List of Confirmed Speakers Hon. Anna Bligh, Premier of Queensland and Minister for the Arts The Hon Anna Bligh MP made history on 21 March 2009, when she became the first popularly elected female Premier in Australia. Prior to the election, she served as Queensland Premier from 13 September 2007, following the resignation of Peter Beattie. Ms Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland. She grew up on the Gold Coast, attending Catholic primary schools and Miami State High School, before completing the last six months of her schooling at Nowra State High School. She became Deputy Premier of Queensland in July 2005 - the same month she celebrated 10 years as Member for South Brisbane. As Deputy Premier she was also Treasurer and Minister for Infrastructure, running the $33 billion Queensland State Budget and leading construction of the $9 billion South-East Queensland Water Grid. Ms Bligh was formerly Minister for Finance, State Development, Trade and Innovation. Prior to that she was Queensland's first female Education Minister, spending almost 5 years overseeing the most significant reforms to the state‘s education system in decades. Hon. Wayne Swan, Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia The Hon Wayne Swan MP was sworn in as Treasurer on 3 December 2007, and handed down the Rudd Government's first Budget on 13 May 2008. Wayne has been the Member for Lilley from 1993 to 1996, and from 1998 to the present. In 2005 he published Postcode: the Splintering of a Nation, a well-received book on economic and social policy in Australia. Before his appointment to his current role, Wayne was Shadow Treasurer for three years and Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services for six years before that. Wayne was for twelve years a lecturer at the Queensland Institute of Technology (now QUT), then ran the Queensland Branch of the Australian Labour Party. He was born 30 June 1954 in Nambour, and grew up on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
12
Embed
List of Confirmed Speakers - Conference Online...Vivek Pandit, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Vivek Pandit is working as a Director in FICCI and heads
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
List of Confirmed Speakers
Hon. Anna Bligh, Premier of Queensland and Minister for the Arts
The Hon Anna Bligh MP made history on 21 March 2009, when she became the first
popularly elected female Premier in Australia. Prior to the election, she served as
Queensland Premier from 13 September 2007, following the resignation of Peter
Beattie.
Ms Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland. She grew up on the Gold Coast,
attending Catholic primary schools and Miami State High School, before completing
the last six months of her schooling at Nowra State High School.
She became Deputy Premier of Queensland in July 2005 - the same month she
celebrated 10 years as Member for South Brisbane. As Deputy Premier she was also Treasurer and
Minister for Infrastructure, running the $33 billion Queensland State Budget and leading construction of the
$9 billion South-East Queensland Water Grid.
Ms Bligh was formerly Minister for Finance, State Development, Trade and Innovation. Prior to that she
was Queensland's first female Education Minister, spending almost 5 years overseeing the most significant
reforms to the state‘s education system in decades.
Hon. Wayne Swan, Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia
The Hon Wayne Swan MP was sworn in as Treasurer on 3 December 2007, and
handed down the Rudd Government's first Budget on 13 May 2008. Wayne has been
the Member for Lilley from 1993 to 1996, and from 1998 to the present. In 2005 he
published Postcode: the Splintering of a Nation, a well-received book on economic
and social policy in Australia.
Before his appointment to his current role, Wayne was Shadow Treasurer for three
years and Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services for six years before
that. Wayne was for twelve years a lecturer at the Queensland Institute of Technology
(now QUT), then ran the Queensland Branch of the Australian Labour Party.
He was born 30 June 1954 in Nambour, and grew up on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Loftus Harris AM, Queensland Government Special Representative to the Middle East and India
Mr Loftus Harris has extensive experience in international trade, investment, and
economic development having held positions as Chief Executive and Director-General
and as a Senior Executive in the Queensland and New South Wales public sectors,
and in the Australian Trade Commission.
Having served as an Australian Trade Commissioner and Senior Trade Commissioner
in Australian embassies in West Africa, Asia, Scandinavia, Europe and the Middle East
and as head of the India, Middle East, and Africa Branch of Austrade in Canberra,
Loftus has extensive international operational and policy experience in export and
investment development.
Loftus has served as Chair and member of numerous state and national bodies concerned with
international trade and business development. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company
Directors, the national President of the Australian Institute of Export and was appointed a Member of the
Order of Australia in 2008.
Neville Roach AO, Member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas
Indians
Neville Roach was born in Bharuch, Gujarat, India. He was transferred to Australia by
the New India Assurance Company Limited in 1961 and has lived in Australia ever
since. He is married, has 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
Mr Roach is highly respected as a business and community leader who has made a
significant contribution to the IT industry, the Education and Research sector, the
development of social policy, especially relating to immigration and multicultural
community relations, and Australia‘s overseas relations, especially with India.
Mr Roach is a graduate of the University of Bombay, India, where he majored in
economics and political science from St Xavier‘s College, winning two university awards, the S K Patil Gold
Medal and Prize for standing first in Political Science and the Ellis Scholarship and Prize for standing first
in English.
Mr Roach has had a distinguished career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry,
which began with IBM Australia in 1965. He worked for Fujitsu Australia from 1980 to 2004, during which
he rose to the position of Chairman and CEO. He is currently Chairman of TCS-FNS and TCS
Management, Australian subsidiaries of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India‘s largest IT company. He
is also an Advisor to TCS Australia.
In the wider business sphere, Mr. Roach‘s appointments have included Director of OneSteel Limited and
NRMA Building Society. He was also Director and New South Wales President of the Committee for the
Doug McTaggart is the Chief Executive of QIC a leading institutional investment
manager with $65 billion* in funds under management. * as at 31 December, 2009 for a
broad range of private and public sector clients.
Dr McTaggart has held various positions as an academic economist, finishing as
Professor of Economics and Associate Dean at Bond University. Prior to joining QIC he
was the Under Treasurer and Under Secretary of the Queensland Department of
Treasury.
He is currently a Councillor on the National Competition Council, a member of the COAG Reform Council,
and a Director of CEDA.
He is a past President of the Economic Society, Australia, has been a member of the Australian
Accounting Standards Board, a Council Member of the Queensland University of Technology and was a
Director (and past Chair) of the Investment & Financial Services Association.
He has been published extensively in academic journals, is the author of several economics textbooks,
and holds both an Honours Degree in Economics from the Australian National University and a Masters
Degree and PhD from the University of Chicago.
Huw McKay, Director of Economics, Westpac
Huw McKay, Director and Senior International Economist, joined Westpac‘s Economic
Research team in the year 2000. He is the Bank‘s spokesperson on pan-Asian
economic and market issues. He has recently completed a secondment to the Federal
Treasury as Principal Advisor Financial Markets.
His research covers issues related to Asia, world growth, macro-financial linkages,
demographics and urbanisation, resource intensity and policy design. He is the author
of a number of scholarly articles on Asia. His article entitled ―Consider India‖, penned
almost a decade ago, awoke many in the financial markets to the country‘s enormous
long run potential.
Huw has visited India as both an economist and a cricketer (under the flag of Sydney University).
It is rumoured that he is also the author of Phat Dragon, Westpac‘s weekly chronicle of the Chinese
economy. Huw is affiliated with the Global Dynamic Systems Centre at the Australian National University.
Vanessa Sullivan, Executive Director, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young
Vanessa has extensive experience in Queensland across the resource, energy and
water sectors. Vanessa has been a senior member of energy and water reform teams
and has played a key role in a number of market reform related areas namely:
Advisor to a number of private sector corporate entities on both water and energy
market developments and risks;
Project manager with the Office of Energy responsible for the development of a
revised energy procurement arrangement for the entire Queensland franchise load;
Advisor to the Queensland Office of Energy in relation to the 13% gas scheme;
Advisor to the Queensland Government on Queensland‘s Full Retail Competition project;
Vanessa has also been involved in assisting clients develop their strategic responses and risk assessment
frameworks in a carbon constrained environment
Dr. Ligia Noronha, Director, Resources, Economic Regulation & Global Security Division,
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India
Dr Ligia Noronha is a Senior Fellow of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India, and Director of the Resources and Global Security Division. The Division serves as a focal point for TERI‘s research on studies and strategies for resources – conserving, sharing, responsible development, and use – to assist India‘s efforts at developing a positive vision for a more global and regional security. Her work at TERI includes leading and managing a research agenda and team on resource security, resource and environmental federalism, and policy issues relating to
emerging technologies, trade and environment. She has an M.A. in Economics from the University of Bombay, and an M.Sc in Sea Use Law, Economics and Policy, and a PhD from the London School of Economics.
Paul Curnow, Partner, Baker & McKenzie
Paul is a Partner of Baker & McKenzie's Global Environmental Markets Practice, having
specialised in renewable, carbon and environmental markets for over 10 years. Paul
advises government, multilateral and private sector clients on domestic and
international climate and renewable energy regulation and policy, cross-border
renewable and carbon project development and financing, and structured carbon
financing deals in OTC and exchange-traded markets. Between 2001 and 2004 Paul
was an international climate change negotiator with the Australian Greenhouse Office.
Nicholas Jacobson, Senior Engineer Renewable Energy, RenewablesSA, Government of South
Australia
Nicholas Jacobson is a Senior Engineer in Renewable Energy, has more than 8 years
experience in the sector. With international experience in the renewable energy sector,
many clients and communities now benefit from his capabilities in wind and photovoltaic
energy generation. His work in Australia and Asia Pacific has extended to identification,
evaluation, EIS, process design, due diligence and government approval of renewable
energy projects.
Greg Nielsen, Assistant Director General, Office of Clean Energy, Queensland Government
Greg Nielsen is Assistant Director-General of the Queensland Government‘s Office of Clean Energy
(OCE).
With growing carbon constraints, the OCE is charged with delivering a robust clean
energy sector, improving the resilience and competitiveness of Queensland industry
and boosting regional productivity.
The 2009 Queensland Renewable Energy Plan is helping stimulate up to $3.5 billion in
new investment, creating up to 3,500 new jobs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
by more than 40 million tonnes by 2020.
To support the plan, the OCE is developing the Queensland Energy Management Plan to foster energy
efficiency and demand management technologies, attract investment, create new green jobs and engage
the community about the opportunities and benefits of clean energy.
Before joining the OCE, Greg worked with Ergon Energy for 14 years in strategic development, regulation,
customer service, business development and network analysis.
Tony St Clair, Agribusiness Manager, MBD Energy
Tony was Chief Executive of Federated Farmers of New Zealand for eight years
(1997-2005). The organisation had approximately 19000 farm members at the end of
Tony‘s tenure.
He has been on multiple committees at CEO level within New Zealand. The have
involved; International trade, food safety, human capacity building, farm safety,
various emergency response groups for both adverse events and biosecurity.
Over this time in New Zealand he has also represented the Agriculture Sector in
W.T.O forums( Seattle, Cancun) and International Federation of Agricultural Producers ,Cairns Group
Farm leaders and CER Ministerials. He was Chair of the Australian New Zealand Business Council in
2004. Tony also attended the COP 15 in Copenhagen in late 2009.
Prior to his time in New Zealand he was Executive Director of the Victorian Farmers Federation (1990-97)
and had extensive commodity trading and commercial background in the agricultural production and
processing industry. This included terms as Commercial
This included terms as a livestock auctioneer, Commercial Manager for Uncle Ben‘s of Australia (1978 -85)
and D.R.Johnston /Conagra (1986-1990).
Vivek Pandit, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Vivek Pandit is working as a Director in FICCI and heads the Energy Division, which
includes Power, Hydrocarbon, Nuclear and Coal. As leader of the Energy team at
FICCI, Mr. Pandit works closely with the concerned ministries at Central and State
level, Regulatory bodies, energy companies both in the public and private sector,
and other experts, to bring to fore FICCI‘s stance on matters related to the energy
sector. In addition, Vivek is also the Director of the Defence & Aerospace Practice at
FICCI. He has been associated with FICCI for the past 15 years and is a post
Graduate in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.
FICCI is the Apex Business Organization in the country and has evolved to become a ―Partner in
Progress‖ with the Government, representing various regional and local Chambers of Commerce, Trade
Associations and Industry Bodies, speaking directly and indirectly for over 2,50,000 business units- small,
medium and large- employing around 20 million people. FICCI also has direct membership of about 2000
companies from private, public and multinational sectors. FICCI has been playing a pivotal role in the
formulation of major economic policies. It has encouraged and adopted strategies for greater private sector
participation, free markets, exports and foreign direct investment and has contributed significantly to the
development of all sectors of the economy.
Dr Gon Chaudhuri, National Co-ordinator, Department of Science and Technology, India
Gon studied at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, securing a Degree in Bachelor of
Electrical Engineering achieving a 1st Class, as well as a Certificate course on
Renewable Energy. Gon is trained on New Technology and Renewable Energy in
different Institutions of UK - British Council Programme.
As a National Co-ordinator Mr. Gon Chaudhuri designs and assists with different
groups in regards to implementation of the project, where he trains the Project Heads.
He has to monitor the project and prepare the O&M manual of Micro hydel units, Solar
PV units and Biomass Gasifier units. The Project includes installation of Solar PV
systems, Micro Hydel units and the Biomass Gasifier unit. The duration of the project is 2.5 years and
about 1000 number of families will get grid quality electricity from the projects. There are approximately 20
technologists are working under the guidance of Mr. S.P.Gon Chaudhuri to execute the project well within
time frame.
Tony Denholder, Partner, Blake Dawson
Tony is the Practice Head of Blake Dawson's Resources and Native Title practice in Brisbane. He specialises in advising clients in the mining and energy sector, and has an acknowledged national expertise in native title law. Tony advises on the development of major resource and infrastructure projects, including new mines, gas pipelines and rail and port infrastructure. He is experienced in negotiating with Government on regulatory approvals and other support for proposed projects.
Tony is a lead partner in respect of some of the most important infrastructure projects currently being developed in Queensland:
Wiggins Island Coal Terminal – a proposed $4 billion development in Gladstone involving a
consortium of 18 coal companies.
Santos' proposed Liquefied Natural Gas project in Gladstone (capex expected to exceed $7 billion).
The Surat Basin Rail project involving a consortium including Queensland Rail and Xstrata.
Hancock Coal's proposed Alpha Project in the Galilee Basin (involving a new mine, rail infrastructure
and development at Abbot Point).
Adviser to Rio Tinto, Santos, BHP Billiton and Anglo Coal in respect of their Queensland operations for over a decade.
Mark Pervan, Head of Commodities Research, ANZ
Mark Pervan is ANZ‘s Head of Commodity Research. He has been involved in the
research of Australian listed mining companies and global commodity markets for the
past 16 years. His role at ANZ is to set the bank‘s strategy and price forecasts for the
global metal and energy markets. Mark travels extensively throughout Australia and
the Asian region marketing to key industry participants, is often interviewed by local
and international media, and regularly participates in commodity-based seminars.
Prior to joining ANZ in August 2007, Mark worked for nine years as the Australian
resources analyst and global commodity strategist for Japanese Investment Bank,
Daiwa Securities SMBC. In his last four years with Daiwa he was Australian head of research. Prior to
Daiwa, he worked for four years with ABN AMRO as the banks Australian gold and metals mining analyst.
Mark grew up in New Zealand, graduating from the University of Victoria with a double major in finance
and economics.
Paul Mulder, Managing Director Coal, Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd
Paul Mulder is Managing Director – Coal. He has been heading up the Alpha Coal and
Kevin‘s Corner Projects since September 2007, His responsibilities have increased to
include the Kevin‘s Corner Coal Project in Queensland also.
Prior to joining Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd Paul worked in a variety of operating and
management positions in the steel and resources industries. Paul commenced his
career at BHP Steel subsequently transferring to other divisions in coal (BHP Mitsubishi
Alliance) and iron ore (Western Australian Iron Ore). Paul also worked for BIS
Industries (formerly part of Brambles) in the provision of contract mining services.
Paul is a Materials Engineer and has an MBA with approximately 17 years of operational and commercial
experience.
David Stolz, Director Coal Infrastructure Taskforce, Department of Infrastructure and Planning,
Queensland Government
David Stolz has 20 years experience in a range of industrial sectors, from
telecommunications to banking and insurance, and government sectors. David is
currently the Director of the Queensland Government's Coal Infrastructure Taskforce,
which was established in the Department of Infrastructure and Planning to lead whole-of-
government planning for coal infrastructure.
Ajit Kumar, General Manager, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
Sh Ajit Kumar graduated in Electrical Engineering in 1980 from Delhi College of
Engineering. He joined NTPC as Executive Trainee in 1980. He has been associated
with engineering of Thermal and Gas based power projects in NTPC. He has served
as Head of Department in Electrical engineering and Quality assurance and
Inspection departments of NTPC. Presently he is working as General Manager
(Project Engineering—Task Force) supervising engineering activities of various
plants.
D.N. Prasad, Director (Technical), Ministry of Coal, Government of India
Mr. D.N. Prasad, graduated in Mining Engineering from the Osmania University,
Hyderabad, India in 1978 and has over three decades of long experience in India‘s coal
and energy sectors covering operation and management of coal mines and
development policy planning for coal and lignite. Mr. Prasad is a holder of First Class
Mine Manager‘s Certificate of Competency to manage coal mines and MBA from
University of Hull, UK. He served public sector coal companies Coal India Ltd. and
Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. before joining the services of the Planning Commission‘s
Energy Division, Government of India where he was involved in development policy for
coal and lignite broadly covering areas of exploration, production, coal demand, coal
movement, techno economic appraisal of coal sector projects, coal bed methane, clean coal technologies,
environmental appraisals, perspective planning etc. He is presently continuing as Director (Technical) in
the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, New Delhi and working on development policy for coal and
lignite.
Manish Garg, Principal – Corporate Services, Xstract Mining Consultants
Manish has some 20 years mining experience in mining operations, marketing,
corporate roles and consulting. Before joining Xstract Manish has managed business
analysis, planning and improvement functions at Rio Tinto Coal, BHP Billiton Illawarra
Coal, WMC Resources, Oceanagold and Pasminco.
Manish‘s experience includes market intelligence, due diligence, metal and concentrate
marketing, valuation, strategic planning and optimizing business performance. M
Manish has managed and worked on due diligences, feasibility studies and reviews for
banks, financial investors and mining companies on worldwide projects including
Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Congo, Zambia, Kazakhstan, Peru & Bolivia. Manish is a
B.Eng (Hons) (Metallurgical Engineering), Master of Applied Finance, and a member of the Financial
Services Institute of Australia.
Jim Varghese, CEO, Springfield Land Corporation
Jim Varghese AM is the Chief Executive Officer with the Springfield Land Corporation.
Mr Varghese oversights the development of the international award winning world‘s
leading master planned city – Greater Springfield. He is accountable to the Chairman
and Managing Director for the delivery of the development of the city of Springfield,
which is located in the heart of the fastest growing region in south East Queensland.
Springfield comprises of more than 2,860 hectares, Greater Springfield, embodies all
facets of lifestyle, from shopping to schools to business parks offering state of the art
technology, set in an environmentally and sustainable lifestyle.
Mr Varghese has over 30 years experience in the Australian public sector in leading multifaceted
government agencies covering transport, education, training, employment and primary industries. Mr
Varghese has an outstanding track record as a Chief Executive capable of running multifaceted
businesses with a determined focus and proven ability to deliver outcomes with excellence and innovation.
He has successfully driven and implemented the Queensland Government‘s Smart State reform agenda in
Main Roads, Education, Training, Employment and more recently, Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Mr Varghese has a professional and passionate interest in service delivery and best practice management.
He is the creator of the award winning "Three Learning Frames" management approach, which aligns
outcomes with congruent relationships, structures, systems and capabilities. He was awarded the
Centenary Medal for services to the Public Sector and in 2009 was awarded an Order of Australia for
Services to Public Sector Reform and Services to the Community. He is a Fellow of the CPA and
Australian Institute of Management, Co-Patron of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland,
board member of Australia 21 and the Puuya Foundation.
Leo Zussino, CEO, Gladstone Port Corporation
MR LEO M ZUSSINO was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Gladstone Ports
Corporation (GPC - previously Gladstone Port Authority) on 19 October 2000. His role at
GPC is to direct and control the business and operational activities of the Ports
Corporation, providing leadership in developing plans and strategies to ensure short and
long term objectives are achieved.
He was previously Chairman of the Gladstone Ports Authority (GPA) from 1990 to 1999;
Chairman of the Queensland Ports‘ Association (QPA) from 1992 to 1999; President of
the Australian Association of Port and Marine Authorities Incorporated (AAPMA) from
1996 to 1999, Member of the Council of Central Queensland University (CQU) from 1990 to 2001 and
Chairman of the Gladstone Advisory Committee for the Central Queensland University from 1991 to 2003.
Mr Zussino is presently Chairman of the Australia Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and Chairman of the
Gladstone Economic and Industry Development Board (GEIDB).
He was awarded the James Goldston Award for ‗outstanding contribution to the development of
Engineering facilities and programs for the Gladstone Campus of the Central Queensland University‘ in
1998. The official naming of the Leo Zussino Building in May 2004 served to further recognise Leo‘s
significant contribution to the development of the Gladstone campus.
Mr Zussino has presented papers on the Queensland coal industry and the Port of Gladstone at numerous
Australian and International Conferences. He is an annual presenter at the Australia Coaltrans
Conference and has presented papers at the World Coaltrans Conference on a regular basis.
Bruce Munro, Chief Executive Mining, Thiess
Bruce Munro is a 1974 graduate from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University
of NSW in Sydney.
He has spent 36 years employed in the construction and mining industries. Projects
involved roads, bridges, marine facilities and heavy civil engineering construction and
industrial buildings through Australia, India and Vietnam.
For four years after graduation Bruce worked as an Engineer with the Department of
Main Roads in Sydney. In 1978 he joined Leighton Contractors working on the ANL
and CTAL Container terminals at Botany Bay, followed by two years in Hobart with
Leighton Candac on a major bridge construction then three years with Pearson Bridge on the Abbot Point
Coal Loader in North Queensland, a bridge on the Gold Coast, a 13 months stint as the Chief Engineer
and 12 months in Melbourne on the Flinders Street Railway Station Redevelopment.
Bruce joined Thiess in 1986 as Project Manager for construction of a large incremental launch bridge. In
1989 he transferred with Thiess as Project Manager in East Kalimantan. In 1993 Bruce was transferred by
Thiess as Country Manager for their operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He returned to Indonesia
in July 1997 to work for Thiess Indonesia as Manager for the construction of a major telecommunications
projects in Central Java.
In 1999 Bruce was appointed President Director of PT Thiess Contractors Indonesia, a role he fulfilled for
eight years. During this time the Indonesian arm of Thiess underwent major growth and won several major
mining and construction contracts which saw the business expand from US$130 million annual turnover to
US$500 million per year.
In August 2007, Bruce was promoted to Executive General Manager Asia to enable him to focus on the
Thiess Group‘s growing Asian interests and in particular the opportunities in India. In January 2010, he
was appointed Chief Executive Mining, bringing together all of the Thiess Group‘s mining operations under
one leadership. From July 2010 Bruce will be based in the Thiess Corporate office in South Bank,
Brisbane, Australia.
Y.K Sehgal, Executive Director, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL)
Y.K. Sehgal is presently working as Executive Director (SEF, CE & IT) in Power Grid
Corporation of India Ltd., the Central Transmission Utility, and is responsible for
complete Transmission System planning, studies and analysis, technological
initiatives, strengthening of National Grid, open access, preparation of Detailed Project
Report, project cost estimates, R&D, IT activities, coordination of construction
activities, information technology integration in transmission systems etc.
Mr. Sehgal has over 28 years professional experience at various capacities in the field
of Transmission and open access. He has implemented various innovative
techniques/R&D activities in transmission systems, National grid through interconnections etc. towards
development of efficient T&D network with minimum environmental impact in a cost effective manner.
He is member of CIGRE and published a number of technical papers in various international and National
forums.
Suman Kumar, Director, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
While serving as Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry‘s (CII) Energy &
Climate Change Program, Suman has been responsible for formulating CII‘s legislative
and regulatory policies on behalf of energy sector member companies, and devising
advocacy strategies and awareness initiatives that promote deployment of energy
efficiency measures, renewable energy technologies and other climate-friendly
technologies. He has also gathered vast research and consultancy experience on
energy efficiency, carbon trading, renewable energy, energy financing/investment and
energy trading & derivatives.
Suman has extensive record in conceptualization, acquisition, management & execution of CII‘s donor
funded projects on renewable energy, climate change, rural electrification and carbon trading &
derivatives. Donors included European Commission, DFID, British High Commission, USAID, UNDP,
Asian Development Bank, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.
He also has vast experience in serving on several Government/Industry task forces, committees, working
groups and research groups mandated to devise policy change instruments, financial incentives and legal
instruments in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy
He has significant experience in organizing executive business delegations, policy roundtables,
conferences, training and awareness programs that facilitate networking and collaboration among key
energy sector stakeholders. He is also experienced in teaching/mentoring of energy professionals and
students on topics such as climate change, carbon trading, energy financing and rural electrification.
Suman got trained as a business economist at University of Delhi. He completed the Financial Risk
Management (FRM) course (2005) from Global Association of Risk Professionals. He also completed CFA
course conducted by CFA Institute and now is a CFA charter holder. He has also completed several
training courses on energy trading and derivatives conducted by ICE Futures, London; NYMEX; Energy
Management Institute, New York and certificate courses on renewable energy from Renec Academy,
Berlin and Institute of Energy Economics, Tokyo. Recently, he has been a Chevening Fellow with
University of Edinburgh at UK and completed course on ‗Finance and Investment in Low Carbon Economy‘
Mark Couchman, Associate Director, Natural Resources Group Institutional Banking, ANZ
Mark is a career banker, with experience over 10 years and spanning multiple
geographies including Europe and Asia. Since joining ANZ's Natural Resources
Group in December 2005, Mark has expanded ANZ's banking and finance capabilities
and relationships to the resources industry in Queensland & in PNG. Prior to joining
ANZ, Mark spent 3 years in London, at ABN Amro as a Senior Capital Analyst,
responsible for the management of balance sheet and allocation of capital for the
group‘s Institutional clients. Mark holds a Bachelor of Business (Management),
Graduate Certificate in Finance and is in the final stages of completing his Masters of
Business Administration at QUT.
S.K.Srivastava, Director General, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons
Mr. Srivastava did his post graduation in Geology from Lucknow University, India. He
joined Oil India Limited (OIL) in 1977 where he worked for more than 30 years in the
spheres of Exploration and Production. He has been the Chief Adviser (Exploration &
Development), Country Manager of Oil India Limited‘s Libya Operations. He has
actively guided OIL in national and international bidding in several countries in Africa,
Middle East, South East Asia and North American Continents. He was also Head of
Exploration for OIL in North East India. He was responsible for several oil and gas
discoveries and credited with setting up Oil India‘s state of the art G&G Interpretation Centre and Libya
Project where the Company has exploration acreages. Prior to his joining as Director General Directorate
General of Hydrocarbons, Mr Srivastava held the position of Director Operations in Oil India Limited, the
post which he joined after his short tenure of 2 years as Deputy Director General in the Directorate
General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).
Mr. Srivastava is currently the Director General of DGH and is responsible for giving technical advice to the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on the exploration of oil and gas, Reservoir management review of
exploration programmes and the relinquishment of acreage. He is also responsible for the continuous
review of discovered reserves, development plans and repository of E&P data besides laying down
strategies for exploration abroad. He is the Technical coordinator of the Indian National Gas Hydrate
Programme. Under his able leadership renewed emphasis is being given to the exploration and
exploitation of Coal Bed Methane, Oil Shales and Shale gas in the country.
The Director General faces the challenge of improving the quality and pace of exploration in India. Besides
ensuring optimal exploitation of discovered reserves, attracting global E&P companies is also an equally
important task.
He is an ardent reader and has a knack over languages. He can speak in most of the 30 odd regional
languages spoken in India He is fond of music and is a keen golfer.
Drew Edwards, Associate Director Natural Resources Group Institutional Banking, ANZ
Drew joined the ANZ Natural Resources Group (NRG) in March 2008. He is the NRG
petroleum industry expert responsible for the financial review of petroleum companies
and the technical and economic analysis of petroleum projects. Prior to this Drew was
Head of Economic Evaluation Australia/Asia for BHPBilliton Petroleum. Drew has 15
years petroleum industry experience, including:
Head of Economic Evaluation Australia/Asia for BHPBilliton Petroleum (Perth)
Senior Business Analyst: Business Development BHPBilliton (London)
Lead Mechanical Engineer, Woodside Petroleum Development Engineering Consultant (Perth)
Mal Hellmuth, General Manager, Strategic Economic Projects, Government of Queensland
Mal Hellmuth is the General Manager of the Strategic Economic Projects Unit in the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation of the Queensland Government. He is responsible for the facilitation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects throughout Queensland and for leading the development of a Queensland Government position in relation to the emerging coal seam gas and LNG industries. Mal has worked for the private and public sectors on a range of complex infrastructure projects.
With background in asset planning management and valuation, Mal has also held General Manager
positions associated with the development and delivery of major infrastructure programs by the
Queensland Government. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and has extensive experience in
policy development, program delivery, strategic planning, and community engagement.
Mr Alistair Webb is Geodynamics‘ Commercial Manager, responsible for overseeing
the commercial development of all the company‘s hot fractured rock geothermal
projects. A chartered accountant, Alistair also develops strategies for third-party
involvement in the company and provides managerial direction and oversight of all
media and investor relations activities.
Mr Webb was previously Energy Derivatives Manager at Eraring Energy where he
played a key role in developing and implementing a greenhouse gas / emission trading
strategy for the company‘s renewable portfolio.
Nathan Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell Energy
Nathan Mitchell has a lifelong involvement with the drilling and resource exploration industry. Throughout this time he has developed both skilled technical ability and commercial management expertise. As CEO of Mitchell Drilling for six years, Nathan doubled the size of the company and directed international expansion to Indonesia, India, China, USA and Zambia. After the sale of Mitchell Drilling's Australian operations in August, 2008, Nathan incorporated Mitchell Group as a governing company to all existing international operations and future energy sector expansion.