Meet the Vegan Australia team

Vegan Australia has an incredible team of passionate and hardworking people dedicated to effectively advocating for the rights of our fellow animals through campaigning for veganism. Our team includes specialists in campaigning, social media, vegan certification, research and many other areas.

If you have a special skill you can share or you'd like to see what opportunities we have for you to help out, we'd love to hear from you. Please see our Volunteer page.

Greg McFarlane

Managing Director

Greg decided to go vegan over 25 years ago after learning about the suffering inherent in the egg and dairy industries. A software developer by trade, he has been actively involved in the animal rights and vegan movements for the past 15 years, including as a former committee member and president of Vegan NSW. Recognising the clear need for a national voice for veganism, Greg helped found Vegan Australia as a registered charity in 2014. He was motivated by a strong belief that people and institutions must be encouraged and supported to include animals in their circle of compassion. He often speaks to the media and to government inquiries about a broad range of issues including public health, the environment, animal rights and agriculture. Greg believes that the rights of animals will be best protected by cooperation between like-minded groups both nationally and internationally. He represented Vegan Australia as part of the International Vegan Rights Alliance and was instrumental in establishing the Vegan World Alliance. Favourite quote: "If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn't we?" - Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary Favourite resources: Books and films have been important influences for Greg, including The Case for Animal Rights, by Tom Regan, Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home and Eat Like You Care: An Examination of the Morality of Eating Animals, by Gary Francione.

Ken Goldstein

Director, Certification Manager

Ken is the founder and Managing Director of Fussy Vegan Pty Ltd, an app development company, started in 2017 to create mobile apps for vegans. Prior to Fussy Vegan, Ken spent 15 years in the non profit sector managing programs under both state (Queensland) and federal funding contracts. Ken believes that all animals have a fundamental right to exist and should not be exploited by humans for any reason. Ken has been vegan for over 15 years and is focused on driving and supporting the Vegan Australia Certified program.

Since 2022, Fussy Vegan has been contracted by Vegan Australia to manage the operations of the Vegan Australia Certified program. Fussy Vegan is ideally placed to carry out the detailed work of ensuring the vegan status of all certified products and their ingredients. Vegan Australia maintains control of the direction of the program.

To ensure that decisions are made objectively, the board of Vegan Australia requires board members to step back from any discussions or voting on a matter where they have a conflict of interest.

Favourite resource: Fussy Vegan Pro app

Mackenzie Cross

Social Media Manager

Mackenzie is a passionate vegan who left her career in environmental science to study social media marketing and serve vegan businesses and organisations with her expertise. Mackenzie has worked with Vegan Australia since April 2023 when she took on the Vegan Australia brief as a client of her social media marketing agency Total Ethics. Mackenzie is responsible for all aspects of our social media presence, including content creation and implementation, replying to comments and messages, creating ad campaigns, and training our social media volunteers.

Outside of work, Mackenzie has a deep connection with cats, and works as an independent rescuer to Trap, Neuter, Release, where she rehabilitates and rehomes stray cats in her local area in Sydney. She also shares her home with 3 hens who were rescued from an egg farm in a massive community effort that saw over 2,000 hens rescued and rehomed.

Ric Allport

Vegan Education in Schools Campaign Manager

Ric is an experienced animal rights activist, educator, and long-time advocate for veganism. With over 20 years as a committed vegan and a background as a high school teacher, Ric combines his passion for ethical education with expertise in environmental sustainability. As manager of our Vegan Education in Schools campaign, he works to empower students with critical thinking skills, promote justice and sustainability, and inspire a generation that values ethical coexistence with animals.

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