Idyllic childhood kickstarts a passion for sustainability
A childhood spent amongst the reefs and rainforests of far north Queensland gave our Sustainability Manager, Simona an early appreciation for the natural world and set her on a path towards environmental engineering.
Simona grew up on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland, the child of Italian migrants.
Sustainable living
“Growing our own vegies, homesteading and sustainable living were a way of life for my family,” she said.
” I guess you could say my understanding of the value of a circular economy started early!”
Simona completed a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering at Griffith University before joining the world of consulting, where she gained broad experience in the field, from completing environmental impact assessments for powerlines, roads and rail corridors to environmental auditing, managing contaminated land and water monitoring.
She joined the Ports Corporation of Queensland as an Environment Officer in 2002 and progressed to ultimately become Senior Manager Sustainability and Environment.
Simona’s role involved supporting the environmental management of 13 ports across regional Queensland. She was fortunate to travel to some of the biggest ports in the world, including New York, Vancouver and Rotterdam. She also completed a Masters of Environmental Science and undertook post graduate studies in sustainability at Harvard while working at Ports.
In early 2023, Simona left the world of ports behind after 20 years for a position as Sustainability Manager at CleanCo.
“This role marries my passion in sustainability with the opportunity to work for an organisation at the forefront of the energy transition,” she said. “It’s a wonderful chance to embed sustainability into work practices across all facets of the business.
“Policy is a massive enabler. My role involves setting the foundation for sustainable practices at CleanCo and ensuring we meet the very high international standards for sustainability. This is a priority not just for CleanCo, but also for our customers.
Integrated Sustainability
“The integration of sustainability into CleanCo’s strategy, operations and future growth is key. Being involved in shaping and fostering what this looks like for the business is really important and interesting work to be involved in,” she said.
“CleanCo is a dynamic, fast-paced organisation and there is a great deal of curiosity among staff – that’s one of the organisational values I see at play every day. Learning and growth are also valued, so there are lots of opportunities for professional development.
“Having the opportunity to apply my skills in support of Queensland’s energy transition is very rewarding. We’ve got ambitious targets to meet and I want to help us get there!”