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Kim McKay AO

Director & CEO, Australian Museum, Environmental Advocate & Speaker on Leadership and Sustainability

An environmental advocate, communicator, and author, Kim inspires audiences with her leadership, sustainability expertise, and insights into transforming institutions and engaging communities for lasting impact.

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Kim McKay’s career has focussed on public advocacy and community engagement programs around the natural environment and science both in Australia and internationally.

In her role as Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, Kim is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the nation’s first museum, including a collection of over 22 million natural science specimens and cultural objects.

Since being appointed to the Director’s role ten years ago in 2014 (the first woman in the AM’s 190+ year history), Kim has initiated a broad transformation program including overseeing Project Discover, the AM’s $57.5m award-winning renovation of public spaces.

With a background in marketing and communications, Kim has worked in the USA in senior roles in non-fiction television for Discovery Channel and National Geographic; she co-founded the iconic Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World campaigns in the 1990’s working in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The co-author of five True Green books published in Australia and internationally by Nat Geo, Kim has received many awards for her environmental and citizen science work.

She graduated from UTS with a BA Communications in 1980 and currently serves on the UTS Council. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Wollongong in 2022 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to science, including her work on environmental and conservation issues, and an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Technology Sydney in 2023 in recognition of her achievements in the community, non-profit, cultural, environmental, communications and business sectors. She has served on many not-for-profit boards and for four years chaired the NSW Government’s Museums and History Art Form Board.

Kim was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2008 for distinguished service to the environment and the community.

Kim McKay reminds us that big change starts with small, individual actions. In discussing True Green at Work at the Treasury Executive Institute, she gave a compelling call to action for each person to make changes that can help save this planet we share. She moves beyond gloom and doom predictions to share practical, easy changes to our daily behavior that cumulatively can make a big difference. US Federal Government
Kim's discussion of her book True Green @ Work was the jump-start we needed. Her knowledge and passion for the topic is extraordinary. She held the audience captive with her stories, her facts and her humour. I feel we moved forward one year in one hour. The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
Her talk on the environment is fun, fact filled, convincing and animated. She is an engaging speaker whose passion for her work shone through each time. Audiences left feeling inspired rather than depressed and she stressed her theme of one person making a difference. HooksBookEvents
Kim was fantastic. She uses a blend of knowledge and humour to really engage with her audience and to provide a global overview as well as an insight into her own personal journey championing the environment. As a speaker, Kim conveys both authority and accessibility in equal measure. careerone.com.au
We can’t thank Kim enough. She delivered a really compelling and inspiring speech to kick off our sustainability campaign, Project Leaf, and certainly got the staff talking. It was very aligned with our objectives for the event and the entire Green Team were thrilled. Forbes 100
Kim McKay was the Master of Ceremonies at the launch of my book The Big Mo in Sydney in October 2010. In a word, Kim was ‘brilliant’. From the very outset, she captivated the audience with her natural vivacity and assured manner – and really brought the whole event to life. She is engaging, charming and witty and kept things flowing smoothly without missing a beat. She is a consummate professional – inspiring, motivating, graciously eloquent and very well organised. Mark Roeder, author
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