The Region’s Premier Industry Event

Thanks to our Event Partners.

The Capricorn Enterprise Major Projects Forum was the premier project forum in the region, covering projects investing over $5bn in our region through to 2024/25.

By June 2024, Australia’s population will be 600k less than the pre-COVID projections [1]. However, we expect that the Queensland economy will outpace the national economy over this period due to construction, mining and agriculture development.

Within our region, roads, energy, defence and water projects are expected to sustain elevated levels of project activity, the most significant being the $1bn Rockhampton Ring Road and the Defence Initiatives at Shoalwater Bay.

The forum also looked forward to the next generation of development, including opportunities in emerging industries such as renewable energy and hydrogen.

About Our Partners

CQG Consulting is a showcase example of a successful business established in Rockhampton. Built on the commitment to provide practical, tailored services, CQG’s team of environmental scientists, ecologists, planners, spatial analysts and engineers has been instrumental in the delivery of sustainable development projects throughout Queensland since 2003.

• Environmental Lead, ASMTI Shoalwater Bay Training Area Project
• Environmental Advisors, Rookwood Weir Project
• Project manager EIS Great Keppel Island Project
• Panel providers – Dept of Transport & Main Roads, Majority of Councils Regional Qld
• Over 30 permanent staff and 15 casual staff throughout Qld
• ISO Certified
• 50 % owner of Tunuba, Darumbal Indigenous business

From humble beginnings over 70 years ago, John Holland has been driving positive change, and is now one of Australasia’s leading infrastructure and property companies.

From Parliament House to the Alice to Darwin Rail Link, from the MCG’s Great Southern Stand to Sydney Metro, we’ve had a hand in the Australia we all know today.

We’re up for the challenge of improving lives.

We are currently involved in delivering many of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects. Whatever we face, the heart of what we do is creating people-centred solutions to complex challenges and opportunities. 

We think deeply about what we do and how it affects communities. We push boundaries and innovate, gain trust through our actions and whatever the project, we’re in it for the long, long term.

This purpose is what really matters to us – our people, our customers and the communities in which we work.

Forum Schedule

Our 2021 forum themes included topics relevant to current major project initiatives, as well as forward-looking aspects of developments in our region:

• Future energy

• Project delivery

• Technology and innovation

• Local content

Call us on 07 4927 2055 or email us at mpf2021@capricornenterprise.com.au for more information.

Date: 28th of October 2021

Venue
Frenchville Sports Club
105 Clifton Street
North Rockhampton
Queensland 4701

Registration
Member Rate: $109.00
Non-Member Rate: $149.00

Event Contact
Carmel Humphries
Phone: 07 4927 2055
Email: mpf2021@capricornenterprise.com.au

Documents
Sponsorship Prospectus
Cancellation Policy

Register Here

Forum Presenters

Peter Schofield

General Manager, Energy & Infrastructure, Yurika, Energy Queensland

Peter has more than 24 years experience in executive leadership, general management, strategy, business growth, project development and consultancy roles across Australia and internationally. His senior leadership experience is grounded in large multi-jurisdictional and geographically dispersed projects and organisations with complex stakeholder requirements. These roles and assignments were time boxed, complex, customer focused, and required commercial business judgement backed by analytical and financial skills to execute. These experiences equip Peter with the ability to operate strategically and prioritise effective market responses in large organisational systems with cross functional processes and operating structures.

Peter works best in new or changing business models where innovation and change drivers are influencing the business strategically. Many of Peter’s professional experiences have been in roles where transformational change was business critical, with stakeholder management and coordination of multiple partners being a key component of a successful outcome. Peter’s recent career focus has seen him involved in leadership roles in the exciting area of energy and telecommunications sector transformation.

Peter has superior financial and analytical expertise, which compliments and feeds his ability to also be strategic and get above the detail. Peter is a natural leader and team person, who prides himself on getting the most out of those around him and seeing others realise their goals.

Robert Sobyra

Director of Research and Digital, Construction Skills Queensland

Robert Sobyra is Director, Research & Digital with Construction Skills Queensland. Responsible for driving CSQ’s research agenda, Robert is a leading thinker at the intersection of construction and skills. He writes and talks regularly on all things economic. Robert is also a postgraduate researcher at the University of Queensland with a special interest in regional economic growth.

Gene Tunny

Director, Adept Economics

Gene Tunny is the Director of Adept Economics, a Brisbane-based economic consulting firm. He is a former Australian Treasury official who has managed teams in Treasury’s Industry and Budget Policy divisions. Gene has internationally recognised expertise in economic policy analysis and advice. For instance, Gene has led or participated as an expert presenter in three University of Queensland International Development courses delivered to Indonesian Government officials, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the World Bank. Gene is a regular economics commentator in Australian and international media.  In late 2018, his book Beautiful One Day, Broke the Next: Queensland’s Public Finances Since Sir Joh and Sir Leo was published by Connor Court. Gene has a first class honours degree in Economics from the University of Queensland, where he was a University Medallist.

Gene is also the author of Queensland Economy Watch, a blog dedicated to providing news and views on the Queensland economy, from managing growth to investing in the right infrastructure and beyond. His podcast, Economics Explained, offers concise explanations of economic concepts and debates from experts on topics including government spending and economic growth and global population growth.

Ian Macfarlane

Chief Executive, Queensland Resources Council

Ian Macfarlane is the Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council, a non-executive Director of Woodside Petroleum, the Chairman of the Innovative Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre, a member of the board of TSBE (Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise), a Director of MET’s Ignited, a member of the University of Queensland Rural Clinical School Toowoomba Community Advisory Committee, a member of the Advisory Group on Northern Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ian was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Groom in October 1998 and is Australia’s longest serving Federal Resources and Energy Minister and the Coalition’s longest serving Federal Industry and Innovation Minister with over 14 years of experience in both Cabinet and shadow ministerial positions. Ian has extensive experience across the resources and energy, agribusiness, science and innovation, skills and training and manufacturing and industry sectors.

Ian retired from the Federal Parliament in May 2016.

Before entering federal politics, Ian was one of the country’s most active agripoliticians. He previously farmed peanuts, sorghum and wheat, and ran cattle in Queensland’s Burnett region. Ian was President of the Queensland Graingrowers Association for seven years, President of the Grains Council of Australia for two years, and simultaneously held executive positions on the Queensland and National Farmers’ Federations.

Ian is married to Karen and has two adult daughters. He lives in Toowoomba, Australia’s largest provincial inland city.

Elyse Riethmuller

Chief Executive Officer, Fitzroy Basin Association

As a passionate leader, innovator and critical thinker, Elyse is a powerful advocate for the Fitzroy region and its natural assets.

Elyse is the Chief Executive Officer of Fitzroy Basin Association, central Queensland’s preeminent Natural Resource Management organisation serving central Queensland. She has over 20 years of experience in land, water, vegetation and agriculture management in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Over the last ten years, Elyse has embedded herself in the Fitzroy region, building strategic partnerships with industry, community, private and public land managers. In this time, she has developed and lead profitable, productive and positive environmental solutions that have resulted in impressive water quality outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef.

Leigh Walters

Project Director – Clarke Creek Wind Farm, Goldwind Australia

Building on an electrical background with studies in Construction Management and Economics as well as Law, Leigh has decades of experience in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects in the Defence, Health, Oil & Gas, Mining & Minerals, as well as Renewable Energy sectors. 

Leigh is Project Director for Goldwind Australia overseeing wind and solar farm project delivery across QLD, NSW, TAS and Western Australia.  Leigh is currently heading the transition of the 450MW Stage 1 Clarke Creek Wind Farm Project into delivery as well as supporting various other projects Goldwind Australia has in development.

Lewis Glynn

Head of Project Delivery, Surf Lakes

As Head of Project Delivery, Lewis will lead a team of project managers in charge of managing the construction and site-specific design requirements for each Surf Lake.

In the UK, Lewis started his career as a site manager with a construction firm in Wales (United Living Group) and was head-hunted to take on a role as design & technical manager for a $1bn+ residential development in central London for the St James Group.

Lewis joins us from one of Australia’s largest project management consultancy firms, APP Corporation where he ran a Business Unit. There, Lewis and his team managed the design and construction of a diverse range of projects valued from $5M to over $1Bn including aquatic centres, Sydney Harbour marinas, aquatic sports treatment facilities, new sports stadia, luxury hotels and residential towers. Lewis has also co-founded a construction company in Sydney which he has since sold.

In Australia, Lewis’ passion for surfing and background as RNLI senior lifeguard led him to pursue aquatic projects and is now recognised as an aquatic construction specialist.

Rory Holmes

Senior Project Delivery Advisor, Stanwell Corporation

Mr Holmes has over 5 years of experience providing project management and advisory services to renewable energy and technology projects. Mr Holmes has been involved in several major projects with Stanwell Corporation since 2019, including Stanwell’s ARENA funded 10 MW hydrogen demonstration plant feasibility study, Clarke Creek Wind Farm PPA development, North-West Queensland hybrid power project and several other renewable energy projects currently in development.

At present, Mr Holmes is actively involved in Stanwell’s CQH2 Project, focussed on technical and commercial activities with respect to land, energy and water.

John Abbott AM

Group Chairman, Inter-Port Global Consolidated Holdings Pty

John Abbott headed the advocacy project for the Inland Rail connection to the Port of Gladstone that was sponsored by the Central Queensland Region Organisation of Councils (CQROC) and the Regional Development Australia’s Central and Western Queensland board (RDA CWQ).  Inter-Port Global Consolidated Holdings was established to be a proponent for this game changing project. 

John is also the Chancellor of the Central Queensland University, the Deputy Chairman of RDA CWQ, a board member of the CQ hospital and Health Services Board and Chairman of Queensland Wool Processors Pty Ltd.

Mark Cope

Acting Project Director – Rookwood Weir, Sunwater

With 30 years of industry experience in the construction, engineering, resource & technology sectors, Mark has successfully led major infrastructure projects for Teir-1 design, contracting and advisory firms across the Asia Pacific region.

He has been closely involved in all phases of business and major projects from Business Development strategy & development, tendering & contracts, through to delivery. Working within and for organisations including Sunwater, CPB (Leighton), LendLease, Downer, WorleyParsons, as well as leading smaller tier 2 & 3 level organisations delivering bulk water, road & rail, oil & gas, mining & communications infrastructure. 

Mark is a driven leader, with an ability to build, lead & mentor high performing teams on complex projects to deliver key outcomes for business. 

Simon Currie

Principal and Co-Founder, Energy Estate

Simon is a Principal and co-founder of Energy Estate, previously Global Head of Energy at Norton Rose Fulbright. He has advised clients across 70 countries on over 30GW of wind power projects, 10GW of solar power projects and many GWs of biomass, hydro and geothermal projects. 

Simon is renowned as a leader and pioneer in the transformation of the global energy sector with a focus on integrating the energy sector alongside other industries. He is passionate about digitisation of the industry, new and emerging technologies and the potential for creating jobs and economic growth through this approach. Simon is leading the team developing Central Queensland Power – a 2GW+ integrated renewable energy project located in Central Queensland.

References

1. Deloitte Access Economics, Economic Scenarios for the COVID-19 Recovery, May 2020. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-dae-covid-scenario-report_May2020.pdf