The winners of the CEW and ANZ Sustainability Scholarship are working to address some of our planet’s most pressing challenges in radically different ways.

They are:

• Brickworks General Manager Operations Emily Antonio
• I’m Plastic Free Founder Simona Paganetto
• Coates National Environment and Sustainability Manager Robyn Simpson

While their expertise and experience different greatly, they are united by a common passion for sustainability and protecting our planet’s rich biodiversity.

Emily Antonio has been delivering sustainability strategies and improvement programs across leading companies for many years. At Brickworks she now focuses on manufacturing operational excellence and the delivery of an expanding portfolio of sustainable building products. The scholarship will support her to study the Executive Development Programme at Wharton Business School.

“This course is an ideal fit for me, as the manufacturing sector is implementing major innovations to transition to a low carbon economy,” she says.

“The encouragement I’ve received from CEW, ANZ, and Brickworks has ignited my motivation to enhance my executive capabilities. My goal is to amplify the awareness of environmental sustainability within the manufacturing sector while also fostering the progression of women in manufacturing into positions of greater influence.”

With over 15 years of commercialisation experience, Simona Paganetto became a social entrepreneur, founding the world’s first matchmaking platform for plastic waste reduction www.implasticfree.com. She’s excited by the opportunities that being supported to study at Harvard will open for her own development and the development of her startup.

“Winning this sustainability leadership scholarship opens up a world of possibilities for my personal development as well as for the business growth of my startup,” she says.

“It will deepen my understanding of sustainability and leadership principles, practices, and solutions, which will empower the strategic growth of my startup.

“I saw this scholarship as an opportunity to connect with influential sustainability leaders, academics, mentors, and organisations that share the same vision and values, allowing me to build a supportive network of thought leaders in the field of sustainability.”

Robyn Simpson is responsible for the Coates sustainability strategy and coordinates the implementation of the organisation’s decarbonisation efforts, improving production circularity, and developing more sustainable solutions for customers.

“Decisions made within business are crucial to demonstrate and lead change at this critical time for climate, biodiversity and inequality,” she says.

“I am so thrilled to seize this chance to work with intention on my career path. I am mainly confident in my own abilities, but may have historically held back, or aimed to please, while I navigated tricky circumstances.

“Being granted this scholarship is a privilege and an independent endorsement from CEW that I am capable, giving me permission to be brave and bold in my sustainability leadership.”

Find out more about our Scholarships program here.