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Steve Shallhorn took up the post of chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific in December 2005, having served almost two years as executive director of Greenpeace Japan. He has also worked for Greenpeace in Washington, London, Ottawa and Toronto (his home town), and has taken part in Greenpeace actions around the world.
Mr Shallhorn’s Greenpeace career began in 1987 as a disarmament campaigner for Greenpeace Canada. He led a successful campaign that stopped the Canadian government buying nuclear-powered submarines.
In 1989, he joined the Greenpeace Nuclear Free Seas campaign which revealed that the US Navy lost a nuclear weapon from an aircraft carrier near the coast of Okinawa, Japan, during the Vietnam War. He took two direct actions at sea against the American Trident II missile. In 1990, Mr Shallhorn led a ship expedition to the secret site of a nuclear weapons test by the former Soviet Union. He was detained in a dramatic sequence of events that was broadcast around the world. While the Soviets went ahead with the nuclear testing, it was the last they ever did.
In 1993, Mr Shallhorn was involved in several Greenpeace actions that led to a significant global treaty banning the dumping of nuclear waste at sea. From 1994 to 2000, he was campaign director for Greenpeace Canada, where the most active campaign was protecting the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, from destructive logging. In 2000, Mr Shallhorn spent a year in Washington DC as campaign director of Greenpeace USA.
Mr Shallhorn has also worked as a campaign consultant, and worked for Consumers International in London and the New Democratic Party in Canada. He holds two degrees from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario: a BA in History and a BA in Economics. He is married to Christine Elwell and they have two daughters.
How does his role today as Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO compare to those early days of activism?
"I have the benefit of my skills and experience as a Greenpeace activist to bring to senior management. I have been in all sorts of campaign situations in many different countries. This allows me to anticipate campaign needs and ensure that the organisation is in the best position to support campaigns."
As CEO, Steve's job is to set goals for the organisation and ensure the Greenpeace team is always pulling in the same direction towards consistent and effective campaign outcomes. His ultimate aim is simple: "To make Greenpeace the most effective campaigning organisation this country, indeed the region, has ever seen."
And when Steve's not saving the planet or tackling routine CEO tasks, he's busy trying to learn the harmonica.
"The emphasis is on 'trying'," he says, laughing.
Mr Shallhorn’s Greenpeace career began in 1987 as a disarmament campaigner for Greenpeace Canada. He led a successful campaign that stopped the Canadian government buying nuclear-powered submarines.
In 1989, he joined the Greenpeace Nuclear Free Seas campaign which revealed that the US Navy lost a nuclear weapon from an aircraft carrier near the coast of Okinawa, Japan, during the Vietnam War. He took two direct actions at sea against the American Trident II missile. In 1990, Mr Shallhorn led a ship expedition to the secret site of a nuclear weapons test by the former Soviet Union. He was detained in a dramatic sequence of events that was broadcast around the world. While the Soviets went ahead with the nuclear testing, it was the last they ever did.
In 1993, Mr Shallhorn was involved in several Greenpeace actions that led to a significant global treaty banning the dumping of nuclear waste at sea. From 1994 to 2000, he was campaign director for Greenpeace Canada, where the most active campaign was protecting the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, from destructive logging. In 2000, Mr Shallhorn spent a year in Washington DC as campaign director of Greenpeace USA.
Mr Shallhorn has also worked as a campaign consultant, and worked for Consumers International in London and the New Democratic Party in Canada. He holds two degrees from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario: a BA in History and a BA in Economics. He is married to Christine Elwell and they have two daughters.
How does his role today as Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO compare to those early days of activism?
"I have the benefit of my skills and experience as a Greenpeace activist to bring to senior management. I have been in all sorts of campaign situations in many different countries. This allows me to anticipate campaign needs and ensure that the organisation is in the best position to support campaigns."
As CEO, Steve's job is to set goals for the organisation and ensure the Greenpeace team is always pulling in the same direction towards consistent and effective campaign outcomes. His ultimate aim is simple: "To make Greenpeace the most effective campaigning organisation this country, indeed the region, has ever seen."
And when Steve's not saving the planet or tackling routine CEO tasks, he's busy trying to learn the harmonica.
"The emphasis is on 'trying'," he says, laughing.
