Speakers

Buddhika is Manager – Energy Futures at Mercury NZ Limited. He is responsible for strategy, business development and partnerships for new energy ventures. This includes areas such as battery storage, distributed energy resources, electric mobility, industrial decarbonisation and alternative energy carriers. Buddhika has a well-rounded commercial, regulatory and analytical appreciation for the New Zealand electricity market from eight years in roles covering high voltage transmission and trading analytics at Mercury.

Dr. Rowan Dixon leads WSP NZ’s sustainability insight and expertise. His training and experience across the public and private sector has sharpened his interrogation of climate and carbon policy and practice. Rowan supports authorities and asset owners across Aotearoa to navigate and deliver against their climate and carbon direction and ambition. He understands the interdependencies within these challenges and the complex trade-offs they share. He uses these insights to help decarbonise our built environment, our communities and our strategic and planning processes.

Jesse Corlett is Manager, Policy and Engagement at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). He has previously served as a Private Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Resources (then Hon Judith Collins), and as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). He holds a Master of Public Management from Victoria University of Wellington and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Cambridge.  

Carl was elected as a Trustee in September 2013, and has served as Chair from 2018. Through his career, he has been involved in Heavy Industry, Education, and Compliance.

Carl splits his time between Energy Consulting and the family’s Sawmilling enterprise. He has previously served as a Board member on the Forest Industry Training and Education Council, and Chair of the Solid Wood Processing Association.

Carl is active in community based Trusts and Clubs, and a committee member of the Invercargill Cultural Welfare Society.

Richard is the founder and Managing Director of Westlake Governance Limited, and brings enormous practical experience to his role, having been a board chair and director for more than 25 years in a very wide range of organisations. As a Board Chair, he has particular expertise and experience in leading transformational organisation change, across a range of sectors.

He works across New Zealand and Australia, and is increasingly in demand internationally.

Paul joined First Gas as CEO in June 2016 after more than a decade in a variety of roles at New Zealand’s second largest electricity and gas lines business, Powerco. Paul’s last role with Powerco was General Manager Operations Support.

In this position Paul led a team of more than 100 staff responsible for developing the company’s information technology, network information, and facility management systems. Paul’s team was also tasked with corporate affairs, as well as business and technology opportunities development.

Hon Megan Woods is a Christchurch local, and has been the Member of Parliament for Wigram since 2011. Following the 2017 election, Megan was sworn in as a Minister of the Crown with portfolio responsibilities including the Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Energy and Resources, and Research, Science and Innovation.

In the 2020 Labour Government, Megan was appointed Minister of Housing, Minister of Energy and Resources, and Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, alongside Associate Minister of Finance.

Raewyn is GM External Affairs at Transpower heading up communications and engagement, landowner relations, environmental and property management, iwi and community relations and sustainability.   Raewyn has worked in the sector for 20 years, both at Transpower and Meridian.  She has extensive RMA experience working on large infrastructure projects including consenting windfarms, hydro and irrigation schemes.  

Campbell Barry was elected to the Wainuiomata Community Board in 2010, and served as Wainuiomata’s ward councillor for two terms before being elected Mayor in October 2019. 

He was born and raised in Lower Hutt, and attended the local primary, intermediate and high school in Wainuiomata.  He lives there with his wife Laura, and is actively involved in the local community – playing club cricket and refereeing rugby. 

Jo is a Senior Corporate Counsel at Transpower, with an environmental law focus.  Jo has over 20 years RMA experience, including 10 years at commercial law firms.  In this time, Jo has worked on large infrastructure projects, for Transpower and other infrastructure operator providers.  Jo has been involved in numerous regulatory processes under the RMA and other fast track legislation, including select committee hearings and council plan making processes.

Dr Nicola Crauford (Nicki) has extensive industry knowledge and governance experience. Nicki is currently Chair of GNS Science and Director at Kāinga Ora, Watercare Services and CentrePort. Previously Nicki has held executive roles in the sector with Transpower and governance roles with Genesis Energy, Orion New Zealand and Pioneer Energy.

Nicki’s industry and governance experience also includes roles at Environmental Protection Authority, Wellington Water, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and the Institute of Directors.

Guy Waipara (Rongowhakaata) was appointed to General Manager of Generation and Natural Resources in November 2017. Prior to this he was General Manager of Markets and Production from April 2016, and held the role of General Manager of External Relations from August 2010. Guy has held roles at Meridian in offshore business development and setting company strategy. He has over 25 years' experience in the electricity sector and previously worked at Transpower New Zealand Limited in roles responsible for transmission planning and network development.

Michael had worked in the communications industry for over 11 years, mostly in the Telecom dealer channel working primarily with business and rural customers. After seeing the limited offerings and challenges to rural customers and the opportunity to do something about this, Michael started Ultimate mobile taking the experience he obtained through years in the industry.

Emily Calvert is the Senior Policy Advisor of BusinessNZ Energy Council, working with the Executive Director Energy and Innovation, Tina Schirr. Her responsibilities include identifying strategic trends, providing advice based on robust analysis and advocating on behalf of council members.

Over the last 18 years, Michael has been working with the technology community to develop and implement mobility solutions for mission and business critical applications. With extensive experience across the Health & Government, Field Service, Retail & Logistics sectors, Michael understands the challenges that working in harsh and remote environments can present and how to provide exceptional solutions by successfully deploying, managing and supporting technology that is fit for purpose.

Craig is Jacobs’ global technical leader in resilience and climate change. He specialises in climate change natural hazards vulnerability and risk, as well as planning for resilience in transportation infrastructure and for water and energy utilities.

Stuart has more than 20 years experience in the international energy sector and more than 15 years in climate change policy.

Kieran held the role of General Manager System Operations from 2004 to 2014. prior to this Kieran was General Manager Service Delivery, a role he held since joining Transpower in 2002. His previous roles have included General Manager Generation for ECNZ, where he managed over 95% of New Zealand’s electricity generation system, and General Manager, Beca Power for engineering consultants Beca Carter Hollings and Ferner Limited.

Alison joined Transpower in 2014. She has held a number of senior executive roles across various industry sectors, most recently as Global Head of Chemicals for Orica PLC.  She is a Director for Port of Tauranga, and has been a Director for Genesis Energy.  

Prior to these roles, she held a number of senior roles at Fonterra Cooperative Group and across the Fletcher Challenge Group in Energy, Forests and Paper.  Alison has a MBA from Warwick University, and studied Engineering (Chemicals and Materials) at Auckland University.

Shane is a champion of health & safety and enabling people to perform at their best. Previously Chief Executive of Dominion Salt since 2012 and Managing Director of FTL, Shane is well-known in industry circles.

He has a depth of experience in New Zealand and has also held executive positions for global brands such as Navman, where he was Vice-President, and market-leading engineering services business, Schlumberger Oilfield Services, where he worked across a range of functions and roles in Asia, Australasia, United States and the Middle East over 13 years.

Toby is a Consulting Director with international economics consulting firm Sapere Research Group. His expert area is electricity trading and risk management and he established himself as an independent energy consultant in 2004. Toby was the General Manager Electricity Trading at Contact Energy from its inception in 1996 to 2003 and has held a number of industry governance positions.

Peter is a chartered engineer and the CEO of Westpower. Prior to this he was General Manager of Mitton ElectroNet. Peter has a background in technical and commercial leadership in renewable energy, transmission and distribution engineering.

Dr Layton is the immediate past chair of the Electricity Authority, a role he held for 10 years. Dr Layton is also a former senior fellow and chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER). He has been a director or chairman of organisations in sectors as diverse as banking and finance, health, scientific research, electricity, food processing, transport and information technology.

Sheridan was the Chief Executive of lines company Counties Power, and is currently deputy chair of Kordia, a board member of Transpower, NZTA, Timberlands and is chair of smart meter analytics company Ampli.

Sheridan’s executive career has largely been in telecommunications, contracting and the IT sectors in NZ, Australia and the Pacific region, joining the energy sector in 2010 in an executive role with Genesis Energy. 

John Hancock is an independent consultant to utility companies and their suppliers, drawing on his valuable combination of deep experience in both technology and deregulation as key dimensions of the strategic environment in the sector. He has a 20 year career in the utilities industry including 14 years with Ernst & Young, Capgemini and Hewlett Packard (HP) in the Asia Pacific. John has worked with over 50 clients in the utility industry across 11 countries.