Management Team
Clare Raffan
Chair, Canterbury Bankstown Council
Mat Howard
Co-Chair Inner West Council
Olivia Barlow
Inner West Council
Peter Strong
Bayside Council
Heidi Douglas
Bayside Council
Esther Kim
Strathfield Council
Sandy Reddy
Strathfield Council
Leanne Niblock
Sydney Water
Secretariat Team
Dr Andrew Thomas
Executive Officer
Dr Andrew Thomas has been the Executive Officer of the Cooks River Alliance since October 2021. He is responsible for overseeing the operations and strategic direction of the Cooks River Alliance, providing support to the Alliance’s secretariat team in the execution of their respective roles. Andrew brings over 30 years of experience to the Alliance secretariat, including areas as diverse as materials engineering, environmental management, and asset management across the government, consulting, research and not for profit sectors. His formal qualifications reflect that diversity including a PhD in societal systems theory (social science), a Bachelor and Master’s in the environmental sciences, and an associate diploma in materials engineering.
Varsha Sivagurunathan
Senior Catchment Officer
Varsha is a sustainability, water, and energy specialist with experience leading cross-sector projects that bridge technical analysis, stakeholder engagement, and policy translation. Her work focuses on helping governments, industries, and communities plan for sustainable futures in the face of environmental and technological challenges.
Alongside technical analysis, Varsha has led stakeholder engagement processes including running workshops, surveys, and interviews to ensure that social dimensions and lived experiences are integrated into project outcomes.
Jason L’Ecuyer
Senior Engagement Officer
Jason L’Ecuyer is the Alliance’s Senior Engagement Officer. He works directly with the community to translate their aspirations for the catchment and with partner organisations, to translate their plans into coordinated action. Jason facilitates collaboration between councils, organisations and land managers, for the mutual benefit of the river and catchment. He also works with over 30 community groups across the catchment, to coordinate and communicate on-the-ground work and advocacy.
Hiti Gandhi
Litter Prevention Lead
Hiti leads the implementation of the Litter Prevention Roadmap to support regional and local litter reduction targets. Her expertise is in catchment management, GIS and stakeholder engagement. She is passionate about community-driven solutions and to fostering a cleaner, healthier environment. Hiti has a background in Environmental Science and a Master in Environment.
Stacey Gilbert
Aboriginal Landcare Coordinator
Stacey Gilbert belongs to Dharawal land and is the Aboriginal Landcare Coordinator at Cooks River Alliance. She has a background in caring for country activities and cultural education. Stacey is responsible for overseeing the Aboriginal Partnership Strategy, supporting and platforming First Nations voices within the Cooks River Catchment and supporting landcare and other environmental groups and activities.
In her role as Aboriginal Landcare Coordinator, she helps support environmental groups and activities by: facilitating or supporting environmental workshops and events, supporting collaboration with councils, nurseries, communities and other environmental groups.