Speakers at the NEM Future Forum 2015
Benn Barr
General Manager, Energy Sector Reform - Consumer and Retail
Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply
Mr Barr is currently the Acting Deputy Director General - Energy, Department of Energy and Water Supply. Benn has over 20 years public policy experience at both State and Commonwealth Government level working in a variety of fields including energy, education, local government and international development assistance. Benn is currently leading significant reform to the electricity sector in Queensland.
Mr Barr is currently the Acting Deputy Director General - Energy, Department of Energy and Water Supply. Benn has over 20 years public policy experience at both State and Commonwealth Government level working in a variety of fields including energy, education, local government and international development assistance. Benn is currently leading significant reform to the electricity sector in Queensland.
Ron Ben-David
Chairman
Essential Services Commission
Ron Ben-David has served as Chairperson of the Essential Services Commission of Victoria since late-2008. The Commission is responsible for licensing and monitoring compliance by service providers in the Victorian energy market. Since January 2009, energy prices have been deregulated fully in Victoria.
Dr Ben-David joined the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance in 1998. This was followed by a number of years in the Department of Premier and Cabinet where he became Deputy Secretary in 2004. In 2007, he established Victoria’s Office of Climate Change and then headed the Secretariat for the Garnaut Climate Change Review.
Dr Ben-David has written and presented on a wide range of issues including: governance and regulation in the water industry, retail energy markets, climate change, sustainability, federalism, local government, taxi reform and economic philosophy.
He holds a B. Science (Optom), B. Comm (Hons) and Ph.D (Economics). In 2005, Dr Ben-David became a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration (Vic). He is a member of numerous advisory councils.
“The NEM Future Forum is perhaps the most engaging event on the local and well plenished energy conference circuit. Novice and veteran alike can be sure to walk away with new insights into Australia's rapidly evolving energy sector.”
Steve Blume
National President
Australian Solar Council
President Australian Solar Council and President Energy Storage Council (AuSES – Australian Solar Energy Society Limited Pty Ltd – Director); CEO (Owner – NoCarbon Pty Ltd)
Steve Blume creates partnerships to plan, design & deliver large scale commercial and community solar and renewables projects through his company, NoCarbon Pty Ltd.
Steve is a former political adviser and private sector senior executive, policy creator, change management consultant, business manager and public servant continuing his lifelong commitment to a low-carbon energy world.
Steve was until November 2012 the Environment & Sustainable Development Adviser in the Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia. In that role he was a key player in the implementation of world leading solar and energy efficiency policies and practices such as the ACT’s ‘reverse auction’ for large scale solar and the 90% renewables by 2020 policy.
Steve offers consulting services on climate change & environment policy development & implementation, energy efficiency & conservation measures, solar, storage & other renewable energy technologies and smart distributed energy networks.
Steve’s mantra for solar & other renewables is ‘deployment, deployment, R&D, deployment!’. We have the means to build a 100% renewables future, we simply need the will.
As President of the Australian Solar Council and the Energy Storage Council Steve works to enhance the national voice of solar and storage in Australia and to increase international collaboration and co-operation as we build a clean energy future.
"The NEM Future Forum will be covering areas critical to everyone in the energy industry in Australia. As we all participate in the massive transformation to fully distributed energy networks both the physical and the regulatory structures of the NEM will need collaboration, co-operation and a shared understanding of the issues. The Forum will help us do that and I hope offer a focus on the needs of consumers who pay for the services we enable."
Stephen Davy
Chief Executive Officer
Hydro Tasmania
Mr Davy is Chief Executive Officer at Hydro Tasmania and has been with the business since 2005. Mr Davy has a First Class Honours Degree in Physics.
Prior to his arrival at Hydro Tasmania, Mr Davy managed contract trading at Eraring Energy in New South Wales.
Previously Mr Davy worked in the banking industry, trading and marketing currency and derivative products and was a Senior Vice President at Bankers Trust Australia in the 1990s.
He began his career in New Zealand in 1985.
Mr Davy is currently Chairman of Hydro Tasmania’s mainland retail business, Momentum Energy, selling electricity on mainland Australia and on the Bass Strait Islands. He has previously served as Chair of the Australia Financial Markets Association Environmental Products Committee.
Mr Davy is a Director of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia (esaa) and also represents Generators on the National Electricity Market Reliability Panel.
Australia's rapidly evolving energy sector.”
Danny De Schutter
General Manager of ARENA Strategy
Australian Renewable Energy Agency
Danny is General Manager Strategy with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. He joined ARENA from The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a project leader in their Public Sector practice. Danny has nearly 20 years of consulting experience with Accenture and other companies.
Danny holds a Masters in Commerce and Engineering from the University of Antwerp, Belgium and J.W. Goethe Institut, Germany.
Gavin Dufty
Policy Director
St Vincent de Paul
Gavin is currently employed as the manager of policy and research at St Vincent de Paul Society, Victoria. Gavin’s has worked in the community welfare sector for over 18 years. During this time he has produced a number or reports focusing on the cost of living with a particular focus on energy. Gavin is a representative of a number of industry and government committees associated with energy policy including: Member Victorian government ministerial advisory committee on smart meters, AGL’s national customer council, Citipower / Powercor customer consultative committee, Past member of the Australian Energy Market Commission, Reliability Panel, Independent assessment panel for the Australian Government's Smart Grid, Smart City program.
"The Energy industry is transforming and the NEM future forum provides a great opportunity to understand how this transformation might impact upon consumers and industry alike”
Greg Evans
Executive Director – Coal
Minerals Council of Australia
Mr Greg Evans was appointed to the position of Executive Director, Coal at the Minerals Council of Australia and CEO, Australian Coal Association Low Emission Technology (ACALET) in July 2014.
Prior to this position he was most recently the Deputy Chief Executive of Universities Australia, which represents Australia’s 39 universities. Before that Mr Evans was the Chief Economist at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), where he was employed for nine years.
Mr Evans has experience as a ministerial chief of staff in the Howard government, an official in the Commonwealth Treasury and Department of Finance, and working for industry bodies in the energy and farm sector, including a period as chief executive of the Wool Council of Australia for three years.
He commenced his career in the banking sector as a financial analyst dealing with the funding of infrastructure, mining, and oil and gas projects.
Kate Farrar
Managing Director
Qenergy
Kate Farrar has substantial energy market experience, with more than 15 years in the industry.
From 1999 to 2007, Kate held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Ergon Energy’s Powerdirect Australia business. Under Kate’s leadership, Powerdirect Australia grew to become one of Australia’s top five energy retailers, covering a diverse customer base ranging from domestic and small business customers to large mines and airports. In 2007 Kate led the sale of Powerdirect to AGL for $1.2 billion – $0.5 billion above expectations. Kate was previously a Director with ABN AMRO Morgans (now RBS Morgans), a national financial advisory firm. In 2006 Kate won Queensland Business Review’s Public Sector ‘Women in Business Award’ and was a Queensland finalist in the Hudson Community and Government Award category of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards. This year, Kate was a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Kate is also a Director with Mater Health Services.
In her role as Managing Director of QEnergy, Kate drives the company’s aspiration to become the retailer of choice for all Australian small businesses. Beginning in Queensland, QEnergy now serves 17,500 business customers across the Eastern Seaboard and the Northern Territory.
“The Eastern Australia’s Energy Markets Conference is one of the best events of the year in terms of dealing with the real issues that face energy in Australia. In such a turbulent time – with fast changing regulatory frameworks, and the structural impacts of falling demand and decarbonisation, it is more than ever imperative to remain across the key debates as they arise."
Miles George
Chief Executive Officer
Infigen Energy
Miles is the Managing Director of Infigen Energy and has over 20 years’ experience in business development, investment, financing and management roles in the infrastructure and energy sectors in Australia, the US and Europe.
Over the past 13 years Miles has been focused on development, investment, financing and management in the renewable energy industry.
Miles undertook a leading role in the development of Infigen’s first wind farm project at Lake Bonney in South Australia, commencing in 2000. In 2003 Miles jointly led the team which established the renewable energy business now known as Infigen Energy. In 2005 Miles jointly led the Initial Public Offer and listing of Infigen’s business on the ASX.
Following listing, Miles continued to work on the development, financing and management of Infigen’s wind farm investments in Australia, the US and Europe. He was appointed as Managing Director of Infigen Energy in 2009.
Miles holds degrees of Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Business Administration (Distinction) from the University of Melbourne. Miles was appointed as Chairman of the Board of the Clean Energy Council in December 2013.
“I’ve accepted the invitation to speak at this conference because I believe there’s an urgent need for the NEM to embrace a more sustainable electricity generation system, accommodating and indeed encouraging necessary change, rather than resisting it all the way to protect powerful vested interests.”
Hugh Gleeson
Chief Executive Officer
United Energy and Multinet Gas
Hugh Gleeson has been CEO of United Energy (UE) and Multinet Gas (MG) since 2003.
UE and Multinet are both unlisted Victorian energy distribution companies. UE distributes electricity to approximately 640,000 customers and is owned by Diversified Utility and Energy Trusts (DUET) and SGSP (Australia) Assets. MG distributes gas to approximately 660,000 customers and is wholly owned by DUET.
Hugh has over 25 years experience in the utility sector and prior to his current role held various general management positions including regulation, distribution and utility operations.
Since its formation in 2003 Hugh has been a member on the Board of the Energy Network Association, previously holding the positions of Deputy Chairman and Chairman.
Chris Greig
Professor and Energy Initiative Director
University of Queensland
Professor Chris Greig leads the UQ Energy Initiative, a University-wide initiative to showcase UQ’s energy research capabilities across all faculties and institutes.
Chris is a UQ alumnus having obtained his BE, Masters and PhD in Chemical Engineering at UQ. As a graduate he was the cofounder and Managing Director of a successful company that commercialised innovative sugar processing technology internationally for over 10 years. He has since held senior executive and project director roles in construction, mining and clean energy industries both in Australia and abroad over a career spanning 25 years.
Prior to joining UQ, Chris was Project Director and CEO of ZeroGen, which conducted one of the world’s most comprehensive studies on the potential of a large scale, low emissions coal fired power project incorporating carbon capture and storage. The project also undertook Australia’s largest onshore carbon storage investigation and exploration program.
Dieter Helm
Professor
University of Oxford
Dieter Helm is an economist specialising in utilities, infrastructure, regulation and the environment, and concentrating on the energy, water, communications and transport sectors primarily in Britain and Europe. He is a Professor at the University of Oxford a Fellow of New College, Oxford, and a Professorial Research Fellow of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
He is Independent Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.
During 2011, Dieter assisted the European Commission in preparing the Energy Roadmap 2050, serving both as a special advisor to the European Commissioner for Energy and as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on the Roadmap. He also assisted the Polish government in their presidency of the European Union Council.
Dieter's recent book - The Carbon crunch: how we are getting climate change wrong and how to fix it - was published in paperback by Yale University Press in 2013. Nature in the Balance, edited with Cameron Hepburn, was published in early 2014 by Oxford University Press. He is currently completing Natural Capital: why it matters to be published in 2015 by Yale University Press. Links below to other titles.
Previous appointments include: membership of the DTI's Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board from 2002 to 2007, the Prime Minister's Council of Science and Technology from 2004 to 2007, Chairman of the Academic Panel, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs until 2012, and the DTI's Energy Advisory Panel from 1993 to 2003.
Anthony Irwin
Technical Director
SMR Nuclear Technology
Tony Irwin is a Chartered Engineer, Chair of Engineers Australia Sydney Division Nuclear Engineering Panel and Technical Director of SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd.
Tony graduated in electrical engineering and worked for British Energy (formerly the Central Electricity Generating Board) in the UK for more than thirty years commissioning and operating 8 nuclear power reactors. Following the Chernobyl accident he worked with Russian engineers to improve the safety of their reactors.
In 1999 he moved permanently to Australia and joined the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) where he managed fuel strategies and provided the Federal Government with information on nuclear issues. He was subsequently appointed as Reactor Manager for the commissioning and operation of ANSTO’s new OPAL research reactor. Tony is now a Consultant.
Tony provides and presents the Reactor and Fuel Cycle modules for the Master of Nuclear Science course at the ANU and the Introduction to Nuclear Engineering course at UNSW.
Kevin Kehl
Executive General Manager – Strategy, Regulation & Governance
Energex
Kevin has been an Executive General Manager within Energex since 2009 initially overseeing Strategy and Regulation. He assumed the EGM Customer and Corporate Relations role in January 2013 and the EGM Finance, Regulation and Strategy role in December 2013.
Since commencing in the Electricity Supply Industry in 1981, Kevin has held various engineering and management positions. His capability encompasses engineering, regulatory, strategy and operational management experience.
Kevin's senior management experience over recent years has been directed towards commercial strategy and regulation activities and programs, in particular, Energex's regulatory review.
Peter McIntyre
Managing Director
TransGrid
Peter McIntyre is the Managing Director of NSW transmission network service provider TransGrid.
Peter has over 25 years experience in the electricity transmission industry, with particular expertise in policy development, asset management and regulatory strategy.
Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Peter’s held three Executive positions with TransGrid: General Manager/System Operations, General Manager/Network Performance and Development, and General Manager/Network Development and Regulatory Affairs.
He holds a degree in science, an Honours degree in electrical engineering and an MBA.
Peter is Chairman of Grid Australia and a Board member of the Energy Networks Association. Peter is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chloe Munro
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Clean Energy Regulator
Chloe Munro has had a distinguished career leading cutting edge change in both business and government organisations. She is currently the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Energy Regulator, putting into effect the market mechanisms at the heart of Australia’s climate change policies.
Prior to this appointment, in April 2012, Ms Munro held a portfolio of non-executive positions including as Chair of the National Water Commission, independent Chairman of AquaSure, the consortium building Victoria’s desalination plant; and director of Hydro Tasmania.
Until July 2009, Ms Munro was an executive director at Telstra. Her roles included leadership positions in human resources, business operations, information technology, public policy, and communications and customer service.
Serving in the Victorian public sector between September 1996 and February 2004, Ms Munro was Secretary of the Department of Primary Industries, Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury and Finance. In the Department of Treasury and Finance, she headed the division implementing Victoria’s energy reform and privatisation program. Her early career spanned the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in Kenya, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Ms Munro holds master’s degrees in mathematics and philosophy from Cambridge University and in business administration from the University of Westminster. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and was awarded a Centenary Medal for outstanding contribution to public administration in 2001.
Tim Nelson
Head of Economics, Policy and Sustainability
AGL Energy
Tim is the Head of Economics, Policy and Sustainability at AGL Energy. In this role, Tim is responsible for: AGL’s sustainability strategy; greenhouse accounting and reporting; AGL’s energy and greenhouse research; AGL’s corporate citizenship program, Energy for Life; and energy and greenhouse policy.
Tim is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University and has had several papers published in Australian and international peer-reviewed journals. He has presented at conferences in Australia and throughout Asia and Europe. Tim holds a first class honours degree in economics and is a chartered secretary.
"The Forum will provide an opportunity for delegates to consider the significant challenges facing the NEM with economic efficiency, social equity, decarbonisation and digital and technological transformation all having an impact on the NEM’s operation."
Keith Orchison
Director
Coolibah Pty Ltd
Keith Orchison has been engaged in the Australian energy industry for 33 years, of which he spent 24 as chief executive of national industry associations representing the upstream petroleum and electricity supply sectors.
He was a founder of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network, which he chaired in 2000. From 2003 to 2007 he served on the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council set up by the Howard government and was chairman of its energy committee. He was also chairman of CSIRO's energy technology advisory committee in the late 1990s and was deputy chairman and the overseeing manager of the Australian Electricity Supply Industry Research Board through most of the 1990s.
In 2011-12 he was a member of the Federal Government's energy white paper reference group.
Keith was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004 and was awarded the 2012 Sir Willis Connolly Memorial Medal by AusIMM for communication services to the resources sector. He also is a holder of the APPEA Gold Medal (now the Reg Sprigg Medal), awarded in 1994 for services to the petroleum industry.
Keith has been principal of consultancy Coolibah Pty Ltd since retiring from ESAA at the end of 2003 and has numerous clients for his communications services across the spectrum of energy stakeholders.
He edited the "Powering Australia" yearbook from 2007 to 2012.
He is a commentator on energy issues for "Business Spectator" electronic newspaper and has a new column in "Gas Today" magazine.
His "This is Power" blog and monthly newsletter on the Coolibah website are widely read in the energy industry.
In late 2012, in partnership with media company ArmstrongQ, he launched the "OnPower" website and yearbook to provide a new media focus on eastern Australia's electricity supply business.
Cameron O’Reilly
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Retailers Association of Australia
Cameron O’Reilly is the Chief Executive of the Energy Retailers Association of Australia (ERAA). With a longstanding background in energy and public policy, he has worked at the centre of government and business relations for most of his career – advising on policy, as an executive for outsourcing firms, as well as consulting on public affairs.
Cameron holds a Bachelor of Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Management and Public Policy from Monash University, where he completed a major research essay on the genesis of the National Electricity Market (NEM). He is also a Fulbright scholar where he undertook research at the University of Texas on the impact of climate change policy on the US energy sector.
Cameron also holds positions in the following Boards and Advisory Groups:
- Member of the Advisory Committee of the VaasaETT Global Energy Think Tank
- Member of the Advisory Board of Infradebt Pty Ltd
- Former Member of the Telecommunications Universal Service Management Agency (TUSMA)
- Former Chairman of Energy Assured Limited
Fiona Orton
Manager Energy Policy and Research
AGL Energy
Fiona Orton is the Manager Energy Policy and Research at AGL Energy, one of the largest electricity and gas utilities in Australia. In this role, Fiona works with a range of stakeholders to investigate, analyse and progress matters of energy market design and policy, including as a regular contributor to AGL’s applied economic research program. For the past eight years Fiona has worked in the fields of climate change and sustainability, with a focus on compliance and reporting.
Tony Pfeiffer
General Manager Effective Market Reform
Ergon Energy
Tony has been working in the Electricity Utility Industry for 30 years and currently holds the position of General Manager Effective Market Reform for Ergon Energy. In this role he provides leadership and influence within and external to Ergon Energy in reforming and developing an effective market that delivers customer choice and control, retains value in the network and drives down network costs and prices.
Prior to holding this position Tony was Executive General Manager Asset Management responsible for Ergon’s $11bn asset base and accountable for all maintenance and capital budgets and work planning to maintain and augment the network. Tony has also held the roles of GM Alternative Energy Solutions and GM Regulatory Affairs.
Over his career Tony has been actively involved in the development and formulation of both the Queensland and the National Electricity Market structures, having been involved in the development of the original National Electricity Code, he represented South Australian Retail interests when the decision to commence the National Electricity Market was taken, and has been actively involved in the Sale and Full Retail Contestability processes in both South Australia and Queensland.
Prior to joining Ergon Energy, Tony worked in South Australia with ETSA for 17 years, in a range of roles including operations and policy roles. Tony holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Adelaide University., and a Graduate Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Tony is Chairman of Green Cross Australia and a board member on the Australian Power Institute and the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence advisory board.
"Currently Networks are struggling to retain relevance with their customers in a rapidly changing market place. Networks business models need to change and adapt at a much accelerated rate than ever before to build the future value proposition for customers and hence retail and gain relevance in the eyes of the customer."
Glenn Platt
Program Director Energy Flagship
CSIRO
Dr Glenn Platt is driving CSIRO’s research on energy efficiency and smart energy systems, improving how energy is delivered to and used by consumers, and developing cost effective technologies to cut greenhouse gas emission in Australia. He leads the Energy Transformed Flagship's research in energy efficiency, demand management and smart grids as Theme leader for Local Energy Systems. In this role, he directs the research of a diverse team of energy experts delivering world leading science; finding ways to use energy more efficiently, and developing new technologies for improving how energy is used in buildings and delivered by the electricity network. His team is developing techniques to integrate more renewable energy sources into Australia’s electricity system and innovating technologies and strategies to modernise the national grid, to manage demand peaks and meet future electricity needs.
Charles Popple
Executive Advisor – Industry Development
AusNet Services
Charles has extensive electricity industry experience, particularly in strategy and technical planning, related to networks and electricity market development and reform. He played a significant role in the Victorian ESI reform, in particular the creation and implementation of the transmission system arrangements and following disaggregation in 1994 held a number of General Management roles in the sector. He consulted internationally on energy market reform during a period as a Consultant with Ernst and Young from 1998 to 2001. He joined SP AusNet in 2001, and from 2008 to 2013 was General Manager, Networks Strategy and Development responsible for all the engineering, planning and regulation aspects of the business, managing the Division with 250 professional staff involved in these activities. He now fills an Executive Advisory role considering longer term regulatory reform to ensure compatibility with the rapidly evolving sector.
Kiera Poustie
Policy Analysis Manager
United Energy and Multinet Gas
Kiera is Policy Analysis Manager at United Energy and Multinet gas looking at the big policy and regulatory issues likely to face distributors and the industry in the coming years. Prior to joining United Energy and Multinet Gas Kiera worked in Australia, Europe and the USA addressing a wide range of commercial, financial, strategic, policy and regulatory issues facing energy industry participants and governments with both PwC and ExxonMobil.
Robert Pritchard
Executive Director
Energy Policy Institute of Australia
Robert Pritchard is the Executive Director of the Energy Policy Institute of Australia, an independent energy policy body. Its members include many leading oil and gas companies as well as APPEA.
Robert is also Managing Director of ResourcesLaw International, a law and policy consultancy.
He has 40 years experience as an adviser in the oil and gas sector, including 20 years advising on LNG project development in Australia and overseas.
Amarjot Rathore
General Manager of Renewable Energy Target Market Operations Branch
Clean Energy Regulator
Amarjot Rathore is currently the General Manager of Renewable Energy Target (RET) Market Operations Branch at the Clean Energy Regulator. Amarjot’s responsibilities include managing:
- Accreditation of renewable energy power stations
- Assessment of certificate liability under RET
- Issuing of partial exemption certificates under RET to emission intensive trade exposed activities
- Running of the internet based REC Registry system
Prior to this, Amarjot was responsible for RET Market Operations at the former Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER). Amarjot’s experience at ORER included implementing changes to the RET, for split of the scheme into the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target and the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. He also held the statutory position of Renewable Energy Regulator beginning 1 July 2008 to 30 May 2009.
Amarjot has over eighteen years of experience in the Australian Public Service, and 8 years’ experience working on electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects in India.
Amarjot has a Master’s degree in Engineering (Electrical Power Systems) from Punjab University (India) and a post graduate diploma in Information Technology from University of New South Wales. Amarjot is a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia and Electric Energy Society of Australia.
Tennant Reed
Principal National Adviser - Public Policy
Australian Industry Group
Tennant Reed is Principal National Adviser – Public Policy at the Australian Industry Group. For the last five years he has worked heavily on climate and energy issues, advising Ai Group’s Leaders’ Group on Energy and Climate Policy and developing reports on natural gas supply, energy prices and energy efficiency. He also works on a range of issues related to manufacturing and innovation. Previously he was an adviser in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, working on fiscal policy, stimulus and infrastructure. Tennant lives in Melbourne with his wife and their young son.
John Ryan
Associate Secretary
Department of Industry
John is Associate Secretary, responsible for the Economics, Energy, Resources and Strategic Policy groups of the Department.
John chairs the COAG Senior Officials Energy Group and the Energy White Paper Reform Panel.
He has held a number of executive appointments in the private and public sectors, including Commissioner for the Australian Energy Market Commission and head of the Canberra Office of the Allen Consulting Group and Executive Director of Cloon Economics. He was Chair of the International Energy Agency Governing Board and lead shepherd of the APEC Energy Working Group.
John received a Public Service Medal in 2007 for his work on the Prime Minister’s Taskforce into Uranium Mining and Nuclear Energy in Australia. He has a Bachelor of Economics (Monash) and a Master of Economics (ANU) and was a Public Service Fellow at the University of London.
Jim Snow
Executive Director
Oakley Greenwood
Jim spent 12 years in the Natural Gas Industry (AGL) holding several senior executive positions involved with the technical end use of energy, regulations and tariffs, contract pricing, analysis of energy projects investment, strategy, mergers and acquisitions and the promotion and marketing of energy.
Jim has senior executive experience running a major Development and Construction business for listed entity Energy Developments Ltd. This encompassed power station developments and CNG and LNG facility developments in Australia. Jim has also been the CEO of a major electrical power systems contracting company specialising in the design and construction of overhead power lines and electrical contracting.
Jim also has some 16 years experience in consulting to the energy industry, industrial energy consumers and the water industry in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. This has involved him in the development of consulting businesses including the founding of two leading practices (Energetics and CRA International) and several smaller undertakings in that time (including Snowshill Consulting Pty Ltd).
Areas of expertise cover full senior management and leadership capability, advising on and implementing utility strategy and restructuring internationally, corporate management and governance, detailed economic regulation, greenhouse gas mitigation and policy, regulatory undertakings and regulatory affairs, detailed contractual matters, market development, and JV development and management.
Anthony Vassallo
Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development
The University of Sydney
Professor Tony Vassallo holds the Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development at the University of Sydney, in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. He took up this position in October 2008. Prior to this, he held the position of Senior Principal Research Scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, followed by a period of consultancy to industry and government in the field of sustainable energy technology. Tony has a PhD in Chemistry from Macquarie University.
Matthew Warren
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Supply Association of Australia
Matthew Warren joined esaa in January 2012, having spent 15 years working as an environment and energy policy specialist. An economist by training, his objective at esaa is to ensure that esaa’s research and advocacy assists the downstream electricity and gas sector to continue to provide a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply for Australia.
Matthew was previously CEO of the Clean Energy Council, where he made a significant contribution to Australian policy debate on the role of renewable energy in meeting the challenges of reducing emissions.
Matthew has also worked for the mining industry in NSW, as an environmental consultant to both government and industry and was a trainee in the Environment Directorate of the European Commission. He has also worked as a journalist, most recently as the environment writer for The Australian newspaper.
Matthew holds a Bachelor of Economics with Honours from the University of Adelaide.
Tony Wood
Energy Program Director
Grattan Institute
Tony Wood has more than 30years’ experience in the fertiliser, chemical, transport and energy industries. He was an executive at Origin Energy, and it precursor Boral Energy, from 1994 until 2008. Tony is the Program Director, Energy at the Grattan Institute, an independent think-tank focused on Australian public policy. He is also with the Clinton Foundation in the role of Director of the Clean Energy Program, where he leads their activities on accelerating the deployment of low emission energy technologies in the Asia-Pacific Region and coordinates their international partnership with the Global CCS Institute. Tony is on the Executive Board of the Committee for Melbourne and he was seconded to the Garnaut Climate Change Review in 2008.
Speaking Opportunities at the NEM Future Forum 2015
The NEM Future Forum 2015 conference program is currently being finalised. Speaking opportunities are available!
The NEM Future Forum 2015 is an outstanding opportunity for companies looking to do business with Australia's stationary energy sector to showcase their products and services to a targeted and high profile gathering of senior-level decision makers. Sponsor in order to keep your brand and solutions at top-of-mind with your ideal target market, and develop relationships with potential new buyers.
This Forum will bring together Australia’s leading policy makers, industry, peak representative bodies, respected analysts end users to work towards satisfactory and sustainable outcomes for all concerned.
In developing the program and inviting speakers to this event, we research extensively with stakeholders from the NEM about their challenges. We then design an agenda in response to the specific challenges they face.
Present your company, showcase your leadership and demonstrate how you can help the NEM by speaking to this senior gathering of executives from the entire power sector value chain.
Use this unique forum to voice your opinions on the most important issues facing the NEM today. Speakers will assert themselves as advocates for the future success of the market.
For speaking or sponsorship opportunities at the NEM Future Forum 2015, please contact Oli Russell-Cowan on +61 2 8188 7536 or email olir@questevents.com.au