AFR leadership awards recognise Heechung Sung

10 June 2026

CEFC Executive Director Heechung Sung has been recognised in the 2026 AFR Women in Leadership report. The awards acknowledge the women who are becoming Australia’s major corporate decision makers.

The Financial Review Women in Leadership Awards highlight the achievement of women on track to become Australia’s senior corporate decision makers.

Ms Sung was a finalist in the Financial Services sector, alongside Rolee Satyam (Westpac), Kym Whitford (Remitly Australia), Susie Grehl (Commonwealth Bank of Australia) and the sector winner, Vicki Doyle (Rest Super).

The report quotes Ms Sung reflecting on the challenge of leadership in a rapidly changing world.

“The future is less predictable now. I grew up not knowing what a flushing toilet looked like – now I’m figuring out not only how AI is reshaping our workforce but how quantum computing can solve the most complex problems exponentially faster,” Ms Sung said.

“How I am preparing my team for rapid change is to be radically adaptable and flexible. Prepare for as many scenarios as possible and re-test your assumptions more frequently.”

Ms Sung is the CEFC Head of Natural Capital and Capital Management, leading the development of natural capital as an exciting asset class. Her work is helping Australian farmers remain competitive in a global net zero economy and supporting national efforts to achieve emissions reduction targets.

Working with institutional investors, the CEFC invests in Australian land to restore value, productivity and resilience. CEFC finance is helping unlock the capital at scale that farmers need to enhance productivity and maintain their competitive edge.

Ms Sung’s innovative investment strategy includes:

• the $250 million large-scale diversified agriculture platform, Meldora, and the $200 million Wilga Farming platform, alongside global investment group La Caisse
• discounted loans with NAB to help farmers invest in clean energy technologies
• discounted loans with Rabobank to reduce the cost of sequestration activities under the Australian Carbon Credit Units Scheme
• an equity investment in efforts by Paraway Pastoral Company to improve farming sustainability.

Most recently, the CEFC announced landmark support for an Indigenous-led wetlands restoration project, committing finance to help the Narei Nari Tribal Council restore The Great Cumbung in northern NSW. Other groundbreaking investments include the First Nations-led Tiwi Islands plantation forestry project to plant 30,000 hectares and generate high integrity ACCUs.

“Unlocking capital to give farmers options to respond to climate change with new technology and multi-use approaches to land can create new value in our natural capital. It can ensure the adaptability and competitiveness of one of our most important export sectors, while creating valuable revenues for farmers,” Ms Sung said.

“If Australia can continue to lead in sustainable production, we will become an increasingly prized source of food and fibre for global markets. By combining the ingenuity of our farmers with the scale of institutional capital and the integrity of Australia’s carbon markets, we can turn risk into resilience.

“This is about more than meeting targets, it is about safeguarding the future of Australian agriculture, maintaining global competitiveness and ensuring our land continues to sustain us for generations to come.”