The James Martin Institute for Public Policy has appointed three experienced policy leaders to head up new sector portfolios, further enhancing JMI’s capacity to deliver pragmatic, timely, and actionable advice to government.

Together, they bring decades of experience in senior government positions and strategic policy development across three priority areas. Working closely with a growing network of world-leading research experts from our university partners, the JMI model will position them at the centre of responding to government priorities and emerging policy capability in these sectors for the public good.

• Jordan Ward has joined JMI as Head of Economic Policy. He most recently served as the lead Private Secretary to New Zealand’s Minister of Finance at the New Zealand Treasury.
• Isabella Whealing has joined JMI as Head of Social Policy from a senior position in NSW Treasury.
• Bonnie Bley will join JMI in late January as Head of Energy and Environment Policy from the Nous Group.

“I am delighted to be welcoming these three exceptional policy leaders to JMI, who will further enhance our ability to respond effectively to government priorities,” said Libby Hackett, CEO of JMI. “Their expertise will help us harness the capability of our research partners to deliver evidence-based solutions that not only meet the needs of policymakers but also serve the public good and support our local communities.”

“JMI’s unique model was a major draw for me, working at the intersection of policy and evidence. I’m looking forward to utilising my experience to expand our offering to both government and university partners,” said Jordan Ward.

“It has never been more important to embed evidence into policymaking to ensure effective outcomes for Australians,” said Isabella Whealing. “I’m excited to join such a dynamic, enthusiastic team in this ambitious endeavour.”

“I’m excited to collaborate with government, university and industry partners to drive policy solutions for Australia’s energy transition and environmental sustainability,” said Bonnie Bley. “With Australia expected to be a host of COP31 in 2026, it’s a pivotal moment to advance Net Zero policies and proactively tackle environmental challenges. I look forward to contributing to solutions that will shape Australia’s future.”

The appointments of Jordan, Isabella and Bonnie follow a rigorous recruitment period, as well as the recent publication of JMI’s Annual Impact Report 2023-4, which showcases the Institute’s success over the last years and areas for further growth.

Jordan Ward has been appointed Head of Economic Policy and Senior Manager at the James Martin Institute for Public Policy.

Jordan brings deep expertise on economic, fiscal and commercial issues, with 15 years of experience working in government, the private sector and academia. Before joining JMI, Jordan worked at Te Tai Ōhanga (New Zealand Treasury), most recently as the lead Private Secretary to New Zealand’s Minister of Finance. He supported the Minister through three Wellbeing Budgets, the design of COVID economic support packages, and fiscal consolidation coming out of COVID-19. While at the Treasury, Jordan also worked on tax, welfare and employment policy. He led the 2018 Tax Working Group secretariat, and was the Treasury lead on the development of New Zealand’s COVID-19 wage subsidy.

Jordan was previously a senior associate at McKinsey & Company, based in the Australia-New Zealand and UK offices, where he worked on a range of engagements including promoting economic growth, economic response strategies to Brexit, public sector productivity, capital productivity, and corporate regulation. Outside of McKinsey, Jordan was an economic advisor to the Rio Tinto-managed Simandou iron ore project in Guinea.

Jordan has a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Knox Fellow and research assistant to Professor Reinhart on exchange rate arrangements. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Politics and Engineering in Chemical and Material from the University of Auckland.

Isabella Whealing has been appointed Head of Social Policy and Senior Manager at the James Martin Institute of Public Policy.

Isabella is an experienced strategic policy professional with a background in digital and technology strategy consulting. Prior to joining JMI, Isabella was an Associate Director at NSW Treasury where she led National Agreement negotiations with the Commonwealth Government in the Disability Reform and Health portfolios. While at NSW Treasury, Isabella was an Executive Officer to the Deputy Secretary of Policy & Budget, where she provided strategic advice and support across a range of policy initiatives. She managed the design and implementation of many of NSW’s rapid COVID-19 response programs as a Senior Advisor, including collaborating closely with Service NSW on the policy development and implementation of key small business support grants.

Before her time in the NSW Government, Isabella worked in consulting for 6 years as a Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers in the Digital and Technology Strategy Division, where she worked predominantly in financial services and government. Isabella’s focus was designing the digital capabilities, processes and implementation plans to enable customer-centric service delivery.

Isabella has a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Relations and History from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Certificate in Environment Studies from Macquarie University.

Bonnie Bley is Head of Energy and Environment Policy and Senior Manager at the James Martin Institute for Public Policy.

Bonnie joins JMI with a breadth of policy and project leadership experience after a decade working across consulting, policy think tanks and not-for-profit sectors.

As a Director at the international management consultancy Nous, Bonnie worked on a range of policy challenges across the sustainable development practice to support government, private and not-for-profit clients to embed sustainability, improve environmental outcomes, and drive progress on Australia’s transition to Net Zero. Her portfolio included energy transitions, pathways for renewables, environment strategy, and environment and energy regulation.

Prior to Nous, Bonnie worked at a not-for-profit start-up that funds public interest journalism across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. Her work involved designing the inaugural strategy and impact framework, building a pipeline of impactful projects and partnership opportunities, and leading the day-to-day management of a multimillion-dollar portfolio of programs.

Bonnie began her career working at independent foreign policy think tanks in London and Sydney, including four years at the Lowy Institute, where she co-authored two flagship indices to measure diplomatic and geopolitical power.

Bonnie studied at University College London (UCL) and the University of Bologna. She has written op-eds and provided commentary for the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, The Diplomat and The Interpreter.