PROFILE
Meri is an experienced interviewer and facilitator specialising in finding the deeper story through solid research and preparation, with the aim of eliciting a fresh experience for both interviewees and audience alike.
A chance opportunity to bring Christiana Figueres, the chief architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, to Perth in early March 2020 sharpened Meri’s career focus to leadership, climate transition and environmental issues.
Later that year she was guest curator of the TEDx Perth COUNTDOWN: WA Climate Leadership Summit which led to founding the WA Climate Leaders network, intended to inspire visionary leadership on climate action in WA in this critical decade.
A graduate of WAAPA, Meri’s background is in radio production. As well as several years as a news and current affairs producer on ABC radio, she has been a volunteer broadcaster at prominent community radio station RTRFM since 2000. There she has presented talks and music programs and was part of the collective of Drastic on Plastic RTRFM’s iconic “women in music” program for nearly 20 years.
As a freelance facilitator, Meri’s guests have included former PM Julia Gillard and ABC Chair Ita Buttrose, authors Margaret Atwood, Tim Winton, Liane Moriarty and Trent Dalton well as broadcasters Stan Grant, the late Dr Michael Mosley, Leigh Sales, Annabel Crabb, Waleed Aly and Richard Fidler. Others include Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes À Court, eminent climate scientist Bill Hare and Rewiring Australia founder Saul Griffith. Reconciliation WA has invited Meri to co-present it’s Reconciliation Week breakfast broadcast for the last three years.
A regular at Perth Writers Festival for many years, Meri has also facilitated panels on harassment, gender politics, health and mining industry issues. She has a podcast called Rare Air.
