Advisory Panel

Susan has worked in the energy and infrastructure sectors for over 30 years across Australia, the Middle East, Indonesia and North America. She has held leadership, commercial, advisory, technical and operational roles in renewable energy, upstream oil & gas, project development, power generation, electricity transmission and distribution. 

Susan is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and has a Company Directors Diploma (with Order of Merit), a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from QUT, a Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Engineering from UNSW and a Master of Business Administration from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. 

Adam Lees is a strategic advisor, facilitator, and dispute resolution specialist with over 30 years’ experience across the mining, energy and resources sectors.

He has held senior roles with Rio Tinto, BHP, Woodside, AngloGold Ashanti and Xstrata (now part of Glencore), leading corporate engagement, environment, social performance and reputation strategy across Australia and Africa. A former Australian diplomat in the Pacific, Adam has lived and worked in seven countries.

He now leads New Moon (Aketi Meb) Consulting Pty Ltd, a 100% Indigenous-owned advisory firm. He brings a broad and experienced lens to complex challenges, including Indigenous relations, stakeholder engagement and governance. Adam is also a nationally accredited mediator, published author and cross-cultural practitioner, with formal qualifications from Griffith, QUT and Monash universities.

Alan Pears AM has worked across many aspects of energy over four decades including policy and program development, design of appliances, analysis of site-level energy use, building design and education. He has an honours degree in engineering and a diploma of education. He is a Fellow at RMIT and Melbourne universities and works with the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity on commercial and industrial innovation. He provides policy advice to the Energy Efficiency Council and is a regular judge of EEC’s annual awards.

Alan worked in the Victorian government in the 1980s, and as a consultant from 1991, as well as working with community groups. He taught in environment and engineering programs at RMIT from 2001 to 2015 and continues to present guest lectures, mentor students and researchers at RMIT and University of Melbourne. He writes articles for Reneweconomy and thefifthestate websites, Renew magazine and other media.

He has played key roles in development of appliance energy labelling, building energy regulation and policy, commercial building rating (including development of the predecessor to the NABERS scheme), and industrial programs including Energy Efficiency Best Practice and Energy Efficiency Opportunities. He also contributes to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation projects, including a review of Chile’s energy efficiency policies and the Low Carbon Model Towns project. He regularly reviews reports for a range of organisations including the International Energy Agency.

Prof Lennon has ~ 20 years’ experience in silicon photovoltaics (PV), including 12 yrs as an academic in the School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy at UNSW and 2 yrs as Chief Scientist at Australian silicon PV startup, SunDrive.

While at UNSW, Alison led silicon PV technology development projects, funded by competitive research grants from ARENA and the Australian Research Council, in collaboration with leading silicon PV manufacturers Suntech Power, Trina Solar and LONGi. Prior to joining UNSW, she worked for 10 yrs as a Research Scientist at Canon developing new digital display and printing technologies.

Alison has significant experience in technology development and innovation which spans academia, corporate R&D and startups. She has PhDs in Science (University of Sydney) and Photovoltaic Engineering (UNSW), has published more than 200 scientific papers and is an inventor of 34 granted US patents.

Biography to come

Bianca is a corporate affairs professional with over 15 years of experience in community relations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs in the mining, energy, and public sectors. She is currently the First Nations Manager at renewable organisation, Windlab. Bianca has delivered shared value from Reconciliation Action Plans, Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA), and community engagement strategies driven by opportunities from connecting company and community aspirations. She forms and maintains great relationships with people to help shape trust.

Bianca is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman. In 2011, Bianca participated in Robert De Castella’s Indigenous Marathon Project, where she was part of the first cohort of female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to run the world’s biggest marathon, the New York City marathon. She is still heavily involved in the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, including being a Board Director.

Brett is regarded as one of Australia’s leading experts in solar panel technology and manufacturing. With over 20 years of experience in photovoltaic research and development, Brett has conducted and led numerous PV R&D projects at UNSW Sydney, including extensive commercialisation activities across the solar technology value chain.

Brett’s expertise spans solar panel materials, new technology developments and manufacturing processes. His projects cover all major silicon solar cell technologies along with activities in module fabrication, reliability and recycling. Notably, his developments are used in more than 95% of commercial PV modules globally.

His recent R&D focus centres on understanding material consumption within solar panels and the impact on cost and environmental outcomes, spanning from mining raw materials through to system deployment. At ITP Renewables, Brett brings deep experience in understanding the challenges for PV end-of-life waste management and processing in Australia, developing policy and action recommendations that cover both PV reuse and PV recycling. He is currently working on feasibility studies for polysilicon production in Australia.

Biography to come

Dr Godfrey’s career has been built in business, innovation investment and technology development fields. He has focused on the advancement and commercialisation of technologies (particularly new energy technologies – renewable, enabling and low emission fossil), investment readiness of products and companies, and innovation policy and programs.

In addition to his full-time management, technical and consulting roles since 1980, Bruce has been a member of assessment committees for numerous Commonwealth and Victorian government R&D and innovation and deployment support programs across a wide range of energy technologies including solar, wind, geothermal, marine, biofuels, fuel cells, hydrogen, battery storage, enabling and distributed energy resources integration and brown coal utilisation. He understands well the opportunities and challenges for developers and suppliers of new and renewable energy technologies, products and services that are used in or could penetrate energy supply chains in Australia and overseas.

Bruce is a Fellow of the Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). He has Chaired Expert Working Groups for the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) on Delivering Sustainable Urban Mobility (2015) and on Energy Storage (2017).

Bruce is a recognised leader in the sustainable energy sector, with deep expertise in scaling consumer energy technologies to accelerate the energy transition.

At Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd, he led pioneering initiatives including Moreland Solar City, EcoSmart Electricians and ZeroNet Energy Town – mobilising community, industry and government around effective, scalable energy models.

He later joined GreenSync, a digital technology company, where he held executive roles across strategy, partnerships and operations. There, he was instrumental in scaling the deX platform to integrate distributed energy resources – such as solar PV, EV chargers and heat pumps – into the grid.

Bruce now advises government, agencies, utilities and vendors on energy policy, technology strategy and program delivery. His work is supported by non-executive director roles and completion of the AICD course.

Claire Elkin is a senior executive and board advisor who has led over $70 billion in energy infrastructure and scaled several world-first R&D technologies across the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific. Her technology portfolio spans hydrogen, biological processing, renewables, transmission, CCS, LNG, oil and gas. She has held senior commercial, technical and governance roles across top-tier ASX- and NYSE-listed companies, private equity portfolios and government agencies, including AEMO, APA Group and ExxonMobil.

As Founder of Engineering Equilibrium, Claire advises boards, investors and government on commercial strategy and the delivery of complex energy infrastructure. She also serves as an Independent Advisor to the Commonwealth Government through the Capacity Investment Scheme Expert Panel, assessing funding proposals for first-of-a-kind technologies and large-scale renewable projects.

Claire is a long-time mentor for women in STEM, EnergyLab, and a recognised advocate for an equitable energy transition through meaningful First Nations and community engagement. She holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Craig is a experienced executive, non-executive director, and advisor with 30 years of leadership across the energy, infrastructure, technology, and innovation sectors. He has worked extensively with both public and private sector organisations in Australia and internationally, providing strategic direction in regulatory reform, policy development, and commercial transformation.

Craig has led national operations for global professional services firms and held senior executive roles in the utility sector, with accountability for corporate strategy, stakeholder engagement, governance, and regulatory affairs. As a engineer and economist, he has had a central role in advancing technical innovation and shaping market reforms to support the energy transition. He continues to advise government, industry, and investors on complex challenges at the intersection of energy systems, policy, and emerging technologies.

David Jordan has honours degrees in Science (UNE) and Engineering (UWA) and has worked in the solar photovoltaics industry for over 40 years, mainly at the University of NSW and BP Solar, including senior management roles in Australia and overseas in the USA, UK, India, Sri Lanka and Spain. David’s roles have included manufacturing, IP management, research and technology transfer to industry. David has served on several Boards, was founding MD of ASX listed tech start-up Bluglass, and is a contracting consultant with ITP Renewables.

Prof Emma Lee OAM is a trawlwulwuy woman from tebrakunna country, north-east Tasmania. She joined Federation University in March 2023 to further the research and social impacts of the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice.

Emma is an internationally recognised expert on Indigenous methodologies, especially as applied to land and sea management. She has written books, papers and reports on Indigenous rights, governance and regional development. In transforming research into rights and regional development opportunities through her domestic and international collaborations, Emma is a sought-after advisor to provide expert advice to state and federal governments, ocean industries, Aboriginal communities, businesses and organisations, and UN Bodies.

Geoff is a mechanical engineer, and has specialised in energy efficiency since 1985. He is the founder and MD of Genesis Now (1991), which has completed over 2,500 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in most industry sectors. He has won industry awards including national energy efficiency champion, and is recognised as a leader and innovator in energy efficiency.

Geoff also co-founded six clean-tech companies, and is an early stage investor in renewable energy companies.

Jackie Barber has a wealth of experience having operated in energy markets for over 25 years both in the UK and Australia. She has a background in energy trading and operated at Executive General Management level at Tarong Energy Corporation and then Stanwell Corporation when the companies merged in 2011.

More recently, Jackie joined forces with fellow enthusiasts to form a new company called Energy Market Matters Australia (emma) with a focus on supporting businesses navigate the transition to a more energy efficient and sustainable future. Data wrangling, analysis, visualisation and simple communication of insights is where the journey often begins with customers. This leads to smarter procurement and investment in energy efficiency and/or new infrastructure and technology to lower the cost of energy and improve environmental outcomes.

Dr Feenan is an accomplished commercial, operations and business development manager with over 35 years’ experience across the energy and natural resources sector in Australia, Europe and USA. John is currently employed as the Energy Transition Commercial Manager, Asia Pacific for DLL Group, providing businesses with renewable energy asset finance solutions. He has worked in small startup companies, supporting listing processes on the London and New York stock exchanges, through to multi-national operating corporations. He has deep strategic, market, financial and risk analysis experience and is passionate about delivering sustainable energy outcomes.

John is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds a BSc (Hons) & MSc in geosciences and a Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment. John’s interest in energy technology and innovation includes successful patent applications in Australia and USA, and completion of a PhD in innovation management from UWA.

Karne has long-term experience in the bioenergy, industrial processing and biofuels sectors with research and industrial experience with mineral processing, biodiesel production, biogas, gasification, and algae-based biofuels.

Roles include the development of industrial drying projects in the agricultural and horticultural industries, on-site cogeneration using residues and biofuel production as well as extensive options analysis and feasibility investigations for a range of technologies. Through his commercial experience he has exposure to the challenges associated with biofuel production, material handling and the value proposition of bio-based energy sources vs traditional fossil fuels or newer renewable resources.

Biography to come

Kellie Larsen has over 25 years’ experience in the energy industry across a wide variety of roles. Working at the intersection of traditional fossil fuels, commodity markets and renewable energy sectors, Kellie is a trusted advisor to Boards, CEOs, and executive leadership teams across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK.

Kellie provides independent management consulting advice for clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including renewable energy, hydrogen, fossil fuels, renewable and biofuels markets, and as well as advisory for critical energy and supply chain infrastructure clients. She specialises in executive, operational and decarbonisation strategy, including integrating ESG and sustainability issues into core business activities. Her other services include M&A advisory and change management implementation. Kellie has a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from the University of Adelaide, and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Directors.

Kim is a non-executive director and advisor in renewable energy, sustainability and sailing sector. She has wide ranging commercial and legal experience encompassing the energy, mining, commodity markets, banking and finance sectors both within private sector and Government enterprises. She is a strategic thinker and innovator who has led investment strategy and business development to build new businesses across multiple geographies and new markets.

Kim has qualifications in law, natural resource economics and finance and has previously held senior executive roles are the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Low Carbon Australia and Macquarie Bank both in Australia and the USA.

Lyndon is a leader in the field of remote and regional infrastructure development and deployment, policy and financing.

A chartered electrical engineer, Lyndon’s experience includes seven years in heavy industry and automotive manufacturing and over fifteen in the energy sector, with a focus on renewables.

Lyndon has led advisory, engineering design and project delivery activities for clients including government agencies, regulatory bodies, utilities, regional development agencies, community organisations and commercial and private investment firms across Australia, South-Asia, the Pacific and in Africa. He has also provided critical input and leadership into some of the largest public and privately financed renewable energy projects and programs in Australia; provides technical and program development assistance to a range of public and private entities and has established knowledge partnerships with CSIRO, Google, NREL, the IEA, the UNDP, AEMO and others.

As Ekistica’s Managing Director and Principal Consultant, Lyndon has overseen its development as regional and remote Australia’s leading advisory and technical consultancy firm. In this role, he has been one of Australia’s thought-leaders in the energy sector.

Mark Twidell has worked in the renewable energy industry for over 35 years.  He has worked in Australia, India, USA and Europe in energy related industry and government leadership roles.  He is currently Professor of Practice at the UNSW Energy Institute, a Non-Executive Director of AGL, and holds advisory roles with TAG Energy and Powerline. Previous roles include Director of Energy Programs at Tesla, Managing Director of SMA, CEO of the Australian Solar Institute, and various leadership positions with BP Solar. He has previously served on the Boards of ARENA and the Clean Energy Council (CEC).

Mark has an Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh and an MBA from Sydney University.

Dr Martin Atkins is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, with over 15 years of experience in industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation. His expertise spans sectors such as dairy, pulp and paper, and food processing. Dr Atkins serves as Assistant Director of the Ahuora Centre for Smart Energy Systems, where he leads initiatives on process integration and the development of adaptive digital twin technologies to support industrial decarbonisation. His research focuses on applying advanced process integration methodologies and digital tools to optimise energy systems and reduce emissions, collaborating with major industrial partners and government agencies to achieve significant energy savings and emissions reductions in New Zealand’s industrial sector.

Dr Watt is an energy sector analyst for renewable energy engineering company ITP Renewables. She also assists the Australian PV Institute (APVI) with its Australian PV Manufacturing and other initiatives.

Muriel has worked with government agencies, universities and industry in the areas of renewable energy development, policy and application since 1980. She worked at UNSW for 25 years, finishing as an Associate Professor in the School of PV and Renewable Energy Engineering. She established and Chaired the APVI for 10 years; acted in various committee roles, including Chair, for the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society; Chaired the Policy Group for the Australian CRC for Renewable Energy; and was the Australian Executive Committee member on the IEA PVPS Implementing Agreement for 10 years. She has also been a member of the Australian Solar Institute Research Advisory Committee, the Solar Flagship Education Infrastructure Fund Advisory Board and the Australia-India Solar Taskforce. In 2024 she was awarded an Order of Australia for services to the PV and Renewable Energy sector.

Olivia has 25 years’ experience in energy markets, specialising in climate finance policy and strategy, supporting renewable energy technologies from R&D to commercial deployment, and structuring and financing energy projects in emerging markets. She previously served as Head of Energy Finance at the UN Sustainable Energy for All, Director of Sustainable Finance at the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, and Investment Director at the Australian Solar Institute. As a consultant, she has advised Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Asian Development Bank, and UN Development Programme. Starting her career as a lawyer, Olivia advised on financial services transactions at Baker McKenzie, Latham & Watkins, and Export Finance Australia. She is currently a board member of Energy Peace Partners and Ekistica and represents Australia on the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme.

A Fulbright Scholar and U.S. Department of State Climate Change Fellow, Olivia holds BEc (ANU), LLB (UNSW), LLM (LSE), and PhD (UQ) degrees. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is admitted to practice law in Australia.

Oliver has over 25 years’ experience in the renewable energy industry and is the managing director of Bright Dimension, a consultancy company supporting the transition to the clean energy future. In 2021, his company Epho Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s largest commercial and industrial solar company, was acquired by AGL. Prior to Epho, Oliver worked in management roles across solar cell research and manufacturing, as well as M&A in the solar industry in Australia, Germany and the UK.

Oliver is an Adjunct Professor at UNSW and a member of the Industry Advisory Committee of SPREE as well as of the faculty of engineering. He also serves on the governance board of the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy, TRaCE, program. He has a PhD in physics and an MBA.

Peter is a Director and co-founder of Seed Advisory having established it in 2008. Peter has over 30 years’ experience including 25 years in the energy sector. His work focus within the energy industry has included advisory and direct energy retail and wholesale experience in executive management positions at EnergyAustralia, AGL, Pulse Energy, United Energy and IKON Energy. Peter’s experience in the energy industry spans the energy value chain and covers strategy, risk management, policy and regulatory development, retail marketing, wholesale trading, analysis and corporate development.

He has worked with start up, small, medium and large companies including corporate consumers, retailers, networks, wholesale market participants, market operators, regulators, governments and investors. He has a detailed understanding of the Australian energy and renewable energy sectors covering the National Electricity Market, the Northern Territory Market and the West Australian market. Peter is also an actuary with strong quantitative and risk management skills.

Biography to come

Biography to come

Robert is an experienced economist and director, who brings 25 years of expertise in electricity grid and gas system access regulation, pricing, and policy.

He works with policy makers, market bodies, energy businesses and industry associations on integrating distributed energy resources, renewable gasses, and state and market operator-initiated investments into national and jurisdictional energy regulatory regimes to achieve consumer energy resource integration, energy resilience, and emissions reduction.

Mr Cawley has technical energy experience from well or mine, through processing and transmission, to generation, with an extensive knowledge of energy use in the resources and industrial sectors.

He also has a strong exposure to renewables including the design and construction of a pilot biodiesel plant, detailed peer review of a solar flagship CST plant and multiple analyses of renewable options in the industrial and resources sectors.

Mr Cawley’s commercial experience includes the purchase and re-development of a gas turbine cogen plant, founding and leading a specialised energy efficiency engineering business for 13 years and recently, the successful founding and funding of a start-up with an efficiency focus. Mr Cawley’s capabilities in the emerging energy sector are underlined by his election to the well-contested board of the Energy Efficiency Council of Australia three times.

Mr Cawley also has significant firsthand experience of innovation within the energy sector, with several new technologies and solutions delivered by his company as well as the new start-up.

An intrinsically motivated individual with a professional background with extensive experience in Indigenous policy research, higher education, and government advisory roles. Providing expertise in driving transformative initiatives focused on policy development, community engagement, and fostering collaboration between Indigenous peoples and government bodies. A strong advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in various social and governance policies, with a proven ability to influence systemic change and promote equity, sustainability, and empowerment across governance and policy sectors.