Official Event Advisory Panel
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 stakeholders working in the waste strategy and environmental sustainability sectors.
Helen Millicer
Founder
One Planet Consultant
Helen Millicer is committed to creating a sustainable future. She holds several positions including national President of ATA, Alternative Technology Association, which advocates for sustainable living and represents over 6000 households and businesses. She is also Expert Panel member for the Victorian Government’s $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund, Director for the Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group (covering ¼ of Victoria), and the National Recycling Strategy Manager for the Vinyl Council of Australia.
Helen also manages her own consulting practice, having recently completed projects for the ACT and Victorian Governments, Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust and Australian Industry Group among others. She engages via her regular column ‘Future Focus’ in Business Environment News, presents at conferences and seminars, and for the UN Global Cities Program to visiting international delegations on sustainable futures.
Prior to this, Helen was Manager of Sustainability Programs (energy, water and materials) for PACIA, now Chemistry Australia. Helen has successfully led and been engaged in industry innovation, strategy planning and execution, change management and communications.
Helen holds qualifications in business management from Monash University, carbon accounting from Swinburne University and is a member of the Institute of Company Directors.
Jonathon Nicholls
Environment Manager
Broadspectrum
With a disciplined Environmental Management skillset, which has been built up across the private and public sectors, John has extensive working experience in all facets of Waste Management including backgrounds in Regulatory Reform and Policy, waste receival and waste management operational excellence and governance along with waste material generation and control from Life Cycle Methodologies and Resource Efficiency Strategies.
John effectively uses this skillset to assist driving organisations in understanding their specific aspects and impacts to material and energy efficiencies to ensure appropriate objectives and targets are defined to strive for efficiency excellence within their ecological footprint.
Silvia Arce-Moreno
Director
EcoBox Solution
After a successful twenty-year career in Spain on issues related to the environment, I moved to Australia where I developed several successful environmental products and projects, sitting up to private enterprise and completing my professional insight into the environmental and workplace.
During my career, I've been "spearhead" of numerous projects, initiating them and following them to the end. The same management has involved continuous and ongoing communication with all stakeholders, municipalities, shopping malls, business associations, integrated management Systems, waste managers and producers ... it has given me a complete understanding on environmental processes.
Also, in my spare time, I have worked in the field of waste as a collaborator in the development of recycling programs in different countries, such as Mauritania, Fiji Islands, Senegal, Mali, Peru, Ecuador and Nicaragua.
Brendan O'Keeffe
Waste Strategy
NSW Environment Protection Authority
Brendan is part of the waste strategy and policy team in the NSW EPA, where his background in economics is vital in looking at the impacts of policy on the community, industry and the environment. He enjoys weighing the impacts that society has on the environment with the need to increase livelihoods and ensure the viability of industry. Prior to joining the EPA, he attained the Bachelor of Resource Economics with Honours from Sydney University, with his honours thesis on the environmental efficiency of irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin.
In 2016 he won the John Ralph essay competition run by the Australian Farm Institute with his essay on farm environmental stewardship payments. This essay spelled out the need to move beyond merely raising awareness among the farming community to providing financial incentives to farmers to take care of the environment. The waste industry is a fascinating space to work in, as it includes many different aspects including environmental impacts, large industry, essential public service and even international trade.