Gregory Abramowitz
Manager Market Development
AGL Energy
Gregory is the Manager of the Market Development team within AGL's New Energy business delivering new product and market offerings (such as AGL's Virtual Power Plant in South Australia Project). He has been a past Director of Gas Energy Australia and holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney.
The Hon. Mark Butler
Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy
Federal Opposition
Mark Butler has been the Labor Member for Port Adelaide in the federal parliament since 2007 and in July 2016 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy.
Mark served as Minister for Ageing and Australia’s first Minister for Mental Health in the Gillard Government. He has also held the ministries of Housing, Homelessness, Social Inclusion, Climate Change, Water and the Environment.
In 2013 Mark was awarded the Alzheimer’s disease International Award for Outstanding Global Contribution to the Fight against Dementia.
He was elected as National President to the ALP in 2015.
Mark is the author of Advanced Australia - The Politics of Ageing, published in 2015; and Climate Wars, published in 2017.
Simon Camroux
Manager Wholesale Markets Regulation
AGL Energy
Since commencing work as an energy market regulatory analyst at Macquarie Generation almost 15 years ago, Simon has worked across the energy supply chain, from generation to retail and across a range of issues, from economic regulation to environmental sustainability.
In 2002, Simon was a member of the Parer Energy Market Review Secretariat where he led the development of the Review’s recommendation to implement an emissions trading scheme domestically.
More recently, Simon wrote the Energy Sections of the Victorian Government Climate Change Green and White Paper’s and was the Victorian Government representative on the Commonwealth Government’s National Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Target Working Groups.
Simon also attended the COP15 Climate Change Conference (Copenhagen) on behalf of the Victorian Government.
Simon is currently responsible for managing relevant National Electricity Market regulatory issues on behalf of AGL and holds a Batchelor of Economics (Hons) and Master of Environmental Law.
Josh Carmichael
Director – Low Carbon Economy Unit, Department of the Premier and Cabinet
South Australian Government
A passionate renewable advocate who thrives on creating synergies between corporate strategies, innovation, product development with government decision making in the (Renewable) Energy Sector.
With a strong academic knowledge of strategy & sustainability and over 10 years of professional experience including at a large Japanese Automotive company in strategy, innovation and business development throughout Europe, Asia and Middle East. Focused on converting leading automotive technologies into new industries; including Energy, Telecom, Heath & Medical, Home Energy Management Systems and more.
In 2016 Josh joined the South Australia State Government as Director of Low Carbon Economy unit focused on maximising opportunities that arise from the states leadership in renewable technology. This includes the states Hydrogen Roadmap, project facilitation of large scale Solar PV and Wind, Bio energy projects and developing the states Low Emission Vehicle Strategy that links up EVs and FCVs with the states Battery and Hydrogen ambitions.
In March 2017 Josh was chosen to lead the 100MW battery project as part of states’ “Energy Plan”. This includes leading a strong team to deliver an accelerated EOI/RFQ/Contractual design, short listing and negotiation phase as well as implementation phase across 3 streams on government side; project site delivery, connections and operation and investments before December 1st 2017. He’s very excited by the projects and supported by the team in place but hasn’t slept much since March.
Craig Chambers
Executive General Manager - Strategy, Portfolio and Innovation
Energy Queensland
Craig has responsibility for Energy Queensland's Strategy, Portfolio and Innovation. In this role, he is accountable to the CEO and Board for business strategy, innovation, risk and compliance, regulation and pricing, as well as customer and stakeholder engagement across the portfolio.
Craig has over 20 years’ experience in the electricity and gas industry in Australia, Asia and the USA. Before joining Energy Queensland, Craig held a number of senior management roles in the energy sector. Most recently he was responsible for AECOM’s power business line in Australia which included providing business strategy, group leadership and support to its key transmission & distribution, power generation, industrial and government energy sector clients. This involved providing companies with advice on strategy, policy, regulatory compliance, due diligence, project development, technical design and construction delivery.
His diverse background spans pioneering innovation in the distributed energy industry in Australia, founding and managing a vertically integrated start-up utility, advising Governments and industry on navigating change, as well as major asset sales and delivering prominent utility scale thermal, hybrid, power network, storage, gas and renewable projects from concept to execution.
James Chisholm
First Assistant Secretary
Department of the Environment and Energy
Kieran Donoghue
Director
Newgrange Consulting
Prior to privately consulting, Kieran managed the Australian Energy Council policy, research and analysis functions. Prior to this he was General Manager Policy at the Energy Supply Association of Australia (esaa). Before joining esaa in February 2010, Kieran spent three and a half years at Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, most recently as Head of Networks Financial Issues. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte in London and spent several years in a variety of finance roles at international companies.
Kieran holds Masters degrees from Oxford University and the University of London.
Gavin Dufty
Manager Policy and Research
St Vincent de Paul Society
Gavin is currently employed as the manager of policy and research at St Vincent de Paul Society, Victoria. Gavin’s has worked as a consumer representative in the energy sector for over 28 years undertaking research and evaluation on market changes and its impacts on domestic energy consumers.
Gavin is currently a representative of a number of industry and government committees including; a number of gas and electricity distribution companies customer consultative committees, AEMC's reliability panel, AGL’s national customer council, the AER customer consultative group and Energy Consumers Australia reference committee. Gavin was awarded a centennial medal for services to community in 2001.
Megan Fisher
Head of Digital and Innovation
Ausnet Services
Megan is the Head of Digital and Innovation at AusNet Services an energy delivery service business that owns and operates Victoria’s largest network of electricity and gas infrastructure. She is a product manager from way back and has loads of experience leading and implementing digital innovation and transformational programs that are product, people, process and technology centric. Arriving at AusNet Services from outside the Energy industry Megan has experienced a number of industries in the midst of transformation and disruption including large industry wide transformations such as media being disrupted by Google and Facebook.
Andrew Fraser
Network Innovation Team Leader
TasNetworks
I lead the Network Innovation team at TasNetworks, a team of talented engineers responsible for developing, trialling and implementing new technologies to improve the electricity network. I am leading the CONSORT Bruny Island Battery Trial project to install 40 customer side batteries to solve peak demand problems on the networks.
I am working the implementation of a Cisco Systems mesh radio network to allow the Internet of Things (IoT) to thrive in the electricity network. I have also collaborated with several partners to develop a world leading research and development project on the application of battery storage technology in customer homes.
Darren Gladman
Director Smart Energy
Clean Energy Council
Darren leads the Clean Energy Council’s policy and advocacy for solar and battery systems. He also leads CEC’s work on product quality and development of product standards.
Darren has extensive experience in policy, communications and stakeholder engagement in energy and climate change policy.
He has been with CEC for more than five years. Before CEC he was a senior manager and policy adviser in the Victorian Government (2004 to 2012). Prior to working in government he worked for many years as a campaigner and campaign director for a range of NGOs and non-profit organisations.
He has a Bachelor degree in Engineering and a Masters degree in Environmental Science.
Behyad Jafari
Chief Executive Officer
Electric Vehicle Council
Behyad Jafari is the Chair of the Electric Vehicle Council, the national body representing the electric vehicle industry in Australia.
With a background in government and corporate affairs, Behyad is a respected adviser and leader in the transition to a low carbon economy.
Amy Kean
Renewable Energy Advocate
NSW Government
Australia’s first Renewable Energy Advocate role has been created by the NSW Government to support NSW Renewable Energy Action Plan. The Advocate has been appointed to work closely with NSW communities and industry to facilitate the development and generation of renewable energy.
Siham Knowles
General Manager Network Engineering
AusNet Services
Siham is the General Manager of Network Engineering and AusNet Services having previously held senior in Jemena, Alinta Energy and United Energy & Multinet Gas.
Rainer 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.
David Martin
Managing Director
Powerledger
Ed McManus
Chief Executive Officer
Powershop
One of Australia’s leading regular commentators on energy, renewables, consumer trends, technology, and innovation, Ed McManus is the CEO of renewable energy generator Meridian Energy Australia and energy retailer Powershop Australia.
Driven by a desire to make a contribution in a growth sector which is pivotal to ongoing economic prosperity, and efforts to decarbonise the economy, Ed sought out an opportunity in renewable energy - a decision that led to his appointment as CEO of one of Australia’s most innovative energy companies.
Part of the largest 100% renewable generator in Australasia, Meridian Energy Australia is an energy company focused on developing new electricity from environmentally sustainable renewable resources. A long standing investor in Australia, Meridian Energy is the owner-operator of the Mt Mercer and Mt Millar wind farms and has invested over a billion dollars in generation and retail activities in recent years.
Meridian Energy is also proud to have launched and grown Powershop in Australia to give Australians the choice of a better power company. Ranked by Greenpeace as Australia’s greenest energy company (2014 & 2015), Powershop is a 100% online energy retailer, driving a unique service that gives customers transparency like they’ve never had before over a key part of their household budget - their energy bill. Serving customers in Victoria, New South Wales, and South East Queensland, Powershop is Australia’s only electricity retailer to be certified 100% carbon neutral by the Australian Government, and now retails electricity to over 100,000 customers including homes and businesses around the country.
Ed was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Energy Australia and Powershop Australia in January 2016, having previously been the General Manager of Powershop from 2014-2016. Under Ed’s leadership, Powershop has grown from 10,000 to 100,000 customers and has been ranked the #1 retailer on Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customer - Electricity Providers Victoria for two years running (2015 & 2016).
With 15 years of prior experience in commercial roles, Ed has a deep understanding of consumer trends and industry disruption. Prior to his work in the energy sector, he worked for REA Group’s realestate.com.au in roles across sales and marketing, operations and pricing strategy, and began his career as a medical research scientist with several years working for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline.
Ed holds a Bachelor of Science from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee.
Tony Meehan
Executive Manager Regulation
Transgrid
Tony has extensive experience across many Executive roles at TransGrid having previously held the roles Executive General Manager /Finance and Information Systems and Chief Information Officer.
Tony has overseen TransGrid’s last two regulated revenue determinations and the development of TransGrid’s unregulated revenue stream. Tony is a Fellow of CPA Australia and prior to joining TransGrid held senior positions with the NSW Electricity Generator, Pacific Power.
Adrian Merrick
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Energy Locals
Adrian Merrick has 15 years of retail energy experience in the UK and Australia. He founded Energy Locals in 2016 to provide a service that is capable of leading the retail aspects of the energy transition, while concurrently making it easier for customers to engage in the growth in renewables and other energy technology. The company secured round one funding in June 2016 and launched in January 2017, initially in NSW and Qld.
Adrian joined the energy industry in 2001. After two years with TXU, he spent eight years with E.ON in a variety of retail roles, culminating in running the company’s GBP1.7bn commercial and industrial unit.
In 2011 Adrian returned to Australia to head up EnergyAustralia’s retail business unit where he led major change, including the stabilisation of a troubled new billing platform and the subsequent doubling in its size to integrate acquired customers. He also led the company into the Federal Government’s Smart Grid Smart City trial, rolled out Victoria’s first customer-focused time of use tariffs and took the first move in the industry to exit door knocking.
Prior to his time in energy, Adrian spent eight years in the Royal Air Force, three years in a specialist marketing agency and two years in a dotcom startup. He was born and raised in Australia and holds an MBA from London Business School.
Rob Murray–Leach
Head of Policy
Energy Efficiency Council
Rob has an extensive background in climate change, energy, transport and sustainability, as an author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review and senior policy expert in the South Australian Government. His academic background from Oxford and Adelaide focussed on behaviour and sustainability, and he has contributed to a number of texts in this field.
Founding CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council, Rob now leads the Council’s policy and advocacy activities, working with members and governments to inform the development of robust and cost-effective energy efficiency policies and programs in Australia.
Keith Orchison
Director
Coolibah Pty Ltd
Keith has been involved in Australian resources and industry policy issues management and communications for 37 years. He has been a communicator for 58 years, starting as a journalist in South Africa in 1959 and emigrating to Australia in 1970.
He served for four years in the 1970s as public affairs manager of Associated Pulp & Paper Mills Limited and for three years as head of public relations at La Trobe University, Melbourne.
He was chief executive of what is now APPEA for 11 years and of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia for 12 years.
From 2003 to 2007 he chaired the energy committee of the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council for the Howard government.
He has also been chairman of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network and of the CSIRO Energy Technology Advisory Committee.
Today he runs his own energy advisory business as Coolibah Pty Ltd and is publisher of the blog “This is Power” and of the Coolibah monthly newsletter.
Keith is also engaged in the organisation and chairing of a series of energy outlook conferences.
He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2004 and in 2012 was recipient of AusIMM’s Sir Willis Connolly Memorial Medal for outstanding communication about the mining and resources sectors.
Luke Reedman 
Lead, Energy Transition Pathways
CSIRO
Dr Luke Reedman has 14 years’ experience in the energy domain and currently leads research in Energy Transition Pathways at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Luke is also the Australian Executive Committee Member, Energy Technology Systems Analysis Programme, International Energy Agency (IEA) and an Honorary Senior Research Associate at University College London (UCL).
Luke is an economist with expertise in the economic modelling of the stationary energy and transport sectors. He has published research on energy futures and was involved in the recent Low Emissions Technology Roadmap, the Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap and the Future Grid Forum.
James Seymour
General Manager New Energy
Jemena
James is currently the General Manager of New Energy at Jemena having previously held various senior roles in the energy industry, including at Origin Energy and Transform Solar in the US.
Dean Spaccavento
CEO and Co-Founder
Reposit Power
Dean Spaccavento is CEO and co-founder of Reposit Power, a leading distributor energy company that integrates software with solar battery systems to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
Before devoting his time to Reposit Power, Dean served as the Chief Information Officer of Energy Response. Dean is refreshingly direct and considers himself as a grid nerd, having an intimate understanding of the electricity space and high performance enterprise software for modern grids.
Peter Tickler
Digital Innovation and Advisory Leader
ERM Power
Pete has spent the last 10 years at the forefront of digital innovation within the Australian energy efficiency sector, co-founding Greensense in 2009, a cloud-based energy management software platform for commercial customers, and building that business from the ground up to be one of the leading energy management platforms in the region. Following the acquisition of the Greensense business by ERM Power in 2016, Pete has taken on the challenge of building the digital capability within ERM’s new Energy Solutions business during what is a fascinating time to be involved in the Australian energy sector.
With the focus of the Greensense technology very much “behind the meter”, working with very granular data on energy performance, often in real time, to provide valuable insights to buildings owners and managers, the transition into the world of the NEM has been an eye-opening one: Smart meters that aren’t very smart, data that’s a day old if you’re lucky, network tariffs that dominate a client’s bill yet they barely understand. Data and digital clearly have a huge role to play in the future of energy efficiency (and security) within the NEM, and ERM’s Energy Solutions business is founded on that understanding.
Born in the UK and holding a Bachelor of Science from the University of Bath, Pete now calls Australia home, living in Melbourne and spending most of his spare time rock climbing in the Grampians and overseas.
Benjamin White
Director Strategy, Insight & Investment
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Benjamin brings extensive senior government leadership experience in policy, strategy, investment attraction and engagement covering energy, water and natural resource management.
He has led number of significant and innovative reform projects for government (including Victoria’s initiative to deploy grid scale batteries), in partnership with industry sectors, business and the community.
Benjamin recently delivered the Victorian Government's $146 million Renewable Energy Action Plan - transforming Victoria's energy future to be smarter, cleaner and more community focused. The largest investment in Renewables and in New Energy Technologies by any Victorian Government.
He is renowned for his entrepreneurial and collaborative approach to public and private sector business interactions, and is passionate about bringing government, industry, creatives and the community together to make public value happen.
Benjamin Ziser
Managing Director
i.n Concepts
I am currently working as the Managing Director of i.n. concepts, a consulting firm created to help clients address the growing need for customer service driven differentiation and data analysis. The business supports clients in a number of industries, drawing on a team with global experience. In addition to my role with i.n. concepts, I regularly support engagements at Marchment Hill Consulting, where I was previously a full-time employee for several years.
Speaking opportunities are available!
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.
Contact Aleks Zids on +61 (0)2 8188 7597 or email aleksz@questevents.com.au to find out how we can put you in front of a highly engaged and receptive audience.
You can also download a copy of the PARTNERSHIP PROSPECTUS