Our Board and Executive

Our board

NRAR has an independent board responsible for decisions about its compliance and enforcement functions. The board started work in late 2017 on the formation and strategic direction of NRAR.

The NRAR board has four members, appointed by the NSW Minister for Water. While the board reports to the minister, it is an independent body. Any directions by the minister must be made in accordance with the provisions of the Natural Resources Access Regulator Act 2017.

Learn more about the board, including its role, operation and function, in the NRAR Board Charter below.

NRAR Board Charter (PDF, 116.54 KB)

Our board members

Ilona Millar - Chair

Ilona Millar

Ilona has more than 20 years’ experience advising on natural resources law, including innovative responses to climate change and sustainability problems. She has been involved in legislative and policy reviews and advises on the implementation of the Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) and the Water Amendment Act 2008 (Commonwealth).

Bruce Brown

Bruce has served as both a director and member of a number of government committees at state and federal level, including the National Rural Advisory Council (1999-2005). He was also a university lecturer in agricultural economics and farm management prior to transitioning to the private sector via a lobbying role with a farmer organisation.

Phil Duncan

Phil joined the NRAR Board in 2020. He also serves as chair of the Basin Community Committee of the Murray Darling Basin Commission. Throughout his career and volunteer community work, Phil has worked extensively with Indigenous people and government to improve the lives of First Nations people. He also provides high-level policy, strategic advice, and leadership to key Indigenous representative organisations, universities, and state and federal government agencies.

Our executive

Grant Barnes

Grant is NRAR's Chief Regulatory Officer. He oversees the daily operations of NRAR, with a focus on building regulatory capacity to deliver the NSW government’s commitment to best practice regulation. Grant fosters stakeholder relationships, establishes good governance practices and high-level ethical practices, and drives the board agenda. With over 20 years of experience in science leadership, freshwater science and strategic planning, he brings valuable expertise to his leadership role.

Keeley Reynolds

Keeley is NRAR’s Director of Education and Engagement. She leads a branch whose focus is on helping NRAR reach and influence the regulated water community through direct and indirect education programs and strategic engagement activities. Keeley has more than 10 years of experience developing and executing campaigns to raise awareness and change behaviours and perceptions. Keeley has worked nationally and internationally on successful media & communications, marketing and engagement programs.

Margaret Sexton

Margaret is NRAR's Director of Innovation, Systems, and Intelligence. She is responsible for developing regulatory policy and priorities, as well as improving the agency's capabilities in intelligence, analytics, innovation, and technology. Margaret's team provide suitable systems, research, information, and technology to enable operational staff to carry out their work more easily and effectively, whether in the field or remotely. She is skilled in leadership and development, leading high-performing teams to achieve continuous improvement and lasting value in water management in NSW.

Tim O'Connell

Tim O’Connell is the Acting Director, Investigations and Enforcement. He leads state‑wide programs that investigate alleged breaches and non-compliance with the Water Management Act. Tim has more than 10 years’ experience in senior roles within NSW regulatory agencies and has also worked in international leadership positions with the United Nations and INTERPOL. He is known for leading complex investigations, shaping regulatory directions, delivering enforcement outcomes, and building teams focused on protecting NSW’s natural resources.

Dr Andrew Howe

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Andrew is NRAR’s Director of Regulatory Initiatives, leading improvements in regulatory campaign design, measurement, and reporting. He builds high-performing teams that design compliance programs focused on behaviour change. His experience spans NRAR, NSW Treasury, and ICAC, tackling complex regulatory challenges. With a Sydney University research background, he delivers strategic insights on key risks shaping NRAR’s future.

Ila Lessing

Ila is NRAR’s Director Regulatory Coordination. Ila is responsible for leading strategic support services for the agency. These include communications, front-of-house and call centre, financial management, business performance, PMO & project governance. With an Executive MBA focused on business and financial management, Ila has managed teams responsible for governance, budget management and portfolio management across the government and banking sector.

Ellen Chapple

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Ellen is NRAR’s Director of Legal. She manages prosecutions brought by NRAR and other legal actions to enforce the Water Management Act. Ellen's team helps with law reform and provides legal advice and support to the organisation. Ellen has over 10 years of experience in public law and regulation. She has a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School and was previously the Manager Litigation with the NSW Environment Protection Authority.

Board minutes

The board meets 11 times each year, taking a well-deserved break in January. The minutes from the previous board meeting are endorsed at the next one and then uploaded below.