consulting companies, and on a part-time basis for NCMRR for the past 15 years.
Mr McKenzie has also previously helped develop and manage two successful businesses - ecotourism company Cape to Cape Explorer Tours and environmental consulting firm Litoria Ecoservices, which also delivered on-ground environmental work for government agencies, NGOs, landholders and private enterprises.
"I'm looking forward to working with our dedicated and talented team of staff and board members to increase the impact of our organisation," Mr McKenzie said.
"We're in a great position to work with the community to continue to help protect and restore our local environment.
"It's an exciting time at Nature Conservation, with the range of excellent programs already running and new opportunities emerging."
The full-time role includes consolidating the organisation's conservation programs and developing long-term fundraising strategies to allow NCMRR to do more for the local environment.
We're in a great position to work with the community... It's an exciting time at Nature Conservation, with the range of excellent programs already running and new opportunities emerging.
- Drew McKenzie
NCMRR chair Dr Ann Ward said Mr McKenzie had "extensive knowledge of the local environment, community and environmental management needs and challenges in the Margaret River region".
"He's also well-known and respected, with excellent relationships with a broad range of stakeholders," she said.
"Drew was already a key part of the Nature Conservation team and, after a rigorous interview process, I take great pleasure in welcoming him to the general manager role."
Dr Ward said the group had also recruited two new, highly-experienced board members to "put Nature Conservation in a really solid position moving forward".
They are Hamish Worsley, a global partner in NMG Consulting with a keen interest in sustainability living in Margaret River with his family; and Emma Scaife, a corporate lawyer who has worked in Australia and the UK.
Living part-time in Margaret River, Scaife has a Masters in Environmental Management and has received the Bluebell Award from the UK's Woodland Trust for work protecting ancient forests.