Grid Connections 2024: Who’s going where in Australia’s energy transition

If you have any further news tips, please send to editor@reneweconomy.com.au. Read about last year’s grid connections here.

Week beginning September 30

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has appointed Matthew Cronin as its new state director, Western Australia – to oversee delivery of an $8 million industry support program for WA-based manufacturers seeking to participate in wind energy supply chains.

Next Green Group has appointed Jimi Gatland as head of its STC trading platform GreenForms Trading.

Week beginning September 23

Warwick O’Dell, formerly of 5B, has taken up a position as head of sales at battery storage company Evo Power.

National Farmers Federation (NFF) CEO Tony Mahar has resigned to take up the position of Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner. reporting to the Minister for Climate and Energy.

Tom Nightingale is starting a new position as Commercial Manager at Squadron Energy.

Nathan Hart has started a new position as senior policy officer – generation and storage at the Clean Energy Council.

Week beginning September 16

Two new commissioners – Lana Stockman and Rainer Korte – have been appointed to the Australian Energy Market Commission to bolster its energy rule-making and advisory responsibilities. Stockman and Korte will join the AEMC from September 30, 2024. 

Renewable energy developer Enervest has appointed Daman Cole as chief commercial officer.

Kate Ryan has resigned as executive general manager of AEMO Western Australia and strategy. Nicola Falcon has been named interim head.

The Australian Energy Regulator has appointed Kate Symons to its Board. The former chair of the Essential Services Commission in Victoria fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Jim Cox.

Week beginning September 09

Jolt Energy Storage Technologies has appointed Andrii Varenikov, a redox flow battery organic chemist, as senior research chemist.

Behyah Jafari has been appointed chief growth officer at electric vehicle outfit Splend.

Wei Juin Goh is starting a new position as knowledge sharing officer at Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Week beginning September 02

Marinus Link chief executive officer Caroline Wykamp has resigned. Marinus Link chair Sandra Gamble said Wykamp advised the board she was leaving, effective immediately, on August 30. Marinus CFO Andrew Hugo, will step in as acting CEO until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Jera Nex has appointed Zlati Christov, previous managing director at Morgan Stanley, as its chief investment officer.

Week beginning August 26

Renewable energy gentailer Pacific Blue has appointed Travis Neal to the role of chief financial officer.

Deion Campbell has been appointed a non executive director to Origin Energy. Campbell is a former CEO of Tilt Renewables and is also non executive chairman of Mint Renewables.

Week beginning August 19

Tom Butler has been appointed Energy Practice Leader, WA & NT at Aurecon. He was previously head of distributed energy in WA at AEMO.

Very excited to take on this new challenge and opportunity to help engineer decarbonisation and energy projects across Western Australia and the Northern Territory!

Former Western Australian premier Mark McGowan has been appointed as non-executive chair of Frontier Energy.

Week beginning August 12

Chris Miller has been appointed chief executive officer of Victoria’s State Electricity Commission. Miller has led work to re-establish the SEC as interim CEO since November 2022, overseeing the development of the strategic plan and first investment in the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub.

AGL Energy has appointed Miles George as its new chair-elect, to replace Patricia McKenzie, who retires from the role in February 2025. George, a renewables veteran, is the former managing director of Infigen Energy.

Richard Merzian has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Energy Investor Group. Merzian is currently International Director at the Smart Energy Council. He replaces interim CEO Marilyne Crestias who will continue as Head of Policy and Advocacy.

Matt Kean has been appointed head of strategic partnerships at Wollemi Capital, a climate investment firm.

Jordan Mill has started a new position as Senior Commercial Manager at Atmos Renewables.

Week beginning August 5

Mark Leslie has been appointed APAC Regional Head and Director at Jera Nex, the renewables and storage arm of Jera Co.

Natalie Malligan has been promoted from COO to CEO of SunDrive. Company co-founder Vince Allen steps from CEO to CTO.

Baifu Du has started a new position as Senior Project Manager at Atmos Renewables.

David Holmes has started a new position as Managing Director at Climate Communications Australia.

Week beginning July 29

Jera Nex has appointed Mark Leslie as the regional head of its Asia Pacific onshore wind energy business.

Carly Irving-Dolan has stepped down as CEO of NRMA Energy to “reset and recharge with my family” before new possibilities in the energy sector.

Week beginning July 22

Laura Caspari has been appointed Chief Renewables Officer and Managing Director, with responsibility for Engie Australia & New Zealand’s renewables business.

Geoff Dutaillis has been appointed executive chairman of Someva Renewables. Dutaillis is a former CEO of Tilt Renewables and executive general manager of CleanCo.

Week beginning July 15

Giles Rinckes, former Acting General Manager and Head of Development for Woolnorth Renewables  has been appointed by GHD as the  Energy Market Leader for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.

Beth Keddie has been appointed managing director of Pollination Advisory.

Richard Mackie has left Goldwind Australia to join AGL Energy as head of power development.

Week beginning July 08

James Waldren has been appointed Head of Energy Markets at Aula Energy.

Week beginning July 01

Leeanne Bond has been appointed to chair the newly formed Queensland Energy System Advisory Board (QESAB), a team of energy experts to help lead the state’s energy transformation by providing critical advice to the Miles government. The board of the new body includes Mark Carkeet, Peter Price, Jo Sheppard, Paul Simshauser, Leanne Wilson and Kathryn Summers.

The NSW government has appointed the inaugural board for the EnergyCo, the body established to coordinating investment in Renewable Energy Zones across the state. Chairing the body will be Paul Binstead, while board members include Sandra Gamble, Hannah McCaughey, Vaughan Busby, Rebecca Colvin, Keith Turner, Donna Rygate and Alex Wonhas.

Jean-Christophe Cheylus has been named as the new Neoen Australia CEO, after it was revealed that current CEO Louis de Sambucy is returning to France to take on the role of Neoen’s director of international development.

Neoen Australia has also announced its new CFO, Tony Ng, replacing Yves-Eric Francois. Both Cheylus and Ng have been part of the Neoen Australia team for many years, the company said.

Week beginning June 24

Former NSW energy minister Matt Kean has been appointed chair of the Climate Change Authority, just days after he announced he would quit politics.

Grant King, former Origin boss and chair of the CCA, has been appointed chair of Transgrid.

Polestar says it has appointed Matthew Maynard as head of its Australian operations. He replaces Samantha Johnson who left earlier this month.

Week beginning June 17

Former NSW energy minister Matt Kean has announced he will quit politics.

Locality Planning Energy, which provides energy services to strata communities, has appointed Scott Taylor as its new Chief Executive Officer. 

Week beginning June 10

Julie Shuttleworth, former head of Fortescue Future Industries and more recently global growth director, has announced she is leaving Fortescue Metals.

Dr Veryan Hann, formerly employed at sonnen, has been appointed executive stakeholder manager at large-scale renewable energy developer, MBH (May Brothers Holdings).

Week beginning June 03

Australian Vanadium Limited has announced the appointment of Steve Banning as principal advisor and Dr Yifeng Li as product development manager for its 100% owned subsidiary VSUN Energy, to accelerate the uptake of vanadium flow batteries (VFBs).

Week beginning May 27

Sam Pearce has been appointed CEO of Collgar Renewables, as of 1 July 2024. Pearce has held senior executive roles at QIC Global Infrastructure, APA Group and AGL Energy.

Sam Maresh, former CEO of GE Australia, has been appointed to the Board of the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for the next five years.

Tindo Solar has appointed Nathan Dunn as head of wholesale distribution.

Michael Dart has been appointed as acting chief executive officer at Energy Queensland.

Inaugural Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari will step down from his role, with former Polestar Australian managing director Samantha Johnson taking on the position of interim CEO.

Dr Iain Ross AO has been appointed as the acting chair of the Net Zero Economy Agency, replacing outgoing chair Greg Combet. Ross will take up the position on 1 June 2024, with the government to appoint him as the inaugural chair of the Net Zero Economy Authority once legislation to establish the Authority passes the Parliament.

Week beginning May 20

The UNSW Energy Institute has appointed Mark Twidell as its new Professor of Practice. Twidell is a solar industry veteran, former energy storage leader for Tesla in Australia and a director of AGL.

The Australian government has reappointed Clare Savage as the chair of the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for a further three-year term. Justin Oliver has been appointed as deputy chair.​

Stace Tzamtzidis has started a new position as regional director at GridBeyond.

Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC Victoria) has appointed Jess Christiansen to its consumer energy solutions team. Christiansen comes to the SEC from RACV Solar.

Week beginning May 13

The Smart Energy Council has appointed former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as an international ambassador in a role that will see her lead a delegation to China next month.

Tom Parkinson has started a new position as head of energy policy at Fortescue.

Week beginning May 06

Origin Energy has announced the appointment of retiring National Party MP Adam Marshall as its new senior government relations manager. Marshall will finish up as the state member for the Northern Tablelands on May 13 and take up the role at Origin on May 15.

Ampcontrol has announced the appointment of Victoria Aspden as executive general manager of digital and transformation.

Ian Porter has started a new role as first assistant secretary of data, research, strategy and Net Zero at the federal government’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

Week beginning April 29

Simon Corbell has left his role as CEO of the Clean Energy Investor Group to take up a new role as chair of the Victorian government’s State Electricity Commission.

Four new board members have also been appointed to the SEC: Joycelyn Morton, Anna Skarbek, Jo Benvenuti and Damien Barnes. Read more here.

CEIG policy director Marilyne Crestias steps in as interim CEO at the investor body.

Week beginning April 22

Emma Fagan says she has finished up in her role as head of energy policy and regulation at Tesla Australia after seven years with the company.

Alan Rai has started a new position as senior manager at AEMO Services.

Week beginning April 15

Mint Renewables says it has appointed Hieu Nguyen as Head of Grid and Power Systems.

General Motors has appointed former Tesla Australia head of marketing Heath Walker as the new Marketing Director for GM Australia and New Zealand.

Chair of The Superpower Institute (TSI), Rod Sims, has announced Baethan Mullen as the Institute’s inaugural CEO.

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has appointed Kirsten Rose to the newly created position of deputy chief executive.

Fernando Santamaria has announced he is stepping down as head of renewables of Iberdrola Australia.

Week beginning April 8

Origin Energy has appointment of Tony Lucas as Chief Financial Officer. Lucas is currently the head of Origin’s Future Energy and Technology division, and has worked within the company over 22 years. He will replace current CFO Lawrie Tremaine from July 1.

Sarah Barker has joined Pollination as a managing director in the company’s advisory business. Barker comes from Minter Ellison, where she built a leading climate law practice over the past two decades.

Week beginning April 1

Shane Quinnell has been promoted to the role of state manager, development – Queensland at Lightsource bp.

Jake Whitehead is transitioning from his current role as Head of Policy at the Electric Vehicle Council to take on a part-time role as the EVC’s new Chief Scientist, focused on strategic issues for the EV industry. The EVC will seek a new head of policy.

Andrew Mills has been appointed as the new Chair of the Independent Planning Commission, replacing outgoing Chair Professor Mary O’Kane. Mills has 40 years of experience in a wide range of senior government, accounting, legal and academic roles.

Mark Legge has joined Nextracker Inc. as Sales Director – Australia & New Zealand.  Legge was previously country manager at Gamechanger Solar.

Week beginning March 25

A recruitment process for the new Hydro Tasmania CEO will commence in the coming weeks following the announcement that current CEO Ian Brooksbank will step down on October 03.

Beon Energy Solutions has appointed Danish Ahmed as project procurement manager.

Sandra Gamble has resigned as a tribunal member of NSW pricing regulator IPART and accepted a new role as independent chair of Marinus Link.

The Australian Energy Council CEO, Sarah McNamara, will finish up with the organisation at the end of April, and will join Alinta Energy. Her position at the AEC will be filled on an interim basis by corporate affairs boss Ben Barnes.

Week beginning March 18

Former NFF boss Fiona Simson and Hydro Tasmania chair Richard Bolt have been appointed members of the Climate Change Authority (CCA). Chief Executive Officer Brad Archer has been reappointed for another five year term.

Week beginning March 11

Tom Butler has been seconded into a new role as Acting Group Manager – WA Market Development and Energy Procurement at Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

Andrew Dyer has announced that he will retire from the position of Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, effective March 31, 2024. Federal energy minister Chris Bowen says an acting Commissioner will be appointed while a search gets underway for the next Commissioner.

Week beginning March 04

Australia’s Smart Energy Council has announced the appointment of Don Henry as its new president.

Week beginning February 26

Mary O’Kane has been appointed chair of AEMO, replacing Drew Clarke.

Squadron Energy has appointed former APA Group CEO and managing director Rob Wheals as its new chief executive officer. Squadron’s current CEO, Jason Willoughby, will become Chairman of the company.

Global renewables developer Neoen has appointed Yves-Eric François as chief financial officer. François moves to the new role from his current position as chief financial officer of Neoen Australia.

Week beginning February 19

Synergy has welcomed new board members Katherin Domansky and David Joyce, who have been appointed to serve two-year terms as non-executive directors. Rob Bransby will retire as non-executive director.

Tom Werner, the former chief executive officer of US solar giant SunPower Corp, has returned to the company as executive chair.

Offshore wind developer Oceanex Energy has appointed Ian Marshall as the company’s new industry development manager for Western Australia. The new appointment follows the appointment four months ago of Daniela Hajkova as development manager and dedicated resource for the Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm project.

BayWa r.e. has appointed Raymond Gilfedder as its new managing director for its Australian projects business.

Week beginning February 12

Octopus Australia has appointed Sonia Teitel as co-managing director of renewables Australia and Sophie Gibbons as head of product, distribution and marketing. Other changes to staff include the appointment of Darren Brown to co-managing director, renewables Australia, and Jonathan Filbey to CFO.

Anthony Fowler has taken the helm as CEO of Tilt Renewables. Fowler is the former head of Lochard Energy who have appointed Tim Jessen at its new CEO.

Nick Stylianou has joined CBRE as head of projects, energy and Infrastructure. 

Week beginning February 05

Firm Power has announced a series of new appointments: Marcus Keller takes up the role of chief commercial officer, Duncan Macdonald is chief technical officer and Greg Tischljar is the new head of projects.

RE Alliance has appointed Kitty Walker as its new communications director.

Long duration battery energy storage company Redflow has appointed Juergen Reitz as its new chief engineer.

Week beginning January 29

More changes to the ranks at Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries, with former Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner resigning from his role as director of Australia & NZ. Also moving on is Deborah Caudle, who this week resigned as chief financial officer.

Annika Reynolds is joining the Climate and Energy Program at the Australian Conservation Foundation as the National Climate Policy Advisor.

Wyatt Roy, the former National Party MP who has been working with solar innovator SunDrive, has joined NEOM, the massive renewable project in Saudi Arabia, as Head of Innovation.

Dr Michael Schaper has been announced as the new chair of Energy Consumers Australia, the independent, national voice for residential and small business energy consumers.

Cameron Garnsworthy, previously head of Juwi Renewables in Australia and before that FRV Australia, has been appointed managing director of SunCable Australia, while former gas industry executive Martin Hay will be SunCable’s chief development officer.

Week beginning January 22

Tim Barrass has joined GridBeyond as regional director, asset development, in Australia. he previously worked with ERM.

Ralph Griffiths is starting a new position as head of Policy and Regulation at AGL. He was previously head of Energy Markets at the SEC implementation office in Victoria.

Phil Burn has joined Virya Energy as Head of Development.

The Smart Energy Council has appointed Wilf Johnston to be the general manager for Western Australia in its new office in Perth.

Week beginning January 15

Andrew Flanagan has been appointed as the new CEO of RWE Clean Energy. Flanagan was previoulsy the company’s chief development officer. He replaces Mark Noyes, who resigned as CEO.

Tim Barrass has joined GridBeyond’s Australian team as regional director – asset development.

The board of global oil major bp has appointed Murray Auchincloss as chief executive officer with immediate effect. Murray, who has been interim CEO since September 2023, will continue as a member of the bp board.

Mike Kilcullen is starting a new position at Fortescue as senior manager – engineering readiness.

DNV has appointed Matthew Forwood as the new country manager in Australia and New Zealand. Graham Slack has decided to step down, after 12 years in the leadership role.

Inverter and battery storage company SMA Australia has appointed Darren Gladman to the role of energy policy and regulatory manager.

Former Fortescue executive Felicity Gooding has joined Gina Rinehart-backed lithium developer Vulcan Energy Resources as its new group chief financial officer.

Ark Energy CEO Daniel Kim has announced he is stepping down, after three years in the role.

Vast Renewables has appointed former Oil Search managing director Peter Botten as its new chair. Tom Quinn has also been named as a new director.

Week beginning January 08

Australian flow battery maker Redflow has welcomed Michael Hipwood to the team as its new CFO, working out of the company’s Brisbane head office.

Nexif Ratch Energy has appointed Cyril Dissescou as chief executive officer. Dissecou takes over from Matthew Bartley who stepped in as interim CEO to establish Nexif Ratch Energy during its first year.

Energy industry veteran Wilf Johnston has joined the Smart Energy Council as general manager for Western Australia. Johnston will operate from the SEC’s new office in Perth alongside policy adviser Connor Woulfe.

Solar and storage company RayGen has named Eleanor McCracken-Hewson as its chief legal officer. Prior to that she was commercial manager at Acciona and senior originator, power & environmental origination at AGL Energy.

Energy infrastructure company Jemena has announced the appointment of Kate Webster as new Group CFO following a competitive recruitment process.

Simon Franklin has started in the role of country director at EDP Renewables APAC.

CS Energy has appointed Michael Louis as Operations Superintendent – Renewables and Firming. Louis will be accountable for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the Chinchilla and Greenbank batteries, and the Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant when they are up and running.

Week beginning December 18, 2023

Energy solutions and battery storage outfit Redback Technologies has named Adrian Knack as its new chief executive officer (CEO).

Queensland-based long-duration battery maker Redflow has announced the appointment of Michael Hipwood as chief financial officer, commencing mid-January 2024.

If you have any further news tips, please send to editor@reneweconomy.com.au. Read about last year’s grid connections here.