Our People

Vegan Australia CEO, Dr Heidi Nicholl, has always been driven by her values and a desire to do as much good as she can in the world, and being vegan is a key part of that. She loves being part of Vegan Australia as a place where she can use her leadership and non-profit experience to try to make a better world for the billions of exploited animals who suffer at the hands of humans every year, but also to take forward the message that being vegan is both easy and the right thing to do.

Heidi has a PhD in applied ethics, lives in the leafy foothills of the Dandenong ranges and enjoys a good, peaty whisky on chilly Winter evenings. 

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.

Michael joined the Vegan Australia team at the end of 2023 as Digital Marketing Communications volunteer. In ordinary life Michael is a keen traveller and works as a freelance digital marketer and writer.

He loves being part of an organisation where he can use his marketing experience to further support the vegan cause. With a lifetime love of nature, he went vegan to lessen his impact on the environment and stop unnecessary animal suffering. He believes that even small actions have a lasting impact and the best time to start is now.

Meg brings her passion for animal welfare and her diverse background in Media Communications, Creative Writing, and Psychology to her role as a volunteer with Vegan Australia. Meg is dedicated to promoting vegan values and beliefs within the community, and is excited to be part of an organisation that shares these same values.

Prior to joining Vegan Australia, Meg volunteered at a pig rescue sanctuary, gaining hands-on experience in animal care whilst deepening her understanding of animal welfare issues.

Outside of volunteering, Meg enjoys writing fiction and exploring new vegan recipes in the kitchen. She looks forward to connecting with like-minded individuals and making a positive impact within the vegan community.