Our Board is appointed by Unitywater’s three shareholders: the Noosa, Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay Regional Councils.
The independent skills-based Board guides our Executive Leadership Team to fulfil its vision to create a sustainable, industry-leading, community and customer oriented water and allied services business.
The combination of Board members' qualifications, skills and experience ensures a strong commercial focus, with emphasis on identifying efficiencies across the organisation and passing on costs savings to you.
Michael Arnett, Chair
B Comm, LLB
Michael has significant experience in the corporate, commercial, mining and natural resources (including water), banking, finance and securities sectors. He was a previously a Board member of Unitywater (from 2009 to 2012) and of Seqwater (from 2012 to 2019). Michael is a Board member of, amongst others, NRW Holdings Limited, Queensland Energy Resources Limited.
Megan Corfield
B Comm, BA (Econ), GAICD
Megan Corfield is a strategic businesswoman and professional non-executive director with more than 25 years of experience in leadership and governance roles across government and the utility, professional services and major event sectors.
In addition to being a director of Unitywater, Megan is Chair of the Board of infrastructure advisory firm Connell Griffin and holds directorships with Altogether Group, Northern Territory Power and Water, Brisbane Grammar School and Chief Executive Women Australia.
Megan has a proven record of delivering new business value from strategy development to operational execution, negotiating and integrating mergers and acquisitions and building high performing teams. Megan is a previous Queensland Telstra Businesswoman of the Year and has been recognised as one the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.
Chris Hertle
MPhil - Bio & Env Sci, BE(Chem).
Chris brings to Unitywater over 37 years’ experience in municipal and industrial water, wastewater and solid waste management. His roles have spanned from concept design through to commissioning and operation, with the last decade focused on developing and implementing robust strategies for growth of water business.
He has worked extensively in APAC and North America for GHD and previously had a role developing new technology for the water sector in Perth for ESI. He has a deep understanding of the water industry across the globe and how water and solid waste is managed in the urban, rural and industrial space. Chris has a passion for challenging the norm and coming up with alternative approaches that are cost effective.
He has been an active member of various water associations globally (Fellow of IWA and EA) and on several technical and advisory committees. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland’s’ Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology for the last 9 years.
Graham Quirk
GAICD
Graham Quirk was a public representative for 34 years and served as Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2011 to 2019. As Chairman of the Council of Mayors of South East Queensland Graham oversaw the Prefeasibility and Full Feasibility Study for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Since leaving public life Graham has served on a number of Boards and has a range of advisory roles. He was a Director of Infrastructure Australia from 2019 to 2022.
Graham also served on the Brisbane and Area Water Board during the early years of the development of the Wivenhoe Dam and its associated facilities.
Sarah Zeljko
LLB, GAICD, GAIST
Sarah is an accomplished business leader with more than 25 years of executive, operational, governance and advisory experience across public, private and government-owned corporations.
As well as being a director of Unitywater, Sarah is Chair of the Board of Energy Queensland – Australia’s biggest government-owned energy business – and is a non-executive director of Stockyard Beef, Verbrec, Venlo and Intellidesign.
An admitted legal practitioner in the NSW and QLD Supreme Courts, Sarah has led a range of Boards, Committees and executive teams through strategic and operational challenges. She has a record of delivering revenue growth through developing and executing corporate strategy, negotiating commercial agreements, capital raising, merger and acquisition, and navigating complex multi-million-dollar transactions.
