Hey! I'm Bruce.

I spend my time solving the practical problems that are stopping Australia's energy transition from happening as fast as it needs to.

Here's how I think about my work:

I'm drawn to challenges where three things are true:

There's a clear path forward, but something specific is blocking it – not the big, obvious barriers, but the unglamorous commercial or policy hurdles that kill good ideas before they scale
The right people aren't talking to each other yet – industry knows what's commercially viable, government knows what's politically possible, philanthropy knows where the gaps are, but they're not aligned around a plan anyone can actually execute
Speed matters – because energy needs to change before my son grows up, and we're running out of time to get this right

What I'm doing now:

I'm Executive Director and Founder of the Energy Futures Foundation, an independent Australian organisation focused on unlocking zero-emissions transport and energy at scale. We're not here to advocate—we're here to solve. That means identifying the specific commercial and policy barriers holding us back, then building coalitions across industry, government, and philanthropy to deliver investable, accountable solutions.

We're currently focused on four areas: clean freight and mobility, distributed energy and storage, carbon valuation and accountability, and critical minerals and circular supply chains. Our first report on clean freight launched this month, outlining practical policies that can be delivered this federal term to unlock fleet electrification.

How I got here:

I've spent fifteen years finding ways to move faster on problems I care about.

Before starting EFF, I led a 50-person team at AGL—Australia's largest carbon emitter—that proved you don't need to wait for perfect policy to build the business case for decarbonisation. We created a $25M portfolio of electrification businesses, launched Australia's first EV subscription service and the Electrify Now! platform, and grew the nation's largest residential demand-response program to over 135,000 homes. We struck national partnerships with bp pulse and OVO Energy and helped shape the Federal Government's National EV Strategy. The work moved fast because the teams were exceptional—we achieved psychological safety scores two standard deviations above industry benchmarks and shifted gender representation from 25:75 to 52:48.

Before AGL, I co-founded Telstra's supply chain software business, taking it from concept to working product with global enterprise customers in under 12 months. Before that, I was a lawyer fighting to make medicines more affordable, invalidating patents that were blocking generic drugs and saving Australia's pharmaceutical benefits scheme over $100M annually. And before that, I clerked for Justice Marcia Neave at the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal, including on the design of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Each experience had a rich set of problems and incredible people to learn from.

Beyond the day job:

I chaired AGL's Shine Network, the energy industry's largest LGBTQ+ inclusion network, and helped drive the company to Platinum status in the Australian Workplace Equality Index. I've served on boards for Honey Insurance, Solar Analytics, and Theatre Works. I care deeply about building cultures where diverse teams can do their best work—because that's how you move fast on hard problems.

I've spoken about climate strategy, innovation, and inclusive leadership, and been recognised with awards including the AFR's top 10 most innovative workplaces and the Law Institute of Victoria's Presidential Award for community impact.

Education and the basics:

I studied law and arts (psychology and French) at Melbourne University on a Stephens Scholarship. I was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Zimbabwe before making Australia home. I now live on Wurundjeri country in a beautiful bend of the Yarra River with my husband Scott, our son Noa, and our chocolate lab Thomas.

Let's connect:

If you're working on the hard, practical problems in climate and energy—the ones that need solving, not just discussing—I'd love to talk.

Bruce Hardy

Climate | Energy |Net-zero