MP SPEAKERS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Hon

David

Littleproud MP - Shadow Minister for Agriculture

Welcome & Opening Drinks

David Littleproud was elected as the Leader of the National Party in May 2022. He was elected to the House of Representatives for Maranoa, Queensland, in 2016. He was the Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia in the recent Coalition government. Over the past 20 years, he has owned a small business in Warwick and forged a career in agribusiness while living and working in towns such as Miles, Nanango, Charleville, St George, Stanthorpe and Warwick. David understands the importance of economic development as a means of building a prosperous future for younger generations and developing the capacity of health, education, agriculture, telecommunications and small business sectors.

Hon Warren Entsch MP - Federal Member for Leichhardt

Welcome & Opening Drinks

Warren was first elected to the Australian Parliament in March 1996 and has served as the Federal Member for Leichhardt in the House of Representatives for 24 of the last 27 years. He became the first person in Australian political history to be re-elected after returning from retirement. Warren served as the Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef in the 46th Parliament. He was instrumental in securing the previous Government’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 and driving additional funding to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Ultimately his efforts culminated in the successful passage of same-sex-marriage legislation in 2017.

Hon Mark Speakman SC MP - NSW Leader of the Opposition

Opening Dinner

Mark Speakman is the Leader of the Opposition and NSW Liberal Party. Mark previously served as Attorney General, Minister for Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence, and Minister for Environment and Environment. Born and raised in Caringbah, Mark attended Caringbah High School, before studying law and economics at the University of Sydney and postgraduate law at the University of Cambridge. Mark was called to the Bar in 1991 and became a Senior Counsel in 2004. Mark and his wife Caroline have two children.

Senator Dean Smith - Senator for Western Australia Opening Dinner

Senator Dean Smith has been a Liberal Senator for Western Australia since May 2012. He was elected Chief Government Whip in January 2019 and was a member of the Morrison Government’s Senate Leadership Team.Dean brings to his Senate role extensive policy experience, having worked as Policy Adviser to WA Premier Richard Court and Prime Minister John Howard. His Parliamentary obligations have included being Chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts and Audit, Human Rights and the Implementation of the National Redress Scheme. He is currently a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia and various other Committees associated with the management of the Senate. Dean attend COP26 with C4C in 2021.

Elizabeth Lee MLA - Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Energy and Emissions Reduction

Breakfast Discussions

Elizabeth Lee is the Leader of the Canberra Liberals, Shadow Minister for Climate Action and Member for Kurrajong in the ACT Legislative Assembly. Elizabeth was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2016 and was Shadow Minister for the Environment until her election as leader in 2020. Before her election, Elizabeth practised law in government and private practice and was also a law lecturer at The Australian National University and the University of Canberra. Elizabeth served as Chair of the ACT and the Australian Young Lawyers Committees and as Councillor and Vice President of the ACT Law Society. Elizabeth attended COP26 with C4C in 2021.

Maria Kovacic - Senator for New South Wales

Breakfast Discussions

Maria was appointed as a Senator for New South Wales in May 2023. She was the former President of the New South Wales Liberal Party. At the 2022 Federal election, she was the Liberal Party candidate for the Labor seat of Parramatta.With over twenty years of experience spanning the commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors, Maria has held various roles including Managing Director, Small Business Owner, Founder and Board Chairperson.

Jenny Ware MP – Federal Member of Hughes

Panel Session 1 - Energy Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

Jenny Ware was elected the Federal Member for Hughes in 2022. She is a lawyer by profession, her work has been predominantly within the NSW Land & Environment Court’s jurisdiction, the first specialist environmental superior court established in 1980. The Court has become a model for environmental protection because its specialist nature and the combination of judicial and administrative functions have continued to be regarded as critical to the proper enforcement of planning and environmental law. Jenny’s legal career has given her a detailed understanding of the importance of proper planning of our cities, housing affordability, and balancing environmental and economic priorities. Jenny attended COP27 with C4C in 2022.

The Hon Sussan Ley MP - Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister of Industry, Skills, and Training; Shadow Minister for Small and Family Business; Member for Farrer

Panel Session 1 - Energy Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

Sussan Ley, the member for Farrar, is the deputy leader of the opposition, shadow minister for women, shadow minister for industry, skills, and training, as well as the shadow minister for small and family businesses. Sussan Ley’s career path has been wonderfully varied, working odd jobs on the way to a pilot’s licence – with roles as an air traffic controller, stock-mustering pilot and occasional shearer’s cook following. Serving the rural NSW electorate of Farrer since 2011, Sussan has also been allocated responsibility in several portfolio and policy areas, most recently as Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories.

Ted O’Brien MP – Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy; Member for Fairfax

Panel Session 1 - Energy Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

As Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Ted is formulating Australia’s future climate and energy policy while also leading a national conversation on nuclear energy. Ted entered Parliament as the Member for Fairfax in 2016 with over 20 years of commercial experience in the private sector, in senior leadership roles across various Asia-Pacific markets. He led negotiations on behalf of the Australian Government as the Prime Minister’s personal representative that led to Brisbane securing the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ted has a Bachelor of Economics and Politics from the University of Queensland; a Scholarship in Chinese Mandarin from the National Taiwan Normal University; a Master of Business Administration (International) and a Master of Economics from the London School of Economics.

Richard Colbeck – Senator for Tasmania

Panel Session 2 - Unlocking Emission Reduction through Technology and Innovation

Richard Colbeck is a Liberal Senator for Tasmania. Before entering politics, he worked in the construction industry for more than two decades. He served as an Alderman on the Devonport City Council, a Director of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and President of the Devonport Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Richard has served as Minister for Aged Care and Sport; Minister for Tourism and International Education, Minister Assisting the Minister for Trade and Investment; Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and twice as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture. He held Shadow Parliamentary Secretary roles in the Health, Industry and Innovation, and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Portfolios.

Andrew Braggs – Senator for New South Wales

Presentation: New Senate Enquiry into Household Electrification

Senator Andrew Bragg is a Liberal Senator for New South Wales from 2019. Andrew currently serves as Chair of the Senate Economics References Committee, and Deputy Chair of the Economics Legislation Committee. He is also a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services. He previously chaired the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Australia as a Technology and Financial Centre which undertook significant inquiries into FinTech and subsequently digital assets. Andrew published Bad Egg: How to Fix Super and authored Buraadja: The Liberal Case for National Reconciliation.

Kellie Sloane MP – NSW Shadow Minister for Environment; Member for Vaucluse

Panel session 3 - Green Investment, ESGs and Opportunities for Australia

Kellie Sloane is the NSW Shadow Environment Minister and the Member for Vaucluse. She was elected to the NSW Parliament in the March '23 election. Before entering politics, Kellie was the CEO of Australia’s largest provider of preventative health education to children and young people – Life Education.

Kellie also has a background in journalism, including 14 years at the Nine Network where she covered breaking news in Australia and abroad, as well as hosting prime-time news programs.

The Hon Simon Birmingham – Senator for South Australia; Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs; Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Panel session 3 - Green Investment, ESGs and Opportunities for Australia

Simon Birmingham is the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Senate. Re-elected as a Liberal Senator representing South Australia on three occasions since joining the Senate in 2007, Simon has also served as a cabinet minister in the portfolios of finance, trade and education, along with having served as Leader of the Government in the Senate. As finance minister Simon was responsible for budgets that secured Australia’s Covid recovery and near-50-year low unemployment rates. Simon holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Adelaide and previously held executive roles in the wine and hospitality industries.

The Hon Bridget McKenzie – Leader of the Nationals in the Senate Panel session 4 - Food Security, Climate Resilience and Ag-Tech

Bridget is the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, and the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate. She is a former Cabinet Minister and was Australia’s first federal female Agriculture Minister. Her portfolio responsibilities include being Federal Minister for Emergency Management, National Recovery and Resilience, Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Sport, and Minister for Regional Services, Local Government and Decentralisation. Bridget was elected Senator for Victoria in 2010. She has been the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate since 2019 and was Deputy Leader of the Nationals from 2017 to 2020. She is the author of a biography of former Country Party Prime Minister: John McEwen – Right Man, Right Place, Right Time.

Kevin Hogan MP - Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism

Closing Remarks and Networking Drinks

Kevin Hogan is Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism and has been a Nationals member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Page in NSW, since 2013. After completing an Economics degree Kevin spent over ten years in Sydney forging a successful career in finance, working for Colonial for many years. He operated a small business and ran a cattle property. Kevin served as Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister until May 2022 and attended COP26 in Glasgow with the Coalition for Conservation.

Senator Andrew McLachlan - Senator for South Australia; Deputy President of the Senate and Chair of Committees

Closing Remarks and Networking Drinks

Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC CStJ is a Liberal Senator for South Australia.

Prior to his service in the Australian Parliament, Andrew was elected to the Legislative Council of the South Australian Parliament where he was subsequently elected as President. Before entering politics, Andrew held national senior leadership and executive positions in the financial services industry and also served as the Director of the International Centre for Financial Services at the University of Adelaide. Early in his career, he worked as a Lawyer and provided legal services in Port Augusta. Andrew is a Colonel in the Australian Army Reserve and has seen service in Afghanistan. He is also a member of St John Ambulance.

INDUSTRY SPEAKERS (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Professor Emerita Lesley Hughes

Biodiversity Talk and Nocturnal Wildlife Tour

Lesley Hughes is Professor Emerita in Biology and Pro-Chancellor at Macquarie University. She is a former Lead Author for the IPCC’s 4th and 5th Assessment Report, a former federal Climate Commissioner, a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a Councillor with the Biodiversity Council of Australia, a Director of the Environmental Defenders Office, a member of the Taronga Conservation Science Advisory Council, and a Councillor and Director of the Climate Council of Australia. She has recently been appointed as a member of the Climate Change Authority.

Dr Mary Stewart - CEO, Energetics

Breakfast Discussions

Mary leads Energetics which, for nearly 40 years, has been advising ASX200, the investment community and all tiers of Australia’s governments on strategies for a climate-resilient, decarbonising world. She represents the BINGO (business and industry NGOs) observer group on several working groups of the Technology Executive Committee of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She is the president of the Energy Efficiency Council of Australia and chairs the International Energy Board of the Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Freya Leach - Director, Centre for Youth Policy, Menzies Research Centre Breakfast Discussions

Freya Leach is the Director of the Centre for Youth Policy commencing at the Menzies Research Centre in May 2023. She is completing a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney. She began her career working in Macroeconomics research at UBS and recently ran as the Liberal candidate for Balmain in the NSW State Election. She has a broad range of policy interests and is focused on winning young people back to the Liberal Party through better policy and engagement.

Sid Marris - Deputy CEO, Minerals Council of Australia

Panel Session 1 - Energy Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

Sid Marris has had a diverse career in public policy traversing industry, government and the media. Sid joined News Ltd in Sydney in 1990 and eventually secured a cadetship with The Australian, working on politics, economics, workplace relations and trade, serving as the Canberra bureau chief, and that paper’s first online political editor. In 2008, Sid joined the Minerals Council of Australia where for 8 years he worked on a range of policy areas, from infrastructure and economic development to sustainability and energy and climate policy. In 2017, he then joined the office of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as Senior adviser – Energy, Resources, Climate Change and Northern Australia Later, Sid returned to the Minerals Council and now serves as deputy CEO and company secretary.

Helen Cook - Principal, GNE Advisory Pty Ltd

Panel Session 1 - Energy Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

Helen Cook is the Principal of GNE Advisory Pty Ltd., a law practice dedicated to all aspects of the civil nuclear energy sector. Helen's expertise is in advising on both the structuring and establishment of the legal and regulatory infrastructure for civilian nuclear power programmes, as well as the strategic development and negotiation of commercial arrangements for new nuclear power plants, including procurement, construction and financing. Helen is recognised as a nuclear law expert by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the former Chair of the World Nuclear Association’s Law Working Group and the author of the comprehensive legal textbook, The Law of Nuclear Energy published by Sweet & Maxwell, (Second Edition, March 2018).

Ed Mason – CEO, Jet Zero

Panel Session 2 - Unlocking Emissions Reduction through Technology and Innovation

Ed Mason is the Founder and Managing Director of Jet Zero Australia. He is also Managing Director of Jermyn East Capital and was previously Managing Director at HSBC, Renaissance Capital, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Royal Bank of Canada. Ed is a member of Bioenergy Australia and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Alliance of Australia and New Zealand, he has a Bachelor of Engineering & Computing (Hons) from Monash University and is a Graduate in Corporate Finance from the Securities Institute of Australia.

Lenka Kollar – Co-Founder, Helixos

Panel Session 2 - Unlocking Emissions Reduction through Technology and Innovation

Lenka Kollar is the co-founder of Helixos, a cleantech advisory firm, and expert on SMRs and advanced nuclear. I strive to create a future that is better for everyone and the environment that we live in. Lenka, after a decade of experience in the energy industry, government, and international organisations, co-founded Helixos in 2020. Helixos work with start-ups, research organisations, companies, and governments to commercialise and implement cleantech. Our vision is to reinvent the entire journey of technology development and deployment - from ideas to impact.

Rodger Whitby - CEO - Energy Decarb Pty Ltd

Panel Session 2 - Unlocking Emissions Reduction through Technology and Innovation

Rodger Whitby is an experienced executive from the energy and renewables sector, having held senior positions at St Baker Energy Innovation Fund, Printed Energy Pty Ltd, NthDegree Technologies Worldwide, MPower, Ingenero, ENERGEX and BHP. Rodger has held General Manager and Managing Director roles for several decades and currently serves as a director on a wide range of St Baker Energy Innovation Fund investee company boards. In his current role as CEO of Energy Decarb, Rodger is establishing a new company specialising in decarbonising and saving money for businesses and facilities by installing solar, batteries and EV charging behind the meter.

Prof Bruce Mountain- Victoria Energy Policy Centre

Panel Session 2 - Unlocking Emissions Reduction through Technology and Innovation

Professor Bruce Mountain is the Director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre. He is a well-known Australian energy economist. He has been active in the provision of research and advice on issues up and down the electricity supply chain, for the last three decades. For the past 17 years, he has been focussed on issues that arise from decarbonising the electricity sector. His PhD was on the political economy of energy regulation in Australia and he has undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering and professional qualification in electrical engineering and accountancy.

Marc Snape - General Manager, Stonehaven Australia

Presentation: - Navigating the Transition

Marc Snape is a strategy and engagement professional with over 15 years of experience providing advice at the most senior levels of government and the private sector. Previously, Marc was a Senior Strategy Adviser in the Office of the NSW Premier, responsible for driving key priorities for the NSW Government. Marc has also held senior advisor roles in the Commonwealth Government (2014-2017), providing policy, campaign, and communications advice.

Peter Switzer – Switzer Group, Sky Business

Panel session 3 - Green Investment, ESGs and Opportunities for Australia

Peter is an Australian business and financial commentator, radio and television presenter, lecturer, and author. Peter founded his own company The Switzer Group which has since grown into three diverse businesses involving media, financial services, and investment management. He also runs and is a contributor to the self-titled website Switzer Daily. His media business publishes Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and Russh. Peter has been a lecturer in economics at the University of New South Wales. He also hosted the Qantas Talking Business program and the Sky Business TV program SWITZER.

Patty Akopiantz – Co-Founder, Assembly Climate Capital

Panel session 3 - Green Investment, ESGs and Opportunities for Australia

Patty is a co-founder of Assembly Climate Capital, a climate impact investment firm. She spent more than 35 years as a top ASX company board director and senior manager in companies within the retail, energy, health, and financial services sectors. She is Chair of Environmental Leadership Australia, a Non-Executive Director of Sea Forest and serves as an external independent board member of KPMG. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Zoe Whitton – Head of Impact, Pollination Group

Panel session 3 - Green Investment, ESGs and Opportunities for Australia

Zoe Whitton is Head of Impact at Pollination Group, a specialist climate and nature investment and advisory firm. Zoe led the award-winning APAC ESG Research team at Citi, advising institutional investors globally. She serves on the boards of the IGCC, the Centre for Policy Development and the Steering Committee of the AICD Climate Governance Initiative, and is a member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute’s Technical Advisory Group and the Sydney Environment Institute’s Advisory Group.

Barry Irvin – Chairman, Bega Group

Panel session 4 - Climate Resilience & Ag-Tech - Australia’s Path to Global Leadership

Barry Irvin is Executive Chairman of the Bega Group. Barry grew up on his family dairy farm which his son Andrew now operates, Andrew is the sixth generation to farm in the Bega Valley. The long history with farming has meant that Barry has had a particular interest in sustainable agricultural production and championed several environmentally focused projects. Most recently Barry has led the establishment of a Regional Circularity Co-operative with the ambition of making the Bega Valley the most circular region in the world.

Rod Campbell – Chairman and Founding Director, SWAN Systems

Panel session 4 - Climate Resilience & Ag-Tech - Australia’s Path to Global Leadership

Rod Campbell has over 35 years of corporate experience including five years as a rural finance advisor before moving into Agri-banking in both NSW and WA, where he was State Manager for Rabobank Corporate Banking. Between 2004 and 2012 Rod moved to the mining sector where he was part of the early team that created Fortescue Metals Group “FMG”. During his time at FMG Rod was Company Secretary and Head of Investor Relations. In 2015 Rod joined with 2 others to collectively scope and develop the software package that now trades as SWAN Systems. The 3 founders all brought complementary skills to the SWAN team from hands-on farming experience to capital raising and corporate governance.

Lachlan Monsbourgh – Rabobank Global Rural Portfolio

Panel session 4 - Climate Resilience & Ag-Tech - Australia’s Path to Global Leadership

Lachlan Monsbourgh currently works for Rabobank’s Global Rural Portfolio which banks large-scale farmers across Oceania and the Americas. Lachlan’s primary responsibilities are quantifying the bank’s scope 3’s from the farm level and building training programs for staff and clients on the carbon journey. Lachlan’s work experience covers agronomy, agricultural management and trading across tropical commodities which included cutting his teeth in Papua New Guinea for 8 years.

Liam Lenaghan - Managing Director of goFARM Australia

Panel session 4 - Climate Resilience & Ag-Tech - Australia’s Path to Global Leadership

Liam Lenaghan over the past 20 years has developed a mix of agricultural capabilities, agricultural market insight, commercial & transactional experience, and financial expertise..Liam and the goFARM team have delivered investment-grade opportunities and ongoing management on more than 70,000ha of land across NSW, VIC, SA and TAS. Before establishing goFARM, Liam was director of DRAPAC Agricultural and General Manager of Agribusiness at Warakirri Asset Management. Liam holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons.) and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.

Coalition For Conservation

Cristina

Talacko - CEO

Cristina Talacko is the CEO of Coalition for Conservation. Cris has more than 20 years of experience in executive boards and management of NFPs. She is the founder of SalDoce Fine Foods, a manufacturer and exporter of health foods, a director on the board of the Export Council of Australia, the DFAT Council on Australia Latin America Relations and on the Advisory Board of Multicultural NSW. She’s in the Advisory Board of Viridios Capital, and she is a director of the think-tank Beyond Zero Emissions.

Cris can be contacted at +61 413 873 881

Hon. Larry Anthony AO - Chair

Larry Anthony is the former Federal President of the Australian National Party and founding Director of the Government Relations and Media Advisory, SAS Group. Before his commercial career, he was a Federal Minister, serving in the Howard Government. He held numerous Ministries in the areas of Social Security, including Children and Youth Affairs, and Community Services, and was Assistant Minister for Trade.

Dr Matt Edwards - Vice Chair

Matt is a solar and renewables scientist with over 20 years of industry and research experience, and has transferred technology to companies such as LG, Hyundai, SolarWorld, Suntech and Meyer Burger, among other companies in the USA, Europe, China and Korea. Currently heading up solar cell manufacturing at Adani Solar in India, Matt was previously Head of Solar Manufacturing at Fortescue and a Research Scientist and Technology Transfer Director at UNSW. Matt is a founder and a director of BlueVolt, a company devoted to urban access to solar power and a balanced, renewables-focussed power grid.

David Nixon - Treasurer

David is a Company Director, Board & Executive Advisor, Strategic Planning and Facilitator. David has 30 years’ of experience across multinationals, utilities, councils and small businesses in numerous roles. David has or continues to hold roles with KBR Ltd, Seqwater, Brisbane City Council, MidCoast County Council, ConnectiX Technologies, Expert Water Matters and HydroSun. David currently sits on the Audit & Governance Committee of the NSW Liberals. David holds a Masters of Business Administration & Master of Environmental Business Management from Newcastle University, A Bachelor of Engineering Science from UTS and Strategic Leadership from Oxford University.

Kerry Chikarovski - Director

Kerry Chikarovski is a former NSW Liberal Leader and the first woman to lead a major political party in NSW. She is the founder and Director of Chikarovski & Associates, a government relations, community engagement and stakeholder relations consultancy. Kerry holds several non-executive board roles including Our Watch and Tender Loving Cuisine Australia. She is the Chair of the NSW Women’s rugby union, an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, and a mentor with the Minerva Network, supporting professional sportswomen on and off the field. Kerry can be seen and heard regularly at Sky News, ABC Weekend Breakfast, 2GB Radio, ABC The Drum and Channel 7 Sunrise.