With close to 20 years’ experience in the fields of environmental management and strategy focused in the port sector in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), Simona manages sustainability and environment for North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP).
At NQBP, Simona is responsible for the development of corporate environmental and sustainability, building associated programs and processes and providing leadership on environment and sustainability across the business.
Simona undertakes lots of stakeholder engagement as part of her role, including remote regions and engaging with other Australian ports.
She has also been Chair of the Queensland Port Association Environment and Planning Committee and the recipient of the PIANC Young Authors Award for her paper on the Issues Associated with the Environmental Management of Dredging in Queensland Ports.
She leads the Ports Australia Sustainability Working Group focusing on advancing sustainability in the Australian port industry. She has also been fortunate to travel internationally as part of her work, including presenting to the American Association of Port Authorities on sustainability work undertaken in the GBRWHA space (Vancouver), collaborating with the Port of Vancouver on environmental management and Indigenous Engagement, learning from the Port of Rotterdam on best practice contaminated land management and dredging (Holland) and collaborating with port and shipping specialists at the International Maritime Organisation (London) on ballast water management.
Simona holds tertiary qualifications in Environmental Engineering (Hons), a Master of Environmental Science and Management (Marine) and has undertaken postgraduate studies in Corporate Sustainability and Innovation at Harvard University.
