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 Australian power sector.
Keith Orchison
Director
Coolibah Pty Ltd
Keith has been involved in Australian resources and industry policy issues management and communications for 34 years. He has been a communicator for 55 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.
He is also the editor of the “OnPower” website and yearbook and he contributes a commentary on energy issues regularly to “Business Spectator.” He was editor of the “Powering Australia” yearbook from 2007 to 2012. 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.
Robert Clark
Chair of Energy Strategy and Policy
UNSW
Professor Robert Clark AO FAA FRSN was appointed Chief Scientist in Residence within the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of New South Wales in 2014. He was formerly Professor and Chair of Energy Strategy and Policy at the University of New South Wales from 2012. Prior to this role he was the Chief Defence Scientist (CDS) of Australia and Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation from 2008-2011.
As CDS he was a member of Australia’s Defence Committee, served as the Australian Principal of the 5-nation Defence Technical Cooperation Program (US, UK, Australia, NZ, Canada) and was a member of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. In 2000 he established the Australian Research Council Special Research Centre for Quantum Computer Technology (ARC Centre of Excellence from 2003) and served as its Director until he was appointed CDS. His early career involved 10 years of service in the Royal Australian Navy as a Seaman Officer and Ships Diving Officer, and a Faculty appointment at the University of Oxford and Fellow and Praelector (Member of Governing Body) of The Queen’s College, Oxford.
Most recently he was a co-author of a report to government on a study of shale gas in Australia and co-author and editor of the book 'Transport Fuels from Australia's Gas Resources: Advancing the nation's energy security'.
Anthony Englund
Group Manager, Investment Strategy and Solutions
TransGrid
Anthony Englund is Group Manager, Investment Strategy and Solutions at TransGrid, NSW’s electricity transmission service provider. In this role he leads TransGrid’s strategic decisions in for both network and non-network investments.
Anthony has nearly twenty years’ experience in energy regulation, policy and strategy and has worked both for and with industry, governments, policy makers, regulators, market operators and other key stakeholder groups. He has undertaken similar work in the telecommunications, rail and ports industries, served as Strategic Energy Advisor to the NSW Minister for Energy and Resources and was awarded the Energy Networks Associations’ Industry Contribution Award in 2013 in recognition of his ongoing commitment to the industry.
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.
Paul Orton
Director, Policy and Strategy
NSW Business Chamber
Paul Orton leads teams responsible for defining and representing to all levels of government NSW Business Chamber’s public policy positions aimed at maximising business competitiveness for its members and NSW businesses of all sizes.
Also reporting to Paul are teams providing workplace advice to members and specialist advocacy/business development services to defence industry members.
Prior to joining NSW Business Chamber, Paul worked in roles within the NSW Government, including leading a communications team and providing policy advice at the then Department of Business and Consumer Affairs. While with the Department, he spent 12 months as a business development manager with a major bank.
He has also worked as Private Secretary, including providing policy advice to a NSW Government Minister and provided policy advice in the NSW Cabinet Office, and as an assistant private secretary within the office of the then Premier.
Paul has economics and accounting qualifications.
Kieran Donoghue
General Manager Policy
Australian Energy Council
Kieran manages 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.
Jim Snow
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 20 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.
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, modeling of complex matters, regulatory undertakings and regulatory affairs and pricing, detailed contractual matters, market development, gas supply and pricing, and JV development and management.
Greg Sullivan
Director of Planning, Land and Community
NSW Minerals Council
Greg Sullivan joined the NSW Minerals Council as Policy Director in October 2014, with responsibility for development of industry positions on planning, training, land use, regional development, bio-diversity and indigenous employment policy and legislation.
Greg also leads the industry’s stakeholder engagement processes, and in particular the Council’s flagship engagement program the Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue. Prior to joining the mining sector, Greg was Deputy Director General responsible for the NSW Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2012 Greg joined the Australian Coal Association as Deputy CEO and more recently was Interim CEO of ACA Low Emissions Technology Ltd which manages the coal industry's investment in low emission technologies. Greg holds master’s degrees in law and public administration.