Major Projects and Industry Forum 2024

Mark Grenning: Director Policy and Regulation, EUAA
Mark who has been in this role since 2015, has been a long term Director and past Chairman of the EUAA. He is a member of the AEMO 2024 ISP Consumer Panel and the Grattan Institute’s Energy and Climate Reference Group. He has had extensive experience in representing users interests in a wide variety of national energy forums and providing advice to National and State energy bodies. He is a long term member of the Customer Panels of both Energy Queensland (Ergon and Energex) and Powerlink.

Prior to his EUAA career, Mark had a 30 year career in Rio Tinto with a focus on energy management. This included Chair of the Board for Gladstone Power Station, responsibility for the power supply agreement to Boyne Smelter and project development for the energy supply to the Yarwum alumina refinery. In the last 7 years he was the subject matter expert advising on energy supply options to Rio Tinto’s operations around the world.

Mark and his wife live in Brisbane and they have daughters living in Toowoomba and Cairns.

Angie Zahra: General Manager, Stanwell Corporation

Angie Zahra’s career spans over three decades in Queensland’s energy industry, commencing in 1991 as Chemical Technician at Stanwell Power Station. Over the last 32 years, she has undertaken numerous operational and leadership roles at Stanwell, helping to ensure and maintain a secure, reliable energy supply.

Today, Angie leads Stanwell Power Station as General Manager of Central Generation, leading her 200 team members and building a diverse, inclusive workplace that supports the growth of our region and our people. As General Manager, Angie is now helping to lead Stanwell Power Station’s transformation into a Clean Energy Hub. She is deeply committed to the local community and to ensuring mutual benefits for Stanwell and our communities through the energy transformation.

Max Hogan: General Manager Southern Field Delivery, Energy Queensland

With over 30 years’ experience the Electricity Distribution industry, Max is a determined and highly motivated senior manager with extensive experience and proven delivery in all operational facets of the Electricity Distribution Supply & construction Industry. Max’s current role is the Energy Queensland/ Ergon Energy Operations General Manager Southern region.

Max has been successful in driving sustainable change through practices of strong engagement, communication and sustainable and innovative decision making, thus ensuring positive business and stakeholder outcomes whilst delivering a safe, productive and positive environment. Max holds extensive leadership experience in disaster management and response activities, with Max undertaking the key Emergency manager role for Energy Queensland/ Ergon Energy for the 2023 severe TC Jasper and subsequent flood event in the Cairns & Far North area, 2024 TC Jasper in the Townsville area, 2019 Townsville/ Herbert area Flood response, 2017 TC Debbie in the Mackay/ Whitsunday area and 2015 severe TC Marcia in the Capricorn coast area.

Max has a vested interest in the community and understands the need to support local projects and businesses in communities; aiming to assist in building sustainable community resilience and capability.

Blake Harvey: General Manager Design and Engineering, Energy Queensland

Blake is a senior manager in the electricity industry, currently holding the role of General Manager Design and Engineering for Energy Queensland, leading a team of over 550 staff across the 36 locations across Queensland and responsible for all Lines, Substation and Civil design, engineering and associated systems.

He is a Fellow and proud Chartered Member of Engineers Australia, a Fellow and Chartered Membered of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as a Registered Professional Engineer Queensland.

Blake has worked for over 20 years in the power industry in places such as ABB in Switzerland and the E.ON Energy Research Centre Germany, but has spent most of his career with Ergon Energy and now Energy Queensland. His background spans the areas of asset management, design and operations, with a particular focus on alternative energy, new technology integration and strategy.

Outside work Blake is still involved with Central Queensland university on a number of board subcommittees and formerly sat on the National Electricity Market Operating Committee.

Mitchell King: Senior Development Project Manager, RES Australia

Mitchell is a Senior Development Project Manager for RES Australia, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company with 40 years of experience delivering renewable energy projects. RES and Energy Estate are working collaboratively to deliver the Central Queensland Power portfolio of projects, which are contributing to the acceleration of the energy transition and decarbonisation of the heavy industry and communities in the Central Queensland region.

With over 14 years of experience working in planning and development roles across both the public and private sectors in Australia and Canada, Mitchell has worked in policy development, regulatory approvals, and in leading the delivering of major infrastructure projects across the transport, water, and renewables sectors.

Mitchell is passionate about delivering positive outcomes for the environment, community, and First Nations stakeholders. 

Kath Elliot: Head of Stakeholder and Community Engagement, Squadron Energy

Kath Elliott is Squadron Energy’s Head of Stakeholder and Community Engagement, developing and supporting the social licence and engagement initiatives across the company’s portfolio of renewable energy projects.

Kath leads Squadron Energy’s genuine and lasting approach to engaging with the local communities, from development right through to operations, demonstrating a deep-founded respect for people, communities and the environment.

She has worked in the energy sector for several years working with communities and stakeholders facing infrastructure development, facilitating collaborative decision making to improve outcomes. She is also a highly experienced independent chair of community consultative committees.

Hugh Barbour: Chief Operating Officer, Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline

Hugh Barbour is responsible for Gladstone Area Water Board’s continued operational sustainability as a reliable water provider through the development of the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline.

Hugh has extensive experience in project development, financial management, contract management and negotiation in the mining and energy industries. Hugh has led multi-disciplinary teams in the performance review of significant assets and evaluation of acquisitions and asset improvements

Lewis Glynn: Chief Operating Officer & CEO, Surf Lakes Capricorn Coast

Lewis has over a decade of experience managing large and complex construction projects up to $2bn in value as well as founding his own smaller constriction and development companies.

Lewis’ project experience includes aquatic centres, Sydney Harbour marinas, high-rise mixed-use developments, sports stadiums, luxury hotels, and residential towers (100m+ high). In central London, Lewis was the Technical Manager for a $2bn mixed-use development for the Berkeley Group. More recently, Lewis joins us from one of Australia’s largest project management consultancy firms where he managed a Business Unit. There, Lewis and his team managed a diverse $1bn+ portfolio from development and design through to construction.

Lewis’ passion for surfing and background as RNLI senior lifeguard led him to pursue aquatic projects with the aim of eventually taking that to the Surf Park industry.

Kim Hetherington: Director, Workforce Capability, Construction Skills Queensland

Kim Hetherington is the Director, Workforce Capability, leading CSQ’s specialist workforce planning services, data, and research teams. Kim is responsible for strategically monitoring major project activity across the state, identifying opportunities to support labour and skills interventions via workforce planning activities – programs and services that are shaped by identified trends and themes. 

Kim brings over 25 years’ experience in learning and organisational development, workforce planning, operations and project management; accrued from roles in mining and resources, civil infrastructure, building and construction, energy, telecommunications and science. She has worked in the private sector and state and federal government, and is passionate about infrastructure projects that create long-term, positive impacts for the community and the economy.

Rob Alexander – Principal, The Cathedral College

Rob commenced as Principal of TCC, a Catholic Co-educational Boarding College in the Diocese of Rockhampton, in 2010. Over the past 14 years, Rob’s commitment to educational excellence has seen enrolments at the College grow from 860 to over 1350 students in 2024.  This growth has meant the construction of several new buildings and facilities including a new Performing Arts Building that will open in 2025. 

Under Rob’s leadership the College has nurtured productive partnerships with a range of educational and community groups. The fostering of these networks has been very beneficial for TCC students and has had significant positive impacts for the local community.  In 2019 the College developed Bolton Park, in partnership with Rockhampton Regional Council, transforming a parcel of land for school and community sport. Similarly, Kettle Park now boasts four playing fields, two of which are lit for night-time use.  

With a teaching career, spanning almost 40 years, Rob is a firm believer in the importance of providing students with a quality, holistic, faith and values-based education and the College is very proud of the at-school and after-school achievements of its students. 

Rob is very well respected in the local community and gives generously of his time and talents to serve on several community bodies including the Business Advisory Group, Rockhampton Lights of Christmas Committee, and the Queensland Independent Secondary School Rugby League Committee.

Prof. Jamshid Aghaei, Professor – Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, CQUniversity

Prof. Aghaei is a Senior Member of IEEE and holds a Full Professorship of renewable and sustainable energy systems position in the School of Engineering and Technology at CQU. Throughout his academic career, he has focused on researching and advancing decarbonised, digitalised, decentralised, and democratised power and energy systems.

His expertise spans numerous areas, including power system operation and planning, integration of distributed energy resources (renewables and storages), electricity markets, applied optimisation and AI/data analytics. He has been proactively involved in different phases (proposal writing, implementation, and administration) of results-driven research projects, teaching and training activities, as well as scholarly both independently and within a team. Jamshid has demonstrated research impact throughout his career, spanning academia and industry. With a publication record exceeding 290 publications with over 13,500 citations, his scholarly work is strong evidence for his influence in the field of digitalised, decentralised, and decarbonised energy systems.

He has supervised and guided over 80 higher degree students, contributing to 20+ national and international research projects, demonstrating his commitment to impactful research. As principal investigator and technical coordinator for the DriVe2X project in Finland, he secured €9.2 million from the EU Horizon Europe program.

Most recently in his career at CQUniversity, he secured approximately $1 million from the Queensland Government for a project focused on leveraging mobile energy hubs for electricity networks during floods and cyclone disasters.  He has been recognised as one of the top 1-2% of scientists in his field in the world.

Natalie Rogers – Group Operations Manager, All Industries Group

As the Group Operations Manager at All Industries Group, a locally owned and operated manufacturing company in Central Queensland, I bring a dynamic and results-driven approach to my role. With 4 years of diverse industry experience and over a decade in administration, I excel in optimising processes, refining systems, and enhancing practices to enhance operational efficiency and drive organisational growth.

Since joining All Industries Group in 2020 as a Senior Administrator, I have consistently advanced through various positions, increasing my expertise in the industrial manufacturing sector. The fast-paced nature of this industry motivates me, presenting continual challenges and opportunities for innovation. My strong problem-solving abilities and strategic vision allow me to identify areas for improvement and implement effective solutions, resulting in measurable gains in performance and productivity.

As a leader, I am committed to creating a collaborative environment that promotes operational excellence. I have developed and implemented training programs that foster leadership skills, enhance team dynamics, and prepare employees for advanced roles. My commitment to fostering talent ensures a motivated and skilled workforce aligned with our organisational goals.

Damien Massingham – Chief Executive Officer, Frenchville Sports Club

Damien is a chartered accountant with a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and over 30 years business experience; the majority of which have been leadership roles including Executive Officer of Clubs Queensland, CEO of Tourism Noosa and now as CEO of Frenchville Sports Club.

Damien’s management skills have contributed to the strong financial performance of the Club since his commencement. Under his leadership, the Club has continued to contribute over $1m back into the local community each year, roughly three times the average of Qld Clubs and won Qld Club of the Year.

Damien and the Board have worked for the past 5 years to create a $25m Master Plan for the Club which is now being delivered. This includes the largest solar covered carpark of any Club in Queensland along with every part of the Club being renovated with cutting edge facilities and introducing state of the art technology.

In his time away from the Club, Damien enjoys taking his boys fishing, chasing the magnificent Barramundi and Threadfin Salmon that Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River is famous for.

Jennifer McGuire – Regional Manager, AusIndustry

Jennifer joined the AusIndustry Regional Manager network in October 2023 after gaining almost 30 years of experience working in leadership roles within the largest industries in the Gladstone Region. She has expertise in the areas of project delivery, commercial projects, supply, warehousing and business support. 

She has a Bachelor degree in International Business, and tertiary qualifications in economics and project management.   

Jen has also worked as a business consultant across a range of sectors with expertise in strategic and business planning to deliver growth. 

She is heavily involved in her local community through a number of volunteer positions and boards.

The AusIndustry Central Queensland role operates from where she is based in Gladstone, North to Bowen and West to the Northern Territory boarder, to provide a connection between small and medium size business and government to innovate, commercialise, grow the local economy.