If you have any further news or people movement tips, please send to [email protected].
You can catch up with 2025’s grid connections here and the 2024 grid connections here.
Week beginning June 15
Federal environment minister Murray Watt has appointed John Bradley to serve as the inaugural CEO of Australia’s first National Environmental Protection Agency, which launches on July 01 2026 as an independent federal regulator.
Vanadium battery technology company Avess Energy has appointed former state government cabinet minister and current non-executive director Dean Nalder as chair effective June 19, 2026. Founder Young Yu, who has served as chair since 2020, will remain as managing director.
Jeff Hayes has been appointed Energy Sector Lead for Gamuda Australia, leading its efforts in the Transmission, Distribution and Renewable Energy markets.
Week beginning June 8
Quinbrook has appointed Tim Horneman as Regional Leader, Australia, further strengthening its global leadership team.
Zenith Energy has named Greg Lilleyman and Mark Norwell as non-executive directors.
Week beginning June 1
Lyndon Frearson is to stand down as CEO and Managing Director of Ekistica as of June 30, after 19 years with the company. Michael Tuckwell has already started as CEO, and has appointing Vanessa Ratard as Chief Operating Officer.
The Tasmanian government has appointed Matthew Groom to the board of Marinus Link Pty Ltd.
Week beginning May 25
Jan Daniel Kaemmer, previously VP Sales Australia & New Zealand, will become Head of Sales for Asia Pacific for Vestas, based in Seoul South Korea. Pooja Dhowan will take over as VP Sales for ANZ.
Marilyne Crestias has joined Squadron Energy as director energy policy and regulation. She was previously at CEIG.
Fortescue says Elizabeth Gaines has resigned as executive director, with effect from June 30, 2026. The company has also announced the appointment of Sigrid Kaag to the Fortescue board as a non-executive director (subject to completion of regulatory procedures).
Lance Frater has joined Powerlink as principal engineer within the power system performance and connections team.
Week beginning May 18
Shane Quinnell has departed his role as head of development NSW and QLD at WestWind Energy.
Week beginning May 11
AEMO has appointed Michael Swanston (Chair), Dr Jarra Hicks, Dr Edward Langham and Georgina Morris to the 2028 Integrated System Plan (ISP) Consumer Panel.
Victor Stollman has joined JLL as an Associate Director in their Energy & Infrastructure team in Sydney. He previously worked at the AEMC.
Chloe Hicks says she is moving on from EnergyCo after 13 years with the NSW government, including being one of the architects of the NSW renewable infrastructure roadmap.
Nicholas Aberle is joining the Clean Energy Investor Group as Director of Policy and Advocacy. He was formerly at the Clean Energy Council.
Meanwhile, Daniel Zelcer has left CEIG after four years, most recently as principal policy manager.
Lisa Hamilton has been appointed general counsel at Anza Power.
Week beginning May 4
Michelle Shepherd has been re-appointed chair of Synergy for a second term, Tanya Rybarczyk has been appointed as board member for a three-year term, and Peter Clough and Denise McComish are to retire as non-executive directors.
David McElrea has been appointed chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, taking the place of John Grimes.
Tony Concannon appointed as Executive Chair of energy and digital infrastructure developer Celero Infrastructure.
Week beginning April 27
Shane Quinnell has left WestWind, where he was head of development in NSW and Queensland.
Robert Potter has joined the Smart Energy Council working with its Policy & Advocacy team.
Sean McGoldrick, former head of TasNetworks, has been appointed CEO of Queensland transmission company Powerlink, replacing to Darryl Rowell who acted as Interim Chief Executive after the departure of Paul Simshauser, who is now head of Iberdrola Australia.
Paul Byrne has joined Origin Energy as head of commercial and business development of community batteries.
Week beginning April 20
John Welch has joined the Smart Energy Council to lead its work in Western Australia as WA State Manager.
Elicia Cantelo has been appointed Head of Strategy at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
Ryan Wavish has left Engie to join AGL Energy in a new role as head of electrification product and channels.
Week beginning April 13
Heavy transport electrification specialist SolarH2e has appointed Greg Elkins to its board as a non-executive director.
Week beginning April 06
Diana Mitchell has been promoted to a new position as director of planning, Australia and New Zealand, at Lightsource bp.
EcoJoule Energy has appointed former Ausgrid executive Trevor Armstrong as a non-executive director of the company’s board.
Energy Edge announced that its founder, Angus Macleod, has retired after almost 20 years with the company.
Origin Energy has appointed Aleta Nicoll as executive general manager, integrated gas, effective 1 July 2026. Nicoll succeeds Andrew Thornton, who moves to the role of executive general manager, energy supply and operations from 1 July, following the retirement of Greg Jarvis.
Week beginning March 30
CS Energy has announced that Chief Executive Officer Brian Gillespie has tendered his resignation. CS Energy Chair Tony Bellas will serve as executive chair until a replacement is chosen.
Week beginning March 23
Electric truck company Janus Electric Holdings has appointed Ton van Hoof as Chief Financial Officer.
Epic Energy says it has appointed Chris Judd as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 April 2026. Judd has been head of new energy at Atco for the last three years.
Week beginning March 16
Carlo Frigerio has taken up the role as CEO of Anza Power, a renewable energy and decarbonisation platform backed by I Squared Capital with a focus on delivering projects across Australia and New Zealand.
BHP says Brandon Craig will take the reins as the mining giant’s new CEO and a director of BHP Group Limited on July 01, 2026. Craig will succeed the current CEO, Mike Henry, who will step down after six and a half years in the role.
Liz Westcott has been appointed the full-time CEO of Woodside Energy, three months after stepping into the role in an acting capacity.
John Welch has been appointed as the Smart Energy Council’s General Manager – Western Australia, commencing on April 13, succeeding Charlie Caruso in leading its WA operations.
Week beginning March 09
Catherine Gip has joined Energy Networks Australia as head of transmission. Gip takes on the new role after four years at VicGrid.
Australian battery optimisation and trading intelligence platform OptiGrid appointed Jørn Hammer as its inaugural Chairman.
Martin Kennedy has joined the Clean Energy Council as GM – Market Operations & Grid. Kennedy has previously worked at Baringa, GE and Origin Energy.
Week beginning March 02
Synergy has appointed John Lorenti to the role of executive general manager, Future Energy.
Kaluza has announced that its founder Stephen Fitzpatrick has assumed the role of chief executive officer. Fitzpatrick takes over from Mel Gander, who spent 16 years in multiple leadership roles at Kaluza and its parent company OVO Energy before serving as CEO for the past two years.
Alex Leemon has started as Commercial Analyst at Atmos Renewables.
Former AEMO economist Tom Walker has launched TxChange, addressing transmission congestion issues.
Beyond Zero Emissions has welcomed Zoe Hilson and Manik Mahajan to its board of directors.
Week beginning February 23
Renewables developer FRV Australia has appointed Michael Steiner as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Steiner will lead FRV’s growth strategy in Australia and New Zealand, advancing a diversified portfolio of solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and hybrid developments.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has appointed Luke Menzel (CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council) and Josef Tadich (Regional Director Tesla Energy, APAC) to the AEMO Board as non-executive directors for a period of four-years, effective 24 February 2026.
Pilot Energy has appointed energy veteran Brian Siddall as chief executive officer to steer the company’s course it presses ahead with its carbon management and clean energy projects in Western Australia.
John Grimes has called time on nearly two decades as CEO of the Smart Energy Council, announcing that he will retire from the role on May 15. Grimes leaves to take on a new role as chief executive of the Renewable Energy Council Asia Pacific (RECAP), a standalone organisation created by the SEC that will operate as its regional strategic partner. SEC says its board will soon start the hunt for a replacement for Grimes.
Federal energy minister Murray Watt has kicked off the search for the inaugural head of Australia’s first National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will take on the role of Australia’s national environmental regulator from July 02, 2026.
Boundless Earth has announced that Larissa Brown will replace Eytan Lenko as its new CEO. Lenko stays on as chair at Boundless.
Tim Horneman has been appointed as a managing director of Quinbrook’s Australian team, reporting to chief executive officer, Brian Restall. Quinbrook has also appointed Andrew Varvari to the newly created role of head of legal, Australia.
Week beginning February 16
The Smart Energy Council has appointed Thornton de Voy as its new business development manager, supporting members and industry partners across the sector.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has nominated Euan Morton from Synergies Economic Consulting as the Independent Expert to assess additional compensation claims from generators in New South Wales.
Week beginning February 9
Western Power chief executive Sam Barbaro will leave the company after four years as CEO, by mutual agreement with the board.
VicGrid has completed the establishment of its board with the appointment of three community members: Seona James, Wayne Weaire and Jess Howard. James is a Yorta Yorta woman from Shepparton with 30 years’ experience in the public and private sectors, including energy and environment. Weaire is a farmer and experienced director and former chief executive. And Howard is a public sector leader currently at the City of Greater Bendigo.
Steven Marshall has recently started a new position as APAC Section Lead – Substations at Jacobs. He was previously at Worley.
Week beginning February 2
Origin Energy has appointed Andrew Thornton as executive general manager, energy supply and operations (ES&O), effective 1 July 2026. Thornton – currently executive general manager of Origin’s integrated gas division – will replace Greg Jarvis, who is retiring after 23 years with the company.
ClearVue Technologies has named COO Doug Hunt as interim global CEO, following the resignation of Martin Deil. Executive Director Jamie Lyford has stepped down. Michael Pixley and Theresa Smits have been named as board directors.
Angela Karl has been appointed managing director of the Australian business of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock.
Week beginning January 25
Alex Fraser has been promoted to head of commercial strategy at Essential Energy.
Dani Alexander has stepped into the role of interim CEO of the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub alongside her current role as CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute.
Con Hristodoulidos has been appointed Executive General Manager – Policy at Clean Energy Council.
Week beginning January 18
Maud Texier has left Google to join Octopus Energy as their new Global VP for Data Centers and Industrials.
James Sturch has left Solar Edge to take a role as Principal Engineer – Distributed Energy Resources Technical Integration within the System Design Division at the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
EA Technology, a leading provider of technology solutions supporting the energy transition, has announced the appointment of Gareth Burton as Chief Executive Officer, effective from 9 February 2026.
Weeks beginning January 1
Ben Hutt has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Janus Electric, which is developing battery swap technology for electric trucks.
Danny Cooper has been appointed CEO of network company Endeavour Energy. He succeeds Guy Chalkley and is a former CEO of BCG. He starts on March 2.
Wayne Smith, formerly of the Smart Energy Council, is now a lobbyist and consultant with Clean Economy Services, and says he won’t work with dinosaurs or fossils.
Roby Camagong has been appointed managing director of Equis Australia.
CS Energy has appointed Beth Schutz as its new Head of Sustainability, Michael Lynch has been appointed as its new Head of Risk, and Damien Herd has been appointed as Head of Trading and Analytics.
CS Energy has also appointed Katie Whittle as chief energy transition officer.
Rimu Nelson has been appointed Executive General Manager – Asset Operations at CleanCo. Emma Roberts has been appointed Executive General Manager – Development & Sustainability.
Geely Auto Australia has announced the appointment of Alex Gu (Xia’en Gu) as its Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
Craig Memery and Christine Williams have been appointed as Non-Executive Directors to ASL’s independent Board.
