Our Team
Carolyn Blacklock
Carolyn has 28 years’ experience in private sector finance, development and infrastructure with the last 20 years living and working in the Pacific. Following a successful corporate banking career working with Australian top tier banks, in 2009, Carolyn moved permanently to Papua New Guinea to establish the International Finance Corporation (the private sector arm of the World Bank) where she led the office for the next four years. Following a stint overseeing key projects across the Pacific for Hawkins Infrastructure, New Zealand, Carolyn was engaged by the Government of PNG in Treasury as Specialist Adviser with a specific mandate to accelerate infrastructure development and create a pipeline of bankable projects to attract high quality developers and investors to PNG.
Carolyn was subsequently appointed by the Cabinet of PNG as the Managing Director at PNG Power, PNGs only provider of electricity. As Managing Director of PNG Power, Carolyn led a team of 2,500 and an annual budget of over USD$500m and oversaw a restructure of the company and revitalization of assets, workforce and reliability. Carolyn founded the PNG Business Coalition for Women an organization still going strong supporting safe and respectful workplaces for women. In 2018, Carolyn raised USD$1.2b and initiated the US; Japan; Australia; New Zealand and PNG Electrification Partnership to provide access to electricity for 70% of Papua New Guineans by 2030.
She is known for her strong track record of taking large, complex projects through to successful delivery with high energy and compassion. Carolyn serves on the Board of St. Johns Ambulance PNG and is currently completing a Master of Chemical Engineering (Sustainable Energy) at the University of Queensland. She splits her time between Port Moresby and rural Queensland where she owns and operates a small cattle breeding enterprise in the Brisbane Valley.
Gavin Murray
Gavin Murray is a senior executive and industry strategist with 30 years of progressive experience in sustainable development leadership through direct involvement in the natural resource sectors (primarily mining, energy, agriculture, forestry and fisheries) and financial institutions. He brings a rare blend of expertise having implemented organizational development initiatives in response to global trends and local/direct stakeholder interests.
Gavin recently returned from leading the PNG Governance Facility that delivered a diverse range of programs under the PNG Australia Governance Partnership supported by the Australian Government (DFAT) in PNG. He is currently overseeing delivery of the DFAT-funded Pacific Labour Scheme which includes the opportunity for Pacific islanders to work in the Australian industry including the fisheries sector.
Prior to this, Gavin led the IFC’s (World Bank Group) business in the Pacific after having previously served as the IFC’s inaugural Director of Environment and Social Development. While in this role he oversaw development of the Environment and Social Performance Standards and the subsequent adoption by financial institutions as the Equator Principles. In the Pacific, he was accountable for strong growth in IFC’s investment and advisory portfolios including a focus on the enabling environment for and engagement on fisheries development. Gavin has a Master of Land Resource Science degree from the University of Queensland, Australia and is a graduate of the World Bank Executive Development Program. He has served on the Board of the Centre for Science in Public Participation (USA-based) – a not-for-profit providing objective research and technical advice to communities impacted by development. And up until recently was on the CSIRO Sector Advisory Board for Environment and Natural Resources in recognition of his strategic approach to complex issue problem-solving.
In 2004, Gavin received the Adrian Smith International Mining Environmental Award from Mining Journal for his leadership in sustainability. He currently serves as a non-executive director for Cheshire disAbility Services, a registered charity service provider in PNG.
Dr Andrew Nash
Dr. Andrew Ash has 40 years research and leadership experience in agricultural systems in northern Australia, south-east Asia and the Pacific with a particular emphasis on developing management systems to improve profitability and environmental outcomes for rural communities.
Andrew has a particular interest in achieving on-ground impact from research and innovation. Occupying national leadership roles in adapting to the impact of climate variability and change, Andrew has worked closely with industry and policy makers.
In 2019 Andrew received the CSIRO’s Lifetime Achievement Award after a tenure of 30 years at the institute as a researcher and leader, sitting on CSIRO’s Executive Management Council.
Andrew has published over 200 scientific papers, book chapters, conference papers and technical reports and is currently Chair of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre. Andrew also sits on a number of independent expert panels in Australia and internationally, and undertakes consultancies with a focus on strategies to improve outcomes in agriculture and climate adaptation.
He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Churchill Fellow, an Adjunct Professor at The University of Queensland.
Dr Lilly Sar
Lily is currently Director for The Centre for Social and Creative Media at the University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea. Previous to this role, Lily was a Senior Lecturer for the School of Natural and Rural System Management the University of Queensland. Lily draws on her extensive experience working in rural communities to address global issues such as; poverty alleviation, food security, environmental sustainability, gender imbalance and adult learning throughout her teaching and consulting. Her skills and experience have been critical in building local capacity of marginalised communities, using communication for sustainable practices. Lily has diverse experience in utilising communication for social change methods to address development initiatives.
Alan Irving
Alan Irving is an experienced independent environmental consultant who has worked in environmental management in mining, minerals processing and infrastructure projects since the 1980s. Alan has gained extensive experience around the world in operations and project feasibility studies for large corporations such as Rio Tinto, Bechtel and PT Freeport Indonesia.
Alan brings to Ipsum Pacific global, consulting experience across projects which have utilised his professional expertise in due diligence, social and environmental impact assessment, permits, approvals, closure planning and closure cost estimation.
Alan has worked within numerous countries and regions including; Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Mozambique, Mongolia, UAE, New Caledonia and Australia. His experience with commodities and minerals is vast, including; coal, uranium, copper, gold, bauxite, iron ore, zinc, lead, alumina and aluminium.
Dr Sim Sar PhD
Dr Sim Sar is the Principle Entomologist and Special Projects Officer with the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Lae Papua New Guinea. He is the in-country project leader of some of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the European Union and the Australian Agency for International Development; donor funded projects at NARI.
Dr Sar has held various research management positions in NARI including Programme Director of Agricultural Systems and more recently Programme Director of Information and Knowledge Management.