Nick Austin is the CEO of Watertrust Australia Ltd, an independent not-for-profit with a unique approach to building trust and finding common ground on water and catchment policy. Before joining Watertrust, Nick was Director, Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle from 2017–2021, and prior to this was Interim Executive Director, CGIAR, based in Montpellier, France. Coming from a farming background, Nick has held senior executive roles for over a decade, including seven years as CEO of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and Executive Director, Agriculture, at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI). A hydrologist by training, Nick has undertaken or managed research programs in most major irrigated commodities in Australia. He holds a PhD in irrigation and water quality from the University of Melbourne, a Masters in Sustainable Management from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Agriculture with honours from the University of Melbourne. Nick is a Graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). He is currently on the board of Bill and Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations LLC (Gates Ag One), and has held many directorships including of Land & Water Australia, the Value-Added Wheat CRC, and the Australian Sheep Industry CRC.