Global Speakers

Summit Chairperson

Topics: 

• Enabling Infrastructure For Hydrogen Exports
• Panel Discussion: Analyzing The Green Hydrogen Exporting Opportunity For Australia

Adam Osseiran is an innovator, entrepreneur and an academic. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia. He is President of the Hydrogen Society of Australia, and co- founder and chairperson of Innovate Australia and chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Board of Brainchip, an artificial intelligence company.

Before relocating to Australia from Switzerland, Adam was involved in several innovative projects requiring collaboration between industry, academia, and government agencies. Adam has co-founded and led several start-ups and projects in environmental monitoring, sustainable energy, and AI neuromorphic technologies.

The main goal of the Hydrogen Society of Australia is to promote the role of hydrogen as a clean fuel and energy storage solution and to help raise the awareness on the positive impact of hydrogen within the Australian community.

Topic: 

The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Project In Gippsland, Victoria: World’s First Integrated Liquid Hydrogen Supply Chain

Jeremy is a Non-Executive Director, global executive and advisor with over 30 years of experience leading businesses and in the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

He has held a variety of positions, including Regional Director for Asia and Group Manager of Innovation & Digital for a 10,000 strong global professional services company.

He lived and worked in Asia and the UK for 14 years and has also delivered projects in the US, Middle East, Australia and China. He is a Director of the Australian subsidiary of J-Power, one of Japan’s largest utility companies and part of the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) consortia.

Topic: 

Enabling Large-Scale Hydrogen Storage In Underground In Preparation For Australia To Be The Largest Hydrogen Exporter

Dr Raab is recognized internationally as an expert in carbon capture, utilization and sequestration, and has frequently collaborated with leaders and experts in the global energy sector working towards a mix of technologies that will achieve zero net emissions. He has strategic and operational responsibility for the highly regarded Otway International Test Centre, the development of multi-million-dollar research programs, and the successful delivery of complex major research and infrastructure projects. Dr Raab’s 25+ year career has spanned academia, government, industry, and the not-for-profit sectors, as part of which he has secured funding for a range of multimillion-dollar, multi-disciplinary R&D initiatives. He currently serves as a member of the Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Resources advisory board and represented Australia on the International Energy Agency’s Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, was the Chair of the CCSNET Scientific Advisory Committee, and a Member of the Australian CCS policy forum working group, which advises government on earning Australian Carbon Credit Units.

Topic: 

Fireside Chat: Integrating Green Hydrogen For Mine Decarbonization

Kathryn’s career has spanned over 19 years in diverse industries, predominantly mining. In her 14 years at BHP she has held corporate and site environmental roles in the Nickel, Iron Ore, Group HSE, Technology and External Affairs divisions.

Kathryn is the Program Manager for BHP’s global operations decarbonization (Pathways to Net Zero) program. She works with BHP’s assets and functions to enable achievement of BHP’s public decarbonization targets. Her decarbonization experience at BHP has included developing and deploying technology solutions that drive greenhouse gas emission reductions across BHP’s global operations.

Kathryn is based in Perth and holds a double degree in Environmental Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Western Australia. She is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Topic: 

Developing Utility Scale Bankable Solar And Hydrogen Projects

Muren Guler is managing partner of Venn Energy, focusing on delivering a GW scale of solar and storage pipeline across Australia. In addition to the current development pipeline, Muren is working on bankable green hydrogen solutions to convert green electrons into molecules for a wider use and accelerate the green transition.

Muren had several different roles in global renewable energy industry for the last fifteen years in different parts of the world covering project development, investment and EPC parts of the value chain in the Solar and Wind Energy.

He was Managing Director of Global Energy which provided consultancy on investment, project development and EPC to multinational renewable energy companies including the Tier-1 global solar panel manufacturers, developers and IPPs in various regulated and unregulated markets in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

He worked for SkyPower as Regional Manager, a Toronto based global solar company with 35 offices around the world which is majority owned by an infrastructure fund with $20 billion assets under management including an investment portfolio of CALPERS. Muren involved in many complex development and investment activities in relation to FIT, PPA programs and bilateral government negotiations in Europe, Turkey, Africa and Asia.

Muren led a team which developed 100 MW+ wind and solar projects in Eastern Europe for REI based in London. He is one of the founders of Bulgarian Wind Energy Association and was a member of Supervisory Board.

Muren oversaw the realization of the largest wind park in Bulgaria and South-eastern Europe which is SNWF, 156 MW, 270m Euro Investment financed by EBRD and IFC in 2008/9, which let him gain extensive hands-on experience.

Muren holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey and Master of Science Degree in Energy Technologies and Management from Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Topic: 

Renewable Hydrogen Technology Demonstration In Canberra – A Case Study Of Australia’s First Public Hydrogen Refueling Station

Daniel is the Executive Branch Manager, Climate Change and Energy Policy, at the ACT Government’s Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate. In this role, he is responsible for delivery of the ACT Government’s Sustainable Energy Policy, Climate Change Strategy, Living Infrastructure Plan, and $100 million Canberra Big Battery commitment. He also leads the ACT Government’s engagement in national energy policy development through the Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee. Between 2010 and 2016, Daniel held various policy roles in Commonwealth Government agencies working in energy security, carbon pricing and gas market reform. Prior to his work in energy and climate policy, Daniel was formerly a commissioned officer in the Royal Australian Navy. Daniel holds a Master of Energy Change from the Australian National University.

Topic: 

Financing The Future Of Hydrogen

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) is a not for profit thinktank examining issues related to energy markets, trends and policies. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.

IEEFA’s Australia/South Asia Director of Energy Finance Studies, Tim Buckley, has 30 years financial markets experience, covering Australia, Asian and global equities. Tim is a top-rated financial analyst studying the electricity sector and highlights the technology and finance driven inevitability of a global transition towards a lower emissions system. This analysis extends to examine the risks to potentially stranded fossil fuel assets as well as the resulting opportunities for renewable energy, energy efficiency, renewable hydrogen, and other low carbon finance assets, both in Australia and from a global perspective.

Topic: 

How Hydrogen Is Delivering Australian Gas Infrastructure Group’s Gas Vision 2050

Dave has been involved in the Australian energy market for nearly 20 years. He has had roles in upstream, midstream and downstream and understands the energy supply chain from all angles.

Dave is the Head of Business Development for the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group where he is responsible for all new infrastructure developments as well as AGIG’s pathway to decarbonisation and scale hydrogen.

Topic: 

Port Kembla Case Study: Australia’s First Hydrogen-Powered Trucks And Refueling Station In Decarbonizing The Road Freight Industry

Alan was born in Wales but moved to Australia in 2005. He read Engineering at Oxford University and joined ICI in 1988. Alan held a series of engineering roles in Explosives, Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals – later branded Zeneca – working in Scotland, the Netherlands and several locations in England. After completing an MBA at INSEAD in France in 1997, Alan joined BOC. He rose through several commercial and general management roles to leading the global bulk and cylinder business for the world’s largest industrial gas company in 2007. Alan joined Wesfarmers in 2011 in a business portfolio role before becoming EGM Coregas in 2016. Some of Alan’s career highlights included project managing a rapid build asthma drug facility, playing a key role in the BOC/Linde merger and leading Coregas’s growth.

Alan is a keen downhill cyclist and an intermittent squash player between lockdowns. He feels very privileged to have been able to bring his family up in the best country in the world.

Coregas is a Wesfarmers owned industrial gas company with a strong history in Hydrogen. This includes fuelling the first liquid hydrogen GM car at the Sydney Olympics, building Australia’s first refuelling system for Hyundai and operating the first hydrogen liquefier at Hastings, Victoria for the HESC project. Coregas will commence running hydrogen fuelled Heavy Goods Vehicles in Australia in 2022.

Topic: 

Panel Discussion: Analyzing The Green Hydrogen Exporting Opportunity For Australia

Dr Amy Philbrook the Manager of Future Fuels and Renewable at ATCO and is the Project Director of the Clean Energy Innovation Park (CEIP). The CEIP will be Australia’s first commercial scale green hydrogen supply chain, including a 10MW electrolyser capable of producing up to 4.3 tonnes of hydrogen per day. She is a chemical engineer with a PhD in chemistry and has experience in academia, industry and government. Her expertise in alternative fuels stems from her time at the Australian National University as the Principle Investigator of the Biofuels Research Cluster in the CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship. Amy currently sits on the Queensland Government’s Biofutures Industry Reference group and is a Board Director at Bioenergy Australia and Our Atmosphere.

Topic: 

How ATCO Is Blending Renewable Hydrogen Into The Gas Network

Kapz Malhotra is a senior people manager professional with over 17 years of experience in Australia’s energy, dairy and beverage sectors. Kapz has led medium to large-sized teams to develop impactful strategies and advance transformational programs throughout their business. He is also regarded as a safe set of hands with an eye for risk management, safety and health leadership. His passion for innovation is supported by a Degree in Electrical Engineering, Finance and MBA. Over the past 12 months, Kapz has led the operational aspect of a renewable hydrogen production plant, the Clean Energy Innovation Hub, and is contributing to the first hydrogen refuelling station in WA. In addition to those developments Kapz is also working on a pilot project to blend hydrogen with natural gas in the distribution network, a significant step in the provision of more sustainable energy for WA.

Topic: 

Prospects Of Domestic And Offshore Offtakes For Australian Produced Renewable Hydrogen

Geoff’s experience spans entrepreneurship, marketing communications, government and community engagement.  Early in his career he was engaged by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria to research and develop a public education program on alternative energy sources with a focus on renewables.  This award-winning initiative gave him the incentive to see renewables come to life as a replacement energy source for fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Geoff has an undergraduate bachelor in business from Monash University and has built his career on business development.  He has worked with governments at all levels, ASX-listed companies, private companies and industry associations to deliver outcomes to enhance their operations.

He has also worked with social enterprises and seen how interests can be best served when a community plays a role in determining its destiny.

It was through Geoff’s work with a local government in regional Victoria that Countrywide was first conceived which has provided him with the opportunity to refocus on the renewable hydrogen sector which today has unlimited potential compared to when he first embraced the renewable energy sector.

Topic: 

Fireside Chat: Integrating Green Hydrogen For Mine Decarbonization

Tomas’ 17 year career within Rio Tinto has spanned a range of corporate and site based roles involving process design, energy optimisation, research and development, commercial strategy and project management.

As Rio Tinto’s Technology Manager for Energy and Carbon Abatement in the Energy and Climate Change Centre of Excellence, Tomas is focused on developing net zero pathways for Rio Tinto’s global assets and delivering on Rio Tinto’s Net Zero 2050 aspiration.

His passion and experience in advancing renewable technologies from concept through to execution, is helping to reduce the carbon footprint of Rio Tinto’s mines, refineries and smelters, to produce minerals and metals that are critical to decarbonisation and sustainable development.

Tomas is based in Brisbane and holds degrees in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Science from the University of Melbourne.

Topic: 

Rio Tinto’s Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Program

Sreeraj has over 15 years of experience in Rio Tinto’s Aluminium operations, where he has held both operational and technical leadership roles.

As part of his current role, Sreeraj  supports RTA operations to develop a net zero decarbonisation pathway. He is very passionate about scoping and developing technologies that provide a viable decarbonisation pathway for RTA’s mines, refineries and smelters.

Sreeraj is based in Brisbane and holds a doctorate in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Melbourne.

Topic: 

thyssenkrupp Uhde Innovations In Large Scale Water Electrolysis And Green Ammonia Technologies

Karan Bagga is the Chief Technology Officer and Director at thyssenkrupp Uhde in Australia and heads up Company’s Green Hydrogen & Chemicals Technology presence in Australia. At thyssenkrupp, he is responsible for furthering and strategic implementation of thyssenkrupp technologies including water electrolysis, in the field of conventional and green hydrogen and chemical derivatives in the Australia and New Zealand region.

He holds a post grad degree in chemical engineering and is an accredited chartered engineer. His 22 years of experience in the process industry, spans across the energy and chemicals sectors, including development of renewable power to X applications.

A commercially astute and a keen technologist, he has expertise in technology development, design, optimisation and operation of energy, hydrogen and derivative chemicals value chain facilities. He is an established front end techno-economic concept development specialist for hydrogen projects, especially in sector coupling and “end to end” integration for Power to X facilities, focusing on chemical derivatives, CCU and Industrial Symbiosis.

Topic: 

Renewable Hydrogen Technology Demonstration In Canberra – A Case Study Of Australia’s First Public Hydrogen Refueling Station

Mark is the inspirational CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon280. Insatiably curious and unable to sit still (sorry mum), he’s a Geologist and Entrepreneur with experience across a wide range of industries. LIke most startup CEOs he’s deeply involved in every aspect of the business: at Carbon280 this includes Corporate and Technical strategy, Hydrilyte™ R&D, Engineering, Market Research, Techno-economics, Marketing and Business Development. He’s also the IT Guy and the Website Guy.

Topic: 

Renewable Hydrogen And Western Australia’s Competitive Advantage

Alannah MacTiernan is Western Australia’s Minister for Regional Development, Agriculture and Food and Hydrogen Industry.

The Minister has held several Ministerial positions and first served in the State Parliament from 1993 to 2010 and in the Federal Parliament from 2013-2016.

As Minister for Planning and Infrastructure from 2001 to 2008, Ms MacTiernan was responsible for major projects across the State including the Mandurah rail line, as well as delivering a range of major road, port and rail infrastructure projects.

After being elected to the McGowan State Labor Government in 2017, she was appointed Minister for Regional Development and Agriculture and Food, Ports and Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade.

The Minister is committed to creating sustainable economic opportunity for Western Australia through targeted global partnerships, trade and investment.

She champions opportunities to support infrastructure development, innovation, accelerate emissions reduction, and create new long term job opportunities, particularly in regional Western Australia.

Since coming to office in 2017, Minister MacTiernan has been instrumental in driving the establishment of a renewable hydrogen industry in Western Australia, and became the State’s first Hydrogen Industry Minister in 2021.

Topic: 

Large Scale, Low Cost Compressed Hydrogen Storage – The Missing Link To A Green Hydrogen Future

David is the CEO of Ardent Underground and has over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector.  David’s career has included demand side energy efficiency programmes to address waste and lower energy consumption, pioneering energy performance contracting in both Government and Private sectors.

David has also developed unique solutions for combined heat and power projects seeking the most efficient solution to reduce energy consumption and emissions.  He has extensive competence in building and managing global businesses within the energy and defence industries.  David leads Ardent Underground’s objective to have a safe, proven, economical, large-scale, hydrogen gas storage technology ready to serve the green hydrogen industry in advance of the expected growth in the market post-2025.

Ardent Underground uses unique technology developed in the mining industry to construct deep vertical shafts for the large-scale storage of compressed hydrogen deep underground.  Utilising the surrounding rock to contain the pressure forces the Ardent solution avoids costly materials required for aboveground storage and provides a safer alternative with a very small aboveground footprint.

Topic: 

Hydrogen Park Murray Valley Project

Sean is Senior Business Development Manager for ENGIE’s renewable hydrogen projects. He has worked as a part of the ENGIE teams for the past 18 years covering a range of sectors from combined cycle gas turbine power plant, cogeneration and district heating to renewables (large scale ground mounted PV and onshore wind) and more recently focussing on renewable hydrogen production.

He is in his current role since 2019 where he has worked on different projects involving large scale storage of hydrogen in salt caverns, on site production of hydrogen harnessing run-of-river hydroelectric production, large-scale renewable hydrogen solutions for the mining sector and H2 blending for gas networks.

Together with its partner AGIG, ENGIE is finalizing the development of the Hydrogen Park Murray Valley renewable hydrogen production and blending project in Wodonga, VIC. Sean is heading up ENGIE’s development efforts on this exciting project.

Originally from the UK, his career until now has been largely spent in France, Italy and Turkey with an international experience in business development. He is now based in Melbourne and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London.

Topic: 

Fireside Chat: While Green Hydrogen Is The Main Goal (For Australia), Blue Hydrogen Is An Enabler Of The Future (Global) Hydrogen Economy. Why Do Companies Jump Straight To Green Hydrogen?

Merrill has 15 years’ experience as a Board of Director and CEO leading Australian ASX listed, public and private companies. Her 30-year career spans both mining and energy.

In 2008 Merrill founded and backdoor ASX listed Hydrogen (gasification) company Syngas Limited which she then led for five years. In 2013 Syngas spun off BioSyngas Limited, an embedded renewable energy and green Hydrogen company.

In 2021 Merrill joined Hexagon Energy Materials Limited (ASX: HXG) as Managing Director.

Hexagon’s Northern Territory Pedirka clean Hydrogen project was a result of the Ebony Energy Limited takeover in early 2021. A PFS around a 1.6 million tonne per annum (t.p.a.) blue Ammonia Plant (300,000 t.p.a. blue Hydrogen) project commenced in May 2021 with Genesis Energies, part of Techniq Energies, lead engineers. The PFS will be finalised by February 2022.

Hexagon has also commenced work on a Western Australia clean Hydrogen project, focussed on large scale, commercial bue Ammonia production exports to Asia.

Merrill has a mining and mineral processing engineering technical qualifications. Merrill has also completed an M.B.A from Melbourne Business School. She is a Fellow of both the AusIMM and Engineers Australia.

Topic: 

Green Hydrogen And Ammonia – Scaling Up Commercialization

Attilio is a professional mechanical engineer from Italy, Attilio brings to H2U over 15 years of professional and academic experience in the broader energy area in Europe, US, China, Australia and New Zealand, with a strong professional and academic focus on strategic planning for the development of alternative energy infrastructures and greenhouse gas mitigation initiatives.

As the Founder and CEO Attilio oversees strategic partnerships for H2U’s portfolio of development projects and technology collaboration initiatives.