Quest Events would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the official event advisory panel who contributed their valuable time and expertise to ensure the agenda for this event is timely and relevant for all energy stakeholders.
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.
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
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.
Rainier Korte
Executive Manager Asset Management
Electranet
Rainer is responsible for setting the strategic framework and direction for life-cycle asset management decisions, network development including land and easement acquisition, regulatory affairs management including securing about 90% of business revenue, engagement with regulatory authorities and government policy advisers and managing the impact of National Electricity Market developments. Rainer also leads community consultation and consumer engagement programs.
Rainer has 25 years’ experience in the electricity industry holding engineering and increasingly senior management positions within ElectraNet. He has extensive experience within the market and regulatory frameworks of the National Electricity Market. Rainer also has a leadership and representative role with Grid Australia, which represents transmission network owners in the National Electricity Market.
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.