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 energy sector.
Stephanie Bashir
Head of Policy & Regulation New Energy
AGL Energy
Stephanie Bashir, Head of policy and regulation New Energy at AGL, has been in the energy industry for more than a decade and has had extensive experience in various operational, policy and strategy roles. Stephanie has been active in the National Electricity Market design and developments for the last 5 years in the space of market reforms related to digital metering and the policy and market evolution of distributed energy and demand side participation.
Stephanie's expertise is widely sought, and she participates on a number of industry and policy forums that are designed to reform the Australian energy future.
Tim Buckley
Director of Energy Finance Studies, Australasia
Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
Tim has 25 years financial markets experience, mainly in Australia, but also with time covering global and Asian equity markets. Tim provides financial analysis in the seaborne coal and electricity sectors for IEEFA, studying renewable energy, energy efficiency across Australia, China and India, and the resulting risk of stranded fossil fuel assets in Australia.
Tim has published numerous financial papers, including “Remote Prospects: A Financial Analysis of Adani’s coal gamble in Australia’s Galilee Basin” in November 2013, “Peak Thermal Coal Demand by 2016” in conjunction with Carbon Tracker Initiative in September 2014, “Energy Markets in Transition” in January 2015 and “Indian Electricity Sector Transformation” in August 2015.
Tim is a member of the Australasian Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) and serves on the IGCC’s low carbon finance committee. Tim was co-founder of Arkx Investment Management, an investor in global listed clean energy companies (2009-2013) that invested in the opportunities of energy market transitions. Westpac Banking Group was a cornerstone investor and client. From 1998 to 2007 he held the position of Managing Director at Citigroup, and was Head of Australasian Equity Research from 2001. Tim was Head of Research for Deutsche Bank based in Singapore for 1996-1998.
Tim was a highly rated conglomerates equity analyst for a decade prior to Singapore, culminating in being rated Australia’s top Industrial Analyst.
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.
Robert Clark
Chair of Energy Strategy and Policy
UNSW
Professor Robert Clark is the Chair of Energy Strategy and Policy at the UNSW Australia.
Professor Clark gained his Bachelor of Science from UNSW and the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay in 1973. After 10 years Navy service he completed a PhD in Physics at UNSW and the University of Oxford and went on to hold the combined faculty position of a lectureship at Oxford and Fellow of The Queen’s College, Oxford.
Professor Clark headed a research group in experimental quantum physics at Oxford’s Clarendon Laboratory before returning to Australia in 1991 to take up the Chair of Experimental Physics at UNSW. In 2000 he established the ARC Special Research Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, one of the world’s largest centres devoted to this new science, which became an ARC Centre of Excellence in 2003.
Professor Clark was appointed Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist (CDS) and CEO of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation in 2008, a post he held until October last year. As CDS, he was a member of Australia’s Defence Committee and the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. He had previously been head of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, based at UNSW.
Professor Clark is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, has the rare distinction of being twice named as an Australian Government Federation Fellow, and has received both the Australian Defence Medal and the Australian Centenary Medal. In 2008 he was awarded the Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science for his pioneering role in making Australia a world leader in nanotechnology and quantum computing.
Professor Clark has recently evaluated the potential for unconventional gas (shale gas) to play a role in Australia's reduced-carbon-footprint energy mix. This included an assessment of the environmental impact of shale gas extraction and the development of responsible strategies and policy recommendations.
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 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.
Kate Farrar
Managing Director
Qenergy
Kate Farrar has substantial energy market experience, with more than 15 years in the industry.
From 1999 to 2007, Kate held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Ergon Energy’s Powerdirect Australia business. Under Kate’s leadership, Powerdirect Australia grew to become one of Australia’s top five energy retailers, covering a diverse customer base ranging from domestic and small business customers to large mines and airports. In 2007 Kate led the sale of Powerdirect to AGL for $1.2 billion – $0.5 billion above expectations.
Kate was previously a Director with ABN AMRO Morgans (now RBS Morgans), a national financial advisory firm. In 2006 Kate won Queensland Business Review’s Public Sector ‘Women in Business Award’ and was a Queensland finalist in the Hudson Community and Government Award category of the Telstra Business Women’s Awards. This year, Kate was a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Kate is also a Director with Mater Health Services.
In her role as Managing Director of QEnergy, Kate drives the company’s aspiration to become the retailer of choice for all Australian small businesses. Beginning in Queensland, QEnergy now serves 17,500 business customers across the Eastern Seaboard and the Northern Territory.
Hugh Gleeson
Former Chief Executive Officer
United Energy and Multinet Gas
Hugh Gleeson has been CEO of United Energy (UE) and Multinet Gas (MG) since 2003.
UE and Multinet are both unlisted Victorian energy distribution companies. UE distributes electricity to approximately 640,000 customers and is owned by Diversified Utility and Energy Trusts (DUET) and SGSP (Australia) Assets. MG distributes gas to approximately 660,000 customers and is wholly owned by DUET.
Hugh has over 25 years experience in the utility sector and prior to his current role held various general management positions including regulation, distribution and utility operations.
Since its formation in 2003 Hugh has been a member on the Board of the Energy Network Association, previously holding the positions of Deputy Chairman and Chairman.
Brian Green
Board Member
Energy Users Association of Australia
Following 25 years in the generation and transmission sectors Brian moved across to the manufacturing side in 1991 when he joined AMCOR to manage their energy plant at Maryvale Mill, the largest energy user in Victoria.
In his current role Brian is responsible for Australian Paper’s energy policy, procurement and management and is based in Mount Waverley.
Alistair Legge
General Manager Customer and Technology
United Energy and Multinet Gas
Reporting to the CEO, Alistair Legge has accountability for technology, customer and market services, products, revenue, and UE & MG’s strategic response to the structural and market issues facing the energy distribution sector. He commenced at UE and MG in 2011 as CIO and in 2013 was given the broader Customer and Technology role.
Alistair has a background in business and IT leadership and management consulting across a wide variety of industries. He has a particular focus on assisting organisations leverage technology and process innovation to transform business operations, customer service and competitive positioning. Prior to joining UE & MG, Alistair held business and IT leadership positions for companies such as Live Nation Ticketmaster, Service Stream, AGL and Deloitte
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.
Charles Popple
Executive Advisor - Industry Development
AusNet Services
Charles has extensive electricity industry experience, particularly in strategy and technical planning, related to networks and electricity market development and reform.
He played a significant role in the Victorian ESI reform, in particular the creation and implementation of the transmission system arrangements and following disaggregation in 1994 held a number of General Management roles in the sector. He consulted internationally on energy market reform during a period as a Consultant with Ernst and Young from 1998 to 2001. He joined SP AusNet in 2001, and from 2008 to 2013 was General Manager, Networks Strategy and Development responsible for all the engineering, planning and regulation aspects of the business, managing the Division with 250 professional staff involved in these activities.
He now fills an Executive Advisory role considering longer term regulatory reform to ensure compatibility with the rapidly evolving sector.
Clare Savage
Director Policy
Business Council of Australia
Clare Savage joined EnergyAustralia in April 2012 to lead the Strategy and Corporate Affairs function.
Prior to joining EnergyAustralia, Clare held a number of roles at the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) including two five month periods as Chief Executive Officer. Her other roles at the esaa, commencing in 2004, included Executive General Manager and General Manager Policy Development.
Clare has represented the energy industry in a range of forums including the Federal Government’s High Level Consultative Committee for the Energy White Paper; the Energy Security Sub-Group as part of the Clean Energy Future negotiations; and the International Energy Agency’s Expert Group on Electricity Generating Costs.
Rosemary Sinclair
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Consumers Australia
Rosemary Sinclair is the CEO of Energy Consumers Australia, established by the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council to enhance consumer advocacy on national energy market matters of strategic importance and material consequence for energy consumers, in particular household and small business consumers. ECA focuses on the long-term interests of consumers of energy with respect to the price, quality, safety, reliability and security of supply of energy services.
Rosemary is a Member (part-time) of the Australian Communications and Media Authority and a Director of the Wests Tigers Rugby League Football Club and Chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. Previously Rosemary was CEO of Immediate Solutions, a boutique consultancy practice focused on strategy development, digital technology transformation, stakeholder engagement, governance and government relations; Director, External Relations at the Australian School of Business (ASB), University of New South Wales (UNSW); Managing Director, Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG), Rosemary has many years of senior large-scale operations, communications and strategy experience in business and government across telecommunications, media and education.
Rosemary was Chair of the Federal Government’s Regional Telecommunications Inquiry Review Committee from July 2011-2013. Rosemary has held a number of Directorships on unlisted company and not-for-profit Boards. Rosemary has degrees in Arts, Law and Business and a Masters of Commerce from UNSW. Rosemary is a qualified CPA and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Anthony Vassallo
Delta Electricity Chair in Sustainable Energy Development
The 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.