Nick Austin

Nick Austin is director, Agricultural Development, within the Global Development division. In this role, he leads the team that works to reduce poverty for millions of farming families in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by increasing agricultural productivity in a sustainable way.

Nick joined the foundation in 2017. Previously, he was interim executive director, CGIAR, based in Montpellier, France, and prior to that served for seven years as chief executive officer of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), where he was responsible for leading the Centre’s effort to improve the incomes and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the developing world. Nick has held senior executive roles for over a decade, was a member of the Portfolio Executive of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and served for seven years on the CGIAR Fund Council.

Nick holds a Ph.D. in irrigation and water quality from the University of Melbourne, a Master in Sustainable Management from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Engineering in agriculture with honors from the University of Melbourne. He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has held many directorships on private and nonprofit companies.