James Gibson

James is a highly experienced executive and current Managing Director of Western Environmental who also holds several non-executive director and advisory board positions within allied companies in the waste, energy and sustainability sectors. He is also a Senior Principal Environmental Scientist with extensive technical and strategic acumen and is a subject matter expert in the assessment and management of Per- and Poly-Fluoryl Alkyl Substances (PFAS).​ James also takes a keen interest in PFAS research and development, having been actively involved in several projects developing novel treatment methods in water and solids which has resulted in Western Environmental holding a range of Intellectual Property licences to deploy various technologies throughout Australasia.

After commencing his career at the environmental regulator in Western Australia, James pivoted to environmental consultancy in 2007. Since then he has worked as a Project and Technical Director in the field of Contaminated Land Management, providing strategic advice and technical peer review in addition to project delivery. James co-founded Western Environmental in 2011 and performed the role of Principal Scientist and Business Development Manager until 2015, when he was appointed Managing Director. During his tenure as a Director, the company has grown from a small WA-based firm to a national, multidisciplinary consultancy with more than 50 professional staff across most states in Australia.

Throughout his career, James has been involved in a vast array of projects across the Defence, aviation, infrastructure, government and land development sectors in Australia. He is also a specialist technical advisor with international experience, including for proponents in the USA that include government departments, utilities and private companies to whom he provides expert advice in relation to PFAS assessment and remediation.

James is active in the environmental industry as a member of Environmental Health Australia (EHA) and the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ), where he held an Executive position (Treasurer) on the WA committee from 2009 – 2016.