Dr. Nick Austin
Director of Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Nick Austin is director, Agricultural Development, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he leads the team that works to reduce poverty for millions of farming families in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia through inclusive agricultural transformation. Nick came to the foundation in 2017 from Montpellier, France, where he was interim executive director, CGIAR. For seven years prior, he served 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. 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. He holds a PhD in irrigation (University of Melbourne), a Masters in Sustainable Management (University of Sydney), and a Bachelor of Engineering in Agriculture, Hons (University of Melbourne). He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has held a number of directorships on private and not for profit companies.