Climate Resilience Expert Stella Whittaker joins Royal HaskoningDHV in Australia

Royal HaskoningDHV, is pleased to announce the appointment of global expert Stella Whittaker as Climate Change, Adaptation and Resilience Lead of its operations in Australia. Stella has more than 30 years of experience in climate change, climate finance, environmental policy, sustainability, circular economy and environmental planning across Europe, Australia, US and Asia. 

Her areas of expertise include climate financing, sustainable financing, climate risk and adaptation, climate disclosure reporting, transition planning and ESG consulting. She has held leadership positions across both the public and private sectors in environmental sustainability, carbon trading, infrastructure resilience, and biodiversity.

Whittaker has led both state and national Government policy and regulatory responses for carbon trading, circular economy, climate adaptation, biodiversity and nature-based solutions, through which she has developed a deep understanding of regulatory and policy frameworks. 

Whittaker’s return to Australia follows five years in Europe, where she led groundbreaking projects in climate finance. This includes spearheading the ClimateFit initiative, a European Horizon project focused on financing climate adaptation across European territories. This pioneering effort was the first European Commission adaptation project to address financing strategies, a critical component of climate resilience planning globally.

“Adaptation isn’t just about planning for the future; it’s about addressing the urgent challenges we face today. The severity of climate events is accelerating faster than predicted, which means that we need immediate, practical solutions. By embedding climate strategies into decision-making processes and working towards performance-based outcomes across both the private and public sectors, we can create lasting change,” said Whittaker.

With the Australian government introducing climate risk disclosure regulations and global financial systems increasingly emphasising sustainable investments, Royal HaskoningDHV is at the forefront of the field, with Whittaker’s appointment enhancing its existing advisory services that can support the implementation of effective climate resilience strategies for both the public and private sector.

Whittaker has held Board positions on the Australian Government Earth Science and Climate Change Advisory Group, Victorian Catchment Management Council, Global Reporting Initiative, NSW Nature Conservation Trust, and UK Ecolabelling Board.

Royal HaskoningDHV will host a webinar on December 10th on climate transition planning for both the public and private sectors in Australia.