Vegan Australia says appointing its first CEO, Dr Heidi Nicholl, will see the organisation led with renewed vigour as it enters a new era of impact and growth. Nicholl said she is taking on the role at a time when veganism is becoming a more mainstream and socially acceptable life choice.
“Whether people are vegan for ethical, health, or environmental reasons, we welcome them all! And, of course, we also provide resources for the meat reducing and the ‘vegan curious’. I know that, just through my dietary choices, I am estimated to be saving upwards of 105 farmed animals - every year,” Nicholl said.
Nicholl cited a recent paper published in Nature Food, which “found reliable evidence for the first time that people with a vegan diet reduce their environmental impact by 75 per cent. The research, led by researchers from the University of Oxford, also found that even the least sustainable vegan diet was still more environmentally friendly than the most sustainable meat eater’s diet.
“Per unit of food consumed, meat and dairy has anywhere from three to one hundred times the environmental impact of plant-based foods”.
Prior to joining Vegan Australia, Nicholl was at Humanists Australia, and prior to that, CEO at Emerge Australia, a national organisation supporting, advocating, and educating people about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). She has a PhD in Healthcare Ethics and an honours degree in zoology.
