About me
Cameron Neil is an energetic and experienced social entrepreneur and strategist with experience in various fields including youth, international development, social enterprise, ethical food and clothing, and the community sector. As a leader, campaigner, networker, facilitator, public speaker, manager, researcher and writer, his focus is always on how to create a more just and sustainable world. Cameron is a Senior Associate with Net Balance, is 34 and lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and play mate Tam.

Career highlights to date:

* Joining business sustainability consulting firm Net Balance as a Senior Associate

* Working to build the regional fair trade movement and market with Fairtrade Labelling Australia & New Zealand and the Fair Trade Association of Australia New Zealand in various roles for 7+ years (Dec ’03 to Feb ’11) – including establishing the certification and labelling system, designing and running campaigns, building partnerships with businesses and NGOs, helping businesses grow, and managing business development and Australian operations

* Participation in the Centre for Governance of Knowledge and Development within the Regulatory Institutions Network at the Australian National University

* Founding director and CEO of the International Young Professionals Foundation (Oct ‘01 to Dec ’10), an NGO that informs, inspires and equips young professionals to be effective sustainability and social change agents

* Co-author of a 2003 National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS) report on young Australians as agents of change for more sustainable consumption along with John Fien and Matthew Bentley.

* Emerging from the NYARS study, the development of an Australian community capacity building and organisation process, including trainer and youth workshops, to support young people to take action on sustainability issues in their community – called otherWISE – that ran from 2005-2010 and was the subject of a joint RMIT and IYPF Australian Research Council funded research project

* Member of the ad hoc international youth taskforce that wrote a report called “Youth and the Millennium Development Goals: Challenges & Opportunities for Implementation”

* Oxfam International Youth Partnerships action partner in 2000, and a facilitator at the OIYP in 2004 in the areas of Labour and Employment

Cameron’s professional interests and passions include:
• Food, agriculture, and how to feed the world over the next 50 years
• Ethical food and clothing and tackling global inequality and poverty through trade and business
• (re)Building viable, sustainable enterprises and institutions that contribute to a better world for all
• Social enterprise & innovation
• Community based and action learning, as well was action research and evaluation
• Futures and global governance
• Trade, economics, politics, power and development Cameron Neil is an energetic and experienced social entrepreneur and strategist with experience in various fields including youth, international development, social enterprise, ethical food and clothing, and the community sector. As a leader,... (more)