Introducing our 2025-26 Emerging Leader…

A love for the Wet Tropics region and its sustainable future has led Thomas Herridge into a wide variety of roles – from a tradie to a tutor and Federal politician’s office manager. The latest is the 2025-26 ‘Emerging Leader’ on the Terrain NRM Board.

Thomas says the chance to step into a boardroom role is exciting.

“The average age of board directors in Australia is 61. It’s not common to be given an early career opportunity like this, to help lead an organisation.”

He’s the seventh Far Northerner to take advantage of Terrain NRM’s annual Emerging Leader mentoring program, designed to help future leaders on their career paths and to bring fresh perspectives to natural resource management leadership.

Thomas is currently working as an advisor for the National Indigenous Australians Agency, collaborating with Indigenous organisations and stakeholders across the region to support community-led initiatives.  He grew up in Machan’s Beach on Cairns’s northern beaches.

“I’ve got a deep love for that community, and for the whole Wet Tropics community. The Emerald Creek, Davies Creek and Freshwater Creek areas are favourite spots and working across a range of industries has given me a broad perspective on a sustainable Wet Tropics region with industries being profitable alongside healthy waterways and improved land for future generations.”

The natural wonders of the Wet Tropics lured Michelle O’Loughlin to the region – and now she is helping to plan for its ‘nature-positive’ future.

The newly appointed Emerging Leader on Terrain NRM’s Board moved from Western Australia to the Wet Tropics more than a decade ago and since then she’s been working in local government in the fields of sustainability and climate resilience.

She sees the region, with its two world heritage areas and abundant renewable energy sources, as well-positioned to embrace green initiatives.

“It makes sense that residents, businesses and industry should be empowered to unlock opportunities which reduce emissions and build climate resilience so we can be an exemplar of a smart green economy.”

Our sixth Emerging Leader on the Terrain NRM Board

Michelle is the sixth Far Northerner to take advantage of Terrain NRM’s annual Emerging Leader mentoring program, designed to help future leaders on their career paths and to bring fresh perspectives to natural resource management leadership.

She says she is looking forward to strengthening relationships in the NRM sector, learning more about nature positive land use opportunities and gaining a better understanding of advocacy and collaboration for First Nations-led natural resource management.

“In my roles, I’ve always presented to Boards. I’ve never been on the other side so I’m looking forward to gaining that new perspective.”

Diversity the key to strong leadership

Terrain NRM Chair Barry Hunter says diversity is the key to strong leadership.

When you think of a board of directors, what images come to mind? In Australia, almost 70 per cent of directors are males and their average age is 60, but some organisations are beginning to buck the trend. One of them is Terrain NRM, whose ‘Emerging Leader’ program is in its sixth year and is inspiring other organisations to think outside the square.

When the Terrain NRM Board came up with the ‘Emerging Leader’ program back in 2018, the youngest board member was in his fifties and six out of seven directors were male. Five years later, four directors are in their thirties and the Board is made up of four women and three men.

Former Chair Keith Noble says directors could see there was “untapped leadership talent in the region” and it was most noticeable in the environment sector, where Terrain is the Far North’s natural resource management organisation.

Earlier leadership opportunities for the younger generation 

“While we recognised that youth were our region’s future, the Board had very little engagement with the younger generation at the time,” Keith says.

“The very first interviews for an Emerging Leader blew us away – this program has shown us just how much the Far North’s millennials value the environment and the community we all live in, and how they are looking for ways to make a bigger contribution. It has given us the confidence to appoint younger directors and we’ve seen the benefits.”

Two-way knowledge-sharing program

The one-year ‘Emerging Leader’ program is a mentoring initiative aimed at giving the younger generation opportunities to break through to leadership positions and gain governance experience while also giving the Board a chance to tap into fresh perspectives and connect with a new audience across the region.

Since 2018, three of the Board’s six Emerging Leaders have gone on to become Terrain NRM directors. Lucy Friend is an environmental scientist and North Queensland Airport’s Environmental Manager, and this year she became a Deputy Chair on the Board.

Lucy says a seat around the table to set the strategic direction of an organisation and help shape the region’s future resource management plans has been invaluable.

“The issues facing natural resource management are large-scale, long-term and multi-faceted. It is going to take innovation and commitment from a wide range of individuals and organisations to balance environment, social and economic sustainability across the Wet Tropics region.

“Young people have a lot to contribute and they want to be involved in decision-making, but we don’t often get the opportunity to sit at the boardroom table as colleagues.

“This program gave me the growth I needed…”

“This program gave me the growth I needed to become an effective director, and it has also given me a strong foundation for further growth. I will be more effective in my profession as an environmental scientist too, because I have a better understanding of how organisational structures work and how decisions are made.

A career that benefits the natural environment has brought Hulton King back to Cairns.

The new ‘Emerging Leader’ on Terrain NRM’s Board moved from Brisbane and a law and business background four years ago to a programs manager role with Cairns’ Reef and Rainforest Centre – and the change has also led to volunteering and a board position in the environmental sector.

Mr King said strengthening the link between science and on-ground activities was a goal.

“Communicating the science and research to land managers is important, and seeing how it’s applied on the ground,’’ he said.

“In Northern Australia there are an enormous amount of opportunities in environmentally sustainable use of natural assets and we all benefit from open discussions on everything from water quality to renewable energy and sustainable development.”

Mr King is the third Far Northerner to take advantage of Terrain NRM’s new Emerging Leader mentoring program, designed to encourage the younger generation onto corporate boards.

Terrain’s Board Chair Keith Noble said the one-year position helped future leaders to strengthen their career paths and, just as importantly, brought fresh perspectives to the board.

“There is a lot of untapped leadership potential in our region,’’ he said.  “This program is showing us first-hand just how much millennials value the environment and look for new ways to make a contribution.”