Adam Bandt named next CEO of Australian Conservation Foundation, says he will not run for Greens again

Former Greens leader Adam Bandt will become chief executive officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in January 2026 and has confirmed he will not seek to return to parliament for the Greens.

Bandt announced the appointment in a short video on Monday, saying he was "excited" to lead what ACF describes as "Australia's largest people-powered movement for nature and climate." He said the move follows his defeat in May — when he lost his Melbourne seat to Labor's Sarah Witty — and that it will be his first full-time role since leaving parliament.

ACF Board Chair Ros Harvey said the board gave Bandt unanimous support. "Mr Bandt has the vision, the bravery and the experience required to meet the challenging years ahead as Australia grapples with devastating climate change and accelerating nature destruction," she said in a statement, praising the organisation's 60-year history of advocacy.

Bandt, who served as leader of the Greens and as a federal MP, framed his move as a continuation of his work on climate and nature. In the video he cited rising temperatures, more severe bushfires and floods and criticised what he described as the influence of coal and gas corporations. "We need parliament to protect koalas and people, not big gas corporations," he said. "This could be the parliament that stops extinction. We're gonna have to make them listen. We've done it before, and we can do it again, but we can't do it without you."

The ACF said Bandt will replace Kelly O'Shanassy, who announced her resignation earlier this year after 11 years as CEO and will remain in the role until the end of 2025. ACF said Bandt will begin in the top job in January 2026. A press statement from the organisation said Bandt "will play no further role for the Greens."

The appointment places a high-profile former parliamentarian at the head of one of Australia's major environmental advocacy groups at a time when scientific and government reports show accelerating pressures on ecosystems and increasing climate-related extremes across the country. ACF's work includes campaigning for stronger emissions reductions, protecting threatened species and pushing for federal policy changes to safeguard nature.

Bandt's move removes a prominent Greens figure from frontline electoral politics and signals a shift to organisation-based advocacy. ACF's board and staff will oversee the transition as O'Shanassy departs and Bandt prepares to take up leadership at the start of next year.