Sam Watson

Sam Watson has a background working in politics and advocacy on queer rights. Having studied economics and finance at the Australian National University he has a keen interest in the intersection between business and climate policy and hopes to pursue an MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment, and a Master of Public Policy. He is currently working as an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group.

Rhodes Scholar

Sam Watson is a 2025 Rhodes Scholar.

Growing up in small-town Ulverstone in Tasmania, Sam Watson may not have envisioned that one day he would be walking through the doors of the prestigious Oxford University on a full scholarship.

And yet, the recent recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship – which provides fully paid tuition, a stipend, and return airfare – will commence his postgraduate studies there in 2025.

What could have been something that held him back – being queer in Australia’s once named ‘most homophobic town’ – became a vehicle for Sam to use for the good of others.

Coming out at a young age, having faced challenges establishing a support group at his school, it became clear to Sam that creating change was going to be a long game, so he repositioned to finish his education at boarding school in Hobart. There, he began his advocacy for the LGBTIQA+ community, adding his voice in support of same-sex marriage.

Through his advocacy Sam hit a national stage, featuring on ABC’s Heywire, where he shared his experience of coming out in a small, rural town.

In 2019, Sam was the lead in the documentary Belonging for Network 10 and Screen Australia, which followed Tasmania’s road to decriminalising homosexuality in 1997, and how his hometown Ulverstone transformed into a town that affirms LGBTIQA+ people.

Working in politics after high school, Sam learned more about climate change policy while seeing the growing need for urgent action. What really captured his interest was the contribution of businesses to climate change, and the way business support will be fundamental to lasting efforts to tackle it.

"My experiences have made me understand there is a gap between business and policy, here in Australia and globally, that means some people in business who want to take action on climate change and invest in decarbonising are disincentivised from doing so," says Sam.

In 2023, Sam graduated from The Australian National University College of Business and Economics with a double degree in economics and finance.

He currently works as an associate at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), including within their Climate and Sustainability practice.

When Sam goes to Oxford University, he will pursue postgraduate studies in sustainability, enterprise and the environment, and public policy, with a focus on understanding the policy settings required to support hard-to-abate industries to take decisive action to decarbonise.^[1]