Ed McAlister AO
Ed’s history with the Adelaide Botanic Gardens dates back to 1979 as Horticultural Botanist and later as Assistant Director, overseeing the reconstruction of Mount Lofty Botanic Garden after the devastating fires of 1983 and as the Gardens’ representative on the team building the Bicentennial Conservatory.
As Chief Executive for the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia, he was responsible for the greening of Adelaide Zoo, and opening Monarto Zoological Park to the public. In 2003 Ed was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for services to conservation. Ed has an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Adelaide and is a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of New England.
He was President of the Australian Institute of Horticulture and has been involved with the Friends of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide for almost 43 years. In November 2021 Ed was appointed to the role of President of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens.
Lowen Partridge
Lowen held senior roles in communication consultancies and in-house marketing for a number of professional service organisations before establishing her own consultancy, Peartree Brand Strategy. She has worked across most sectors including construction, finance, food and wine, health, retail, local government, manufacturing, tourism and professional services (legal, accounting, architecture and engineering).
Lowen holds a Degree in Education from Flinders University, an MBA from the University of South Australia and a Graduate Diploma Wine Marketing from the same university. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, is an Accredited Family Business Adviser and a Certified Practising Marketer.