Australian Energy Week 2026

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Adam Watson

Chief Executive Officer
APA Group

Alex Leemon

Manager, Customer and Energy Markets
PolarBlue

Alex Wonhas

Chief Executive Officer
Ampyr

Alicia Webb

Victorian Development Lead
HMC Capital

Alistair Parker

Chief Executive Officer
VicGrid

Amandine Denis-Ryan

Chief Executive Officer
Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)

Amy Kean

Partner
Stride Renewables

Andrea Bernard

EGM Retail
ENGIE

Andrew Dillon

Principal
Dillon Strategic

Angela Karl

Managing Director, Australia
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP)/BlackRock

Anna Brakey

Commissioner
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Anna Collyer

Chair
Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC)

Arron Wood

Chief Executive Officer
Yurringa Energy

Brett Redman

Chief Executive Officer
Transgrid

Bruce Mountain

Professor and Director of Victoria Energy Policy Centre
Victoria University

Candice Hincksman

Manager Demand & Energy Management
Energy Queensland

Catriona McLeod

Managing Director
European Energy Australia

Chang Wang

Research Fellow
Monash University

Chris Campbell

Executive Director, Retail Markets
Alinta Energy

Chris Miller

Chief Executive Officer
SEC Victoria (State Electricity Commission of Victoria)

Chris Thompson

Co-Founder
Amber

Claude Morris

National Sector Leader- BESS
GHD

Damian Edwards

Business Unit Manager
Energy One

Dan Cass

Independent Consultant
Dan Cass & Co

Dan Nugent

Executive of Transition and Trading
EnergyAustralia

Daniel Kammen

Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Justice
Johns Hopkins University

Daniel Westerman

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)

Daniel Ziffer

Reporter, ‘The Business’
ABC News

Danielle Beinart

Executive General Manager, Networks and Technical
Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC)

Darren Brown

Managing Director
Octopus Australia

David Frankel

Executive General Manager Customer & Community
Horizon Power

David Leitch

Principal
ITK Services Australia

David Moretto

Chief Commercial Officer
AGL

David Prins

Director
Etrog Consulting

Deidre Willmott

Strategic Advisor, Global Sustainability and External Affairs
Fortescue

Dennis Freedman

Managing Director
Aquila Clean Energy

Dominic Adams

Chief Operating Officer
Energy Networks Australia

Eddie Thanavelil

Future Networks Innovation Manager
SA Power Networks

Edward Northam

Global Head of Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investments
Macquarie Group

Emma Fagan

General Manager, Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Akaysha Energy

Evan Giosis

Chief Technology Officer
GloBird Energy

Evie Trolove

Head of Market and Customer Innovation
Orion NZ

Fatima Bazzi

Group Executive – Customer
Ausgrid

Frank Jotzo

Professor and Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy
Australian National University (ANU)

Gavin Dufty

National Director, Energy Policy and Research
St Vincent de Paul Society

Gerard Brody

Chair
VIC Essential Services Commission

Gloria Chan

Executive Director, Rewiring the Nation
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)

Gordon Taylor

Executive General Manager Major Projects
Transgrid

Greg Hannan

Principal Consultant
Hannergrid

Hon Lily D'Ambrosio

Minister for Energy and Resources
Government of Victoria

Hon Nick Duigan

Minister for Energy and Renewables
Tasmanian Government

Isabella Powell

Business Development Manager, Future Networks
Jemena

Jacqui Bridge

Executive General Manager Network Investment
Powerlink Queensland

Jared Jun

Vice President | Managing Director Sydney Office
Hyosung

Jason Krstanoski

Executive General Manager of Network
Transgrid

Jess Hunt

NEM Regulatory Specialist
Jess Hunt Consulting

Jessica Morris

Chief Customer and Strategy Officer
SA Power Networks

Jill Cainey

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Erne Energy

Joel Gilmore

General Manager Energy Policy & Planning
Iberdrola Australia

John Ward

Energy Systems Research Director
CSIRO

Justin Hillier

Chief Commercial Officer
Essential Energy

Kaavya Jha

Senior Energy Policy Adviser
Tesla

Katalin Polus

Head of Customer Marketing
Synergy

Kate Gibson

Chief Customer Officer
EnergyAustralia

Krystal Skinner

Chief Executive Officer
Horizon Power

Laura Caspari

Chief Renewables Officer
ENGIE

Laura Jones

Lead Analyst, Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program
Australian National University (ANU)

Lewis Shields

Director, Energy Engagement and Facilitation
Vic Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)

Lisa Chiba

Chief Executive Officer
Momentum Energy

Louisa Kinnear

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Energy Council

Lynne Gallagher

Board Member
Australian Energy Regulator (AER)

Maia Schweizer

Chief Transformation Officer
Snowy Hydro

Marc England

Chief Executive Officer
Ausgrid

Mark Collette

Managing Director
EnergyAustralia

Mark Paterson

Principal
Energy Catalyst

Matthew van der Linden

Chief Executive Officer
Flow Power

Matthijs Guichelaar

Chief Executive Officer
Flo Energy Singapore

Maya Resnick

Manager, Portfolio Insights
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)

Michael Dart

Energy Consultant and Executive Coach
Luminous Consulting

Monique Miller

Chief Investment Officer
Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)

Nick Carter

Chief Executive Officer
Akaysha

Nigel Barbour

Chief Executive
Orion NZ

Oliver Nunn

Managing Director
Endgame Analytics

Paul Peters

Chief Executive Officer
Energy Security Corporation

Peter Jackowski

Head of Delivery - Consumer Energy Solutions
SEC Victoria (State Electricity Commission of Victoria)

Rakhesh Martyn

Founder and CEO
Hachiko

Renate Vogt

General Manager – Regulation
CitiPower and Powercor

Richard Hobbs

Partner
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Richie Merzian

Chief Executive Officer
Clean Energy Investor Group

Ryan Warburton

Executive General Manager, Strategy, Sustainability & Enterprise Energy Solutions
AGL

Sally McMahon

Commissioner
Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC)

Simon Emms

Chief Executive Officer
ElectraNet

Sonia Teitel

Co-MD, Renewables Australia
Octopus Australia

Stephanie Moroz

Principal
Davanz

Steve Lilliss

Senior Manager Asset Management
Horizon Power

Steve Phillipson

Head of Digital Products and Innovation
Western Power

Stewart Bell

Executive General Manager Operations and Planning
Powerlink Queensland

Suzanna Michell

Director of Partnerships
Gentrack

Suzanne Shipp

Chief Engineer
Energy Queensland

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja

Partner
McKinsey & Company

Tennant Reed

Director – Climate Change and Energy
Australian Industry Group

Tim Bray

Deputy Director General, PoweringWA
WA Department of Energy and Economic Diversification

Tim Nelson

Chair
NEM Wholesale Market Settings Review

Tobias Geiger

Managing Director
WestWind Energy

Todd Pemberton

GM Retail
Pacific Blue

Tom Bakker

Head of Future Energy Networks and Markets
Endeavour Energy

Tom Metcalfe

Chief Executive Officer
CleanCo Queensland

Walter Schutte

EGM Customer & Energy Markets
Squadron Energy

Werther Esposito

Chief Executive Officer
Potentia Energy

Daniel Ziffer

Reporter, ‘The Business’
ABC News

Daniel Ziffer has worked at the intersection of journalism and public debate for more than two decades. He covers business issues for ABC News, presents the Finance segment on the 7PM bulletin nationally and appears on radio and television programs around the nation. Daniel is the long-time senior producer of Mornings with Jon Faine, ABC Radio Melbourne, and has worked on air and in production at Macquarie Radio, as a freelance foreign correspondent based in New York City, journalist at The Age and a magazine editor. In 2019 he wrote a book called ‘A Wunch of Bankers: A year in the Hayne Royal Commission’.

Speaking at

08:40

Opening remarks from the Chair

Speaker Speakers

Daniel Ziffer,

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Daniel Westerman

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)

Daniel Westerman commenced as CEO and Managing Director of AEMO in May 2021. He oversees AEMO’s strategy and operations, including collaboration with industry and policy makers.

Under Daniel's leadership, AEMO has ensured a secure and reliable supply of electricity and gas for customers through increasingly complex operations across Australia's energy grids, and developed a trusted set of roadmaps to transition these grids as the nation’s coal-fired generators retire from service.

Internally, AEMO has built a purpose led and values-based culture, with strong uplifts in employee engagement, diversity & inclusion, customer orientation, and financial performance. AEMO is a trusted partner of both industry and governments.

Prior to joining AEMO, Daniel held a variety of senior executive roles with London-listed electricity and gas utility, National Grid Plc., after an earlier career with McKinsey & Company and Ford Motor Company.

Daniel holds degrees in Engineering and Mathematics from the University of Melbourne, and an MBA from Melbourne Business School. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Chartered Engineer, and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

Speaking at

09:00

Redrawing the roadmap: How AEMO’s 2026 ISP sees the future of generation, storage and transmission

Speaker Speakers

Daniel Westerman,

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Tarandeep Singh Ahuja

Partner
McKinsey & Company

Tarandeep Singh leads McKinsey & Company's Energy Practice in Australia and New Zealand. He is a Partner based in McKinsey’s Melbourne office, with over 20 years’ experience.

Tarandeep is passionate about helping industry lead the way on the energy transition. He works with leading public and private sector organisations across the energy value chain on a variety of topics including strategy, growth, M&A, large capital projects, transformation, digitisation, and decarbonisation.

Tarandeep has served as a knowledge advisor to Australian Energy Week and for the last half decade, regularly presenting and hosting multiple panels on the annual event’s main stage.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

09:45

CEO Panel: Can policy, innovation, and security align to meet 2030 energy targets?

Speaker Speakers

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja,

Mark Collette,

Adam Watson,

Angela Karl,

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Mark Collette

Managing Director
EnergyAustralia

Mr Collette has been with EnergyAustralia since 2003 and Managing Director since 1 July 2021. He served as Chief Customer Officer from May 2019 until June 2021 and led the Energy business (comprising generation and trading at the time) between July 2015 and May 2019. Former roles have included executive responsibility for policy, sustainability, strategy and other matters.

Mr Collette is a Director at the Australian Energy Council (AEC), which represents 20 major electricity and downstream natural gas businesses operating in the competitive wholesale and retail energy market. He is also a former member of the AEMC's Reliability Panel and a former director of the Australian Financial Markets Association.

Prior to joining EnergyAustralia, he worked for management consulting firm LEK consulting on a variety of commercial engagements in Australia, Thailand and the UK.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

09:45

CEO Panel: Can policy, innovation, and security align to meet 2030 energy targets?

Speaker Speakers

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja,

Mark Collette,

Adam Watson,

Angela Karl,

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Adam Watson

Chief Executive Officer
APA Group

Adam Watson was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director in December 2022. He joined APA Group in November 2020 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Adam has deep local and international experience in the industrial and manufacturing sectors and in the development, delivery and operations of critical infrastructure. He previously held senior executive roles at Transurban, Australia’s largest infrastructure business, Melbourne Airport and BlueScope Steel. Adam has extensive experience in public private partnerships and his senior leadership roles have spanned finance, commercial, strategy, corporate development and operations.

Adam is a Director of Energy Networks Australia and a member of the Climate Leaders Coalition and Champions of Change.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

09:45

CEO Panel: Can policy, innovation, and security align to meet 2030 energy targets?

Speaker Speakers

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja,

Mark Collette,

Adam Watson,

Angela Karl,

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10:55

The right ingredients for delivering new gas powered generation infrastructure

Speaker Speakers

Adam Watson,

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Angela Karl

Managing Director, Australia
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP)/BlackRock

Angela Karl is a senior infrastructure and energy investment leader with nearly 25 years’ experience across investment, advisory and governance roles. Her career has focused on developing, financing and scaling major infrastructure platforms, with a strong emphasis on energy, decarbonisation and the energy transition in Australia and globally.

She is currently a Managing Director with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), part of BlackRock, where she is based in the Australian business. Angela also serves as a Board Member of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and has held director and senior executive roles across renewable energy, storage and distributed energy businesses. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Queensland.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

09:45

CEO Panel: Can policy, innovation, and security align to meet 2030 energy targets?

Speaker Speakers

Tarandeep Singh Ahuja,

Mark Collette,

Adam Watson,

Angela Karl,

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Brett Redman

Chief Executive Officer
Transgrid

Brett Redman is a highly experienced energy industry executive at the centre of Australia’s energy transition. He was appointed CEO of Transgrid in November 2021, tasked with leading the build of the nation’s energy super-highways, involving some of Australia’s largest ever transmission projects.

No country in the world is yet running a nation-sized power network with 100% wind and solar generation. Brett is determined to innovate and invest early in building the industry capabilities and capacity to enable Australia’s rapid transition to 100% instantaneous renewable power.

Brett’s three decades of leadership experience include nearly 15 years at AGL Energy, where he was appointed CEO and Managing Director in 2018. He is also the former Chair of the Australian Energy Council.

Brett is a passionate believer that corporates must build their social license as well as the bottom line to be truly successful. He is committed to working across the community to help build an energy market that is reliable, affordable, and sustainable. Brett is a proud member of the Champions of Change Coalition, personally taking the lead on gender equality actions.

Speaking at

10:55

Facing the hard truths of transmission in the energy transition

Speaker Speakers

Brett Redman,

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Andrew Dillon

Principal
Dillon Strategic

Andrew has a deep and unique understanding of energy policy, strategy and regulatory issues from a variety of roles across the energy sector. For 5.5 years Andrew Dillon led Energy Networks Australia, the peak national body representing gas distribution and electricity transmission and distribution businesses throughout Australia.

Prior to ENA, Andrew held numerous executive roles in the energy industry, including at AustNet Services, the Energy Supply Association of Australia, EnergyAustralia and as a senior ministerial adviser in the Victorian Government.

Andrew is an experienced Director, having served at Goulburn Valley Water, the Australian Gas Industry Trust and the Centre for New Energy Technologies (C4NET). Andrew is currently Chair of AusNet’s Energy Resilience Community Fund Advisory Panel.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

11:40

Panel discussion: What new initiatives or technologies can unlock network capacity, improve utilisation and help deliver more equitable customer outcomes?

Speaker Speakers

Andrew Dillon,

Suzanne Shipp,

Jacqui Bridge,

Lynne Gallagher,

Speaker Speakers

Andrew Dillon,

Suzanne Shipp,

Jacqui Bridge,

Lynne Gallagher,

Jason Krstanoski,

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Mark Paterson

Principal
Energy Catalyst

Mark Paterson is the Principal and Lead Systems Architect of Energy Catalyst, a specialist consulting practice focused on the key structural shifts required for legacy power systems to be capable of a secure and cost-efficient Net Zero Emissions future.

Working at the intersection of strategic vision and real-world application, Mark has led several national energy system transformation projects in Australia, including as Chair of the CSIRO Future Grid Forum and Program Director of the CSIRO/ENA Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap. At Horizon Power and Energex, he led the innovative development and scale deployment of several utility technology innovation firsts.

Mark is globally recognised as an expert in Power Systems Architecture disciplines which are critical to secure and cost-efficient grid transformation. He is a Fellow of the Pacific Energy Institute, an invited Associate of the US Department of Energy’s GridWise Architecture Council (GWAC) and a contributing author for the IEEE Power & Energy Society.

Speaking at

13:20

Opening remarks from the Chair

Speaker Speakers

Mark Paterson,

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Michael Dart

Energy Consultant and Executive Coach
Luminous Consulting

Michael Dart is an Energy Industry leader and accomplished Non-Executive Director in the government, arts, environment, science and health fields including for Ergon Energy Retail, Griffith University, Jobs Queensland and Queensland Theatre.

Michael is an Executive and previous Chief Customer Officer for Energy Queensland, Australia’s largest electricity distribution company, connecting electricity supply to 2.3 million customers across Queensland.

As Chief Customer Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, Michael has championed Energy Queensland’s customer and community strategies, engaging with significant stakeholders and customers to implement energy policy on behalf of the Board. His portfolios have included customer and community strategy, media management, Government and investor relations, communications, marketing, brand and customer AI, Cyber and digital strategy. He also led Customer and Market Operations covering connections, metering services, market transactions, retail billing and customer contact centres at scale.

Michael is an Executive and Life Coach with International Coaching Federation (ICF) accreditation and has been recognised as a Global Top 50 Influencer for CX, Asia Pacific Top 100 Leader for Customer Engagement and is a Public Relations Institute of Australia Golden Target award recipient.

Speaking at

13:20

Opening remarks from the Chair

Speaker Speakers

Michael Dart,

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Panel Discussion

09:40

Panel discussion: How can consumer engagement be reimagined to build something that works for everyone through the energy transition?

Speaker Speakers

Michael Dart,

Gerard Brody,

Speaker Speakers

Tobias Geiger,

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Amandine Denis-Ryan

Chief Executive Officer
Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)

Amandine Denis-Ryan is the Australian CEO at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a global independent think tank which provides financial analysis related to energy markets, trends, and policies, with a mission to accelerate the energy transition. Prior to joining IEEA, Amandine held a range of leadership positions at Climateworks Centre and worked as a management consultant for McKinsey and Company. Amandine is a recognized expert in net zero emissions transitions across the economy. She has worked with and advised many organisations on the strategy, investment and risk implications of the energy transition.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

15:05

Panel discussion: What are the effective pathways to delivering major transmission corridors on time despite social licence, cost escalation and supply-chain pressure?

Panel discussion: Can AI and data really make energy customers love us?

Panel discussion: How should connection challenges and grid-forming inverter requirements be navigated for large scale BESS?

Speaker Speakers

John Ward,

Emma Fagan,

Partner
Stride Renewables

Amy Kean is a cofounder and Partner at Stride Renewables, Australia, a boutique energy advisory firm. Amy has more than 25 years of experience in energy markets across the public and private sectors, nationally and internationally, and has a background in Science, Arts from UNSW and Law. Amy is the Chair of the NSW Decarbonisation and Innovation Hub.

Prior to establishing Stride, Amy was the NSW Government Renewable Energy Advocate. Amy has also worked at REEEP, Clean Energy Council, Pinpoint Mastercard, Accenture, Hydro Tasmania and was a board member of Renewables SA, Renew and REEEP.

Amy is a recipient of the NSW Green Globe award for Public Sector Leadership, the Energy Minister's Leadership Award and Services to the Duke of Edinburgh Award from HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

15:05

Panel discussion: What needs to be done to get more renewable projects built at pace?

Panel discussion: What needs to be done to get more renewable projects built at pace?

Speaker Speakers

Amy Kean,

Speaker Speakers

Daniel Kammen,

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Panel Discussion

16:30

Panel discussion: How can Australia’s energy transition be accelerated by collaboration across sectors?

Speaker Speakers

Evie Trolove,

Oliver Nunn,

Arron Wood,

Daniel Kammen,

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Anna Collyer

Chair
Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC)

Anna Collyer is a leading energy expert and the Chair of the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) and a member of the Energy Advisory Panel (EAP). She has nearly three decades of public and private sector experience in energy and has worked extensively on industry reform with energy ministers.

Anna has a passion for leadership and change and is a big believer in a learning culture, where experimentation is a necessary part of creating something new. In 2022, she became one of Australia’s inaugural ambassadors for the global Energy Equality Initiative, supporting the urgent task of improving female representation in the energy sector.

As a partner of Allens law firm from 2001 to 2020, Anna focused on the energy sector throughout its evolution, advised a broad range of clients in the public and private sectors on major projects, and fostered innovation at all levels of the firm, not only in technological developments but also in new ways of working and addressing disruption.

Speaking at

08:55

Designing a consumer-first energy future: Pricing, DER and trust in the AEMC’s reform roadmap

Speaker Speakers

Joel Gilmore,

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Panel Discussion

15:05

Panel discussion: How can we unlock investment for renewable and storage projects and what are the strategies to reduce development risk?

Speaker Speakers

Joel Gilmore,

Monique Miller,

Laura Caspari,

Sonia Teitel,

Paul Peters,

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Nigel Barbour

Chief Executive
Orion NZ

Nigel was appointed Orion Group Chief Executive in July 2021 and leads the Orion Group. He has over 20 years’ C-Suite experience (including 13 as CEO of two energy companies) and has built high performance teams and led them through large and systemic changes.

Nigel has in-depth knowledge of the sector, including the ‘big trilemma challenges’ of maintaining security and ensuring affordability in a highly renewable system.

Nigel is currently Chair of Electricity Networks Aotearoa, the Electricity CEO Forum and Energy Transition Sector Framework CEO Level Steering Group. The Energy Transition Framework is a ‘platform’ to help set up for the best energy transition for Aotearoa / New Zealand.

Speaking at

10:55

How Orion (as an EDB in New Zealand) is addressing grid challenges and delivering community benefit

Speaker Speakers

Nigel Barbour,

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Lisa Chiba

Chief Executive Officer
Momentum Energy

Lisa Chiba was appointed Managing Director of Momentum Energy in January 2022, having spent her career in a variety of leadership roles across retail utilities and financial services in Australia and the UK.

Lisa’s professional passions are supporting businesses and consumers participate in Australia’s transition to a clean energy future, and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workforce. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Laws with honours and a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Melbourne, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.

A regular speaker at conferences and industry events, Lisa has spoken at Australian Energy Week in 2022, 2023, 2025 and will once again participate in 2026.

Speaking at

10:55

Empowering consumers to drive the energy transition and unlock value through participation

Speaker Speakers

Lisa Chiba,

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Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: What are the best ways to integrate distributed energy resources into retail portfolios to enhance flexibility and value?

Speaker Speakers

Candice Hincksman,

Lisa Chiba,

Speaker Speakers

Krystal Skinner,

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Oliver Nunn

Managing Director
Endgame Analytics

Oliver has extensive experience building mathematical models that represent economic dispatch and long-term investment in electricity markets. He has built models that capture complex aspects of power system and market operation, such as decisions to start and stop plant, game-theoretic bidding, and decision making in the presence of uncertainty about the future.

In addition, Oliver has experience as a regulatory economist and expert in market design. He has extensive experience working as an advisor to the market bodies that oversee the energy sector, the participants that operate in the markets, and the network businesses that own the transmission and distribution assets that are part of the physical power system.

Prior to establishing Endgame, Oliver led the quantitative team at the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC). Prior to this, he worked as a mathematical and economic consultant in the energy sector.

Oliver holds a first-class honours degree in pure mathematics, as well as a commerce degree with majors in economics and finance, both from the University of New South Wales.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: DNSP performance and planning modernisation – how can distribution planning standards, hosting capacity reporting, real-time visibility, and incentives for non-network solutions best be updated?

Speaker Speakers

Oliver Nunn,

Renate Vogt,

Eddie Thanavelil,

Danielle Beinart,

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Panel Discussion

16:30

Panel discussion: How can Australia’s energy transition be accelerated by collaboration across sectors?

Speaker Speakers

Evie Trolove,

Oliver Nunn,

Arron Wood,

Daniel Kammen,

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Dan Nugent

Executive of Transition and Trading
EnergyAustralia

Daniel is Energy Australia’s Trading and Transition Executive. Daniel and his team play an important role in leading and accelerating the clean energy transition. Their work extends across the business from providing competitive energy prices for our customers, building our future energy portfolio and working with our key stakeholders and communities in the transformation of our energy system.

Daniel first joined EnergyAustralia in 2010 and has previously served as the Head of Portfolio Development. His team was responsible for delivering on a range of industry leading initiatives to transition EnergyAustralia’s energy portfolio, covering renewable energy, battery storage, pumped hydro and flexible gas.

Before joining EnergyAustralia, Daniel worked in Corporate Finance at KPMG advising on a range of corporate transactions across several industries. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Walter Schutte

EGM Customer & Energy Markets
Squadron Energy

Walter is a seasoned energy markets leader across retail, generation and gas. His energy career spans the likes of Energex, Stanwell, Shell (Arrow), APA and Iberdrola Australia. He brings a wealth of experience in successfully developing retailing products and capability targeted at commercial and industrial customers.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Damian Edwards

Business Unit Manager
Energy One

Damian has over 25 years consulting experience within the energy, environmental and information management industries has enabled him to develop strong relationships with key industry stakeholders.

His passion is to provide genuine outcomes that enable clients to achieve their goals in a sustainable manner within a rapidly changing energy market landscape.

Damian has experience in many industry sectors both within Australia and Internationally, including energy, resources, insurance, rail, waste, transport, telecommunications, local, state and federal government.

He provides commercial and regulatory energy advisory services to clients ranging from large industrial organisations through to local South Australian small businesses. These services include energy procurement, risk management, regulatory advice, renewable project development, energy efficiency audits, renewable energy feasibility studies and energy markets analysis.

Through his career, Damian has developed a thorough appreciation of the challenges faced by organisations from an economic, regulatory and sustainability perspective.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Maia Schweizer

Chief Transformation Officer
Snowy Hydro

Maia was appointed Chief Operating Officer in July 2025, with responsibility for operating, maintaining and upgrading Snowy Hydro’s diverse generation asset portfolio. Maia also serves as Chief Transformation Officer, overseeing the company’s multi-year transformation program and setting it up for continued leadership in the evolving energy sector.

Maia has more than 15 years of experience across generation operations, commercial strategy, marketing and capital project delivery. During this time Maia has held executive roles with Origin, Fortescue and most recently SunDrive Solar, a solar technology startup.

Maia has also served as CEO of Queensland Government-owned low-emissions electricity generation, trading and retail business CleanCo Queensland and currently serves as a non-executive director of Blue Economy CRC, a research cooperative focused on exploring opportunities for marine science and industry.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Tom Metcalfe

Chief Executive Officer
CleanCo Queensland

Tom has more than 30 years of experience in the global energy sector. As President of both We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service in the United States, he oversaw the delivery of gas and electricity to approximately three million customers. In his prior role as Executive Vice President at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service he had responsibility for almost 8000MW of generation. Tom’s wide-ranging experience includes renewable and non-renewable generation where he has had responsibility for development, construction, operations and maintenance. He also led essential support organisations, including engineering, planning, training, safety and environmental sustainability. Tom has successfully delivered more than 5000MW of new generation in the United Kingdom, Asia, Australia and the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree with honours from De Montfort University.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Richard Hobbs

Partner
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Richard Hobbs is a senior strategy and energy sector leader with deep experience spanning consulting, infrastructure investment and electricity system transformation across Australia and New Zealand. He is currently part of the leadership team at Boston Consulting Group in Auckland, advising energy companies, investors and governments on strategy, market design and the energy transition.

Previously, Richard held an executive role at Transpower New Zealand, where he led strategy and customer functions during a critical period of system planning, investment and decarbonisation. He has also worked on the investor side at Spark Infrastructure, bringing a strong commercial lens to regulated networks and long-term energy assets.

Earlier in his career, Richard worked with Bloomberg New Energy Finance and BCG in Australia, developing expertise in energy markets, carbon, and clean energy economics. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: From gas peakers to pumped hydro: is Australia betting on the right firming tools?

Speaker Speakers

Lewis Shields,

Dan Nugent,

Walter Schutte,

Damian Edwards,

Maia Schweizer,

Tom Metcalfe,

Richard Hobbs,

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Tom Bakker

Head of Future Energy Networks and Markets
Endeavour Energy

Tom is a seasoned energy industry professional with a deep passion for shaping the future of energy built over the last two decades. Tom brings a mix of strategic foresight, technical depth, and leadership. His experience spans future flexible services, future network planning, market innovation, power systems engineering, strategy formulation, and commercial analysis. As Head of Future Networks & Markets, Tom is responsible for shaping Endeavour Energy’s approach to emerging energy technologies, market reform, and grid transformation initiatives. Prior to Endeavour Energy, Tom held roles at Aurecon, Energy Queensland, and has worked in international markets including the United Kingdom, Germany, the wider EU, and Africa.

Speaking at

14:05

Electrifying the grid with decentralised energy to unlock a cheaper, cleaner and more resilient system

Speaker Speakers

Tom Bakker,

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Louisa Kinnear

Chief Executive Officer
Australian Energy Council

Louisa Kinnear assumed the role of Chief Executive of the Australian Energy Council in September 2024.

Prior to this, Louisa was the Chief Executive Officer at Jacana Energy, the largest energy retailer in the Northern Territory. She has also held senior roles at Synergy, Western Power and Water Corporation and previously worked for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in Western Australia.

For the past 15 years, Louisa has helped governments, businesses, and customers across various jurisdictions navigate and benefit from the renewable energy transition. She is a strong advocate for fostering collaboration across the energy sector to ensure a successful transition.

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

14:05

Fireside Chat: Are we over-regulating? Would a more streamlined system deliver better outcomes for customers?

Speaker Speakers

Louisa Kinnear,

Gavin Dufty,

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Gavin Dufty

National Director, Energy Policy and Research
St Vincent de Paul Society

Gavin was recently appointed National Director Energy Policy and Research of St Vincent de Paul Society Australia, but has worked in the social services community welfare sector for over 30 years, undertaking social research, policy evaluation and advocacy with a specific focus on essential gas, water and electricity services.

Gavin is also a consumer representative of a number of industry and government committees including: Yarra Valley Water community advisory group; Victorian, NSW electricity and gas distribution company consultative committees; and a member of the AER and ESC customer consultative groups. He is also a Board member of Energy Consumers Australia and a previous member of the AEMC reliability panel and AEMO’s ISP consumer panel.

Speaking at

Fireside Chat

16:05

What needs to change to deploy capital faster into Australia’s energy transition — without increasing risk?

Speaker Speakers

Edward Northam,

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Evie Trolove

Head of Market and Customer Innovation
Orion NZ

Evie Trolove is an energy systems leader specialising in electricity network innovation and demand-side flexibility. Based in New Zealand, she leads the development of market and customer-focused strategies and solutions, leveraging collaborative innovation to enable smart, flexible and accessible electricity networks.

Evie brings international experience from the UK and New Zealand, having delivered pioneering programs to support emerging distribution system operation (DSO). Her work includes large-scale smart EV charging trials, vehicle-to-grid initiatives, and the development of digital platforms to automate consumer energy resource (CER) connections. She has also led industry working groups focused on DSO models, low-carbon technologies and collaborative innovation.

Earlier in her career, Evie worked as a process engineer, building strong technical and delivery capability across complex energy and industrial environments. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Canterbury where she is currently an Adjunct Fellow of the Electric Power Engineering Centre (EPECentre).

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

16:30

Panel discussion: How can Australia’s energy transition be accelerated by collaboration across sectors?

Speaker Speakers

Evie Trolove,

Oliver Nunn,

Arron Wood,

Daniel Kammen,

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Oliver Nunn

Managing Director
Endgame Analytics

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:05

Panel discussion: DNSP performance and planning modernisation – how can distribution planning standards, hosting capacity reporting, real-time visibility, and incentives for non-network solutions best be updated?

Speaker Speakers

Oliver Nunn,

Renate Vogt,

Eddie Thanavelil,

Danielle Beinart,

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Panel Discussion

16:30

Panel discussion: How can Australia’s energy transition be accelerated by collaboration across sectors?

Speaker Speakers

Evie Trolove,

Oliver Nunn,

Arron Wood,

Daniel Kammen,

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11:15

Confronting stochastic reality in the NEM to avoid planning blind spots

Speaker Speakers

Oliver Nunn,

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Arron Wood

Chief Executive Officer
Yurringa Energy

Arron Wood AM is the CEO of Yurringa Energy, Australia’s first Indigenous-owned energy retailer. News Ltd Telstra Micro Business Award winner Arron Wood was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant contribution to the environment, to local government and to the community. Recognition for nearly 25 years of leadership, Arron is the former Deputy Lord Mayor for the City of Melbourne and was Chair of the Finance and Governance Portfolio. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was winner of the Melbourne Business Award for Contribution to the Environment. Arron was the Chair of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute for the University of Melbourne and recently served two terms as a member of the South East Water Board in Victoria.

Named in the top ten education leaders nationally as part of The Weekend Australian Magazine, Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year Award-winner Arron Wood grew up in Mildura, Victoria spending his early years campaigning to save the River Murray. Rather aptly titled his autobiography ‘Billabong Boy’ was inspired by those early years. He founded the award-winning education program Kids Teaching Kids that saw over 100,000 students participate in the peer education model from 2000-2020 and was the 3AW environment reporter for many years.

Arron received The Centenary Medal for outstanding contribution to conservation, awarded by the Governor-General and completed a Churchill Fellowship to New York with the United Nations. As a past winner of the United Nations Individual Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment Arron was also the 2001 Young Australian of the Year for the environment. He was previously a Board Member of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Sustainability Victoria Board Member and a Councillor for City of Melbourne. In what was a huge career highlight Arron’s commitment to the environment was covered on ABC’s Australian Story.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

16:30

Panel discussion: How can Australia’s energy transition be accelerated by collaboration across sectors?

Speaker Speakers

Evie Trolove,

Oliver Nunn,

Arron Wood,

Daniel Kammen,

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Jill Cainey

Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Erne Energy

Dr Jill Cainey MBE is the founder and CEO of Erne Energy, supporting the energy sector to understand the impacts and risks of climate change as Australia electrifies the future.

Jill has advocated for the interests of electricity storage in the UK and Europe, and for electricity transmission and distribution networks, renewable energy developers and Consumer Energy Resources in Australia.

Jill now represents electricity consumers on industry and national advisory groups, combining her expertise in climate science and electricity policy to support consumers and communities access resilient sources of clean electricity in the face of increasingly severe weather events.

Speaking at

08:50

Opening remarks from the Chair from Chair

Speaker Speakers

Jill Cainey,

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Hon Nick Duigan

Minister for Energy and Renewables
Tasmanian Government

Nick Duigan, elected Liberal Member for Windermere in 2021, previously spent over 30 years in television, including two decades hosting Hook Line and Sinker, and has extensive small business experience as a transport operator since his early 20’s.

He currently serves as Minister for Energy and Renewables, Minister for Parks, and Minister for Sport. Over recent years he has also held portfolios in Environment, Heritage and Small Business. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he values supporting community sport and active lifestyles.

Nick lives in Launceston with his wife Amanda and has three daughters and is active in local sporting and aviation communities, while volunteering for men’s health initiatives.

Speaking at

09:00

Ministerial address

Speaker Speakers

Tim Bray,

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Andrew Dillon

Principal
Dillon Strategic

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

11:40

Panel discussion: What new initiatives or technologies can unlock network capacity, improve utilisation and help deliver more equitable customer outcomes?

Speaker Speakers

Andrew Dillon,

Suzanne Shipp,

Jacqui Bridge,

Lynne Gallagher,

Jason Krstanoski,

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12:05

Reforming network tariffs to support electrification without breaking trust

Speaker Speakers

Andrew Dillon,

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Dan Cass

Independent Consultant
Dan Cass & Co

Dan Cass is one of Australia’s leading energy transition strategists. He co founded and served as the inaugural CEO of Rewiring Australia, where he helped bring household and industrial electrification to the centre of national policy, securing major philanthropic and government investment and building a nationwide grassroots movement.

Dan has advised energy investors, industry leaders and was a board director of Hepburn Wind, Australia’s first community-owned generator. As Energy Lead at The Australia Institute, he directed transition research and was lead author of the most extensive study into social licence for Renewable Energy Zones. He sits on the advisory board of The Energy, now emerging as Australia's leading platform for trusted energy insights.

He holds a Graduate Diploma in Energy and Resources Law and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne and can be found at www.dancass.com.

Speaking at

Panel Discussion

13:15

How can policy levers be designed to contain the damage from a disorderly coal exit?

Speaker Speakers

Steve Lilliss,

Claude Morris,

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Claude Morris

National Sector Leader- BESS
GHD

Claude Morris is a senior power systems specialist with more than a decade of experience delivering complex energy storage, microgrid and system integration solutions across Australia. At GHD, Claude plays a key leadership role in advancing large-scale battery energy storage and integrated power system projects, supporting utilities, developers and governments as they navigate the energy transition.

Based in Western Australia, Claude has led multidisciplinary teams responsible for the design and integration of microgrids, storage and renewable energy assets, with a strong focus on system strength, reliability and power quality. His expertise spans both islanded and interconnected networks, including system studies, protection and fault analysis, network impact assessments and asset management planning.

Prior to joining GHD, Claude worked at Horizon Power as a power systems and renewable energy engineer, contributing to the operation and evolution of remote and regional power systems. He brings a practical, systems-focused perspective to integrating storage and renewables at scale. Claude holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Murdoch University.

Speaking at

Masterclass

08:30

Masterclass D: Overcoming technology and operational challenges for Battery Energy Storage Systems

Speaker Speakers

Steve Lilliss,

Claude Morris,

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Quest has an established history of providing reliable, high-quality conferences. Australian Energy Week 2026 is an opportunity for our past delegates and new attendees to come together in one place to Meet. Learn. Grow.

Milad Etemadi

Sponsorship & Exhibition Manager

milade@questevents.com.au

M +61 (0) 478 195 857

Tashi Gazzard

Sponsorship & Exhibition Manager

tashig@questevents.com.au

M +61 (0) 418 884 713

Quest Events recognises the First Peoples of this nation and their ongoing connection to culture and country. We acknowledge First Nations Peoples as the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Lore Keepers of the world's oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Meet our speakers

Filter Speakers

Adam Watson

Alex Leemon

Alex Wonhas

Alicia Webb

Alistair Parker

Amandine Denis-Ryan

Amy Kean

Andrea Bernard

Andrew Dillon

Angela Karl

Anna Brakey

Anna Collyer

Arron Wood

Brett Redman

Bruce Mountain

Candice Hincksman

Catriona McLeod

Chang Wang

Chris Campbell

Chris Miller

Chris Thompson

Claude Morris

Damian Edwards

Dan Cass

Dan Nugent

Daniel Kammen

Daniel Westerman

Daniel Ziffer

Danielle Beinart

Darren Brown

David Frankel

David Leitch

David Moretto

David Prins

Deidre Willmott

Dennis Freedman

Dominic Adams

Eddie Thanavelil

Edward Northam

Emma Fagan

Evan Giosis

Evie Trolove

Fatima Bazzi

Frank Jotzo

Gavin Dufty

Gerard Brody

Gloria Chan

Gordon Taylor

Greg Hannan

Hon Lily D'Ambrosio

Hon Nick Duigan

Isabella Powell

Jacqui Bridge

Jared Jun

Jason Krstanoski

Jess Hunt

Jessica Morris

Jill Cainey

Joel Gilmore

John Ward

Justin Hillier

Kaavya Jha

Katalin Polus

Kate Gibson

Krystal Skinner

Laura Caspari

Laura Jones

Lewis Shields

Lisa Chiba

Louisa Kinnear

Lynne Gallagher

Maia Schweizer

Marc England

Mark Collette

Mark Paterson

Matthew van der Linden

Matthijs Guichelaar

Maya Resnick