On the Couch with Dr Campbell Gemmell

Dr Campbell Gemmell is Chief Executive of the Environment Protection Authority, South Australia’s independent environment regulator and sits on South Australia’s Senior Management Council.

Before taking up the position in January 2012, Dr Gemmell was Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), for 9 years.

In his earlier career, he worked in the fields of economic development and environmental consultancy.

During the 1980s he held a post-doctoral research lectureship at Christ Church, Oxford and was involved in a range of scientific expeditions and field studies in Alaska, Iceland, Kenya, Norway and Switzerland.

In the 1990s Dr Gemmell ran the UK's largest community forestry organisation, was Chairman of Landwise, and a member of Scottish Ministerial groups dealing with Forestry for People, Rural Focus and Sustainable Development.

He was a member of Scotland's Government Resilience and Emergency Planning Bodies for 10 years, and up to the end of 2011 led Scotland's Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) frontline delivery process, designing and implementing reform of rural delivery service by 9 public bodies for the previous 5 years.

Dr Gemmell has a first-class honours degree in Geography and a PhD in Glaciology from Aberdeen University. Since 2007 he has been Professor of Environmental Regulation and Policy at Glasgow University.

He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a former Member of Court (governing body) at Stirling University.

Since arriving in South Australia, Campbell has joined the Senior Officials Committee for SCEW, been a member of the Vibrant City Senior Officers Group, and has led a Change Program to enhance the performance and capability of the EPA, working with government, industry and community partners.

Fraser Bell is a Partner at law firm Thomsons Lawyers, and he leads the firm’s practice group focusing on the areas of environment, planning, climate change and contaminated land.

Fraser has extensive experience in the waste industry having advised landfill operators, recycling companies, corporations, regulation and landfill gas companies.