Arron Wood AM is the CEO of Yurringa Energy, Australia’s first Indigenous-owned energy retailer. News Ltd Telstra Micro Business Award winner Arron Wood was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant contribution to the environment, to local government and to the community. Recognition for nearly 25 years of leadership, Arron is the former Deputy Lord Mayor for the City of Melbourne and was Chair of the Finance and Governance Portfolio. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was winner of the Melbourne Business Award for Contribution to the Environment. Arron was the Chair of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute for the University of Melbourne and recently served two terms as a member of the South East Water Board in Victoria.
Named in the top ten education leaders nationally as part of The Weekend Australian Magazine, Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award-winner Arron Wood grew up in Mildura, Victoria spending his early years campaigning to save the River Murray. Rather aptly titled, his autobiography ‘Billabong Boy’ was inspired by those early years. He founded the award-winning education program Kids Teaching Kids that saw over 100,000 students participate in the peer education model from 2000-2020, and was the 3AW environment reporter for many years.
Arron received The Centenary Medal for outstanding contribution to conservation, awarded by the Governor-General and completed a Churchill Fellowship to New York with the United Nations. As a past winner of the United Nations Individual Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment, Arron was also the 2001 Young Australian of the Year for the environment. He was previously a Board Member of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Sustainability Victoria Board Member and a Councillor for City of Melbourne. In what was a huge career highlight, Arron’s commitment to the environment was covered on ABC’s Australian Story.
