Maria Baker is the ACCIONA Energia Queensland State Lead for Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Engineering, and Construction. With a diverse background spanning business, local government, the energy industry, and relationship management, she embarked on her renewable journey in 2020 with the Macintyre Wind Farm Project. Her passion for sustainable energy has driven her career, and as Queensland’s Lead Stakeholder Engagement for ACCIONA Energia, Maria plays a crucial role in guiding projects through every phase - from development to construction and operation. Her expertise and commitment to building positive relationships have been instrumental in driving the success of numerous renewable energy initiatives.

Simon Lever is the Managing Director of CROSS Asia Pacific. CROSS Asia Pacific provides expert consultancy services in Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality (HSEQ), risk management, business strategy, and project management, helping organisations across various industries enhance safety, compliance, and operational effectiveness throughout the Australia-Asia Pacific region.

With over 26 years of experience as an HSEQ practitioner, Simon is a strategic leader and safety professional committed to delivering exceptional results and fostering sustainable growth in competitive industries. Simon’s expertise lies in business expansion, operational effectiveness, and driving innovation, always with a strong focus on clients, people, and safety.

Tony Martins is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of Australian Training Works Group, where he has dedicated himself to building pathways for skills development and workforce readiness. A highly respected leader and innovator across multiple industries, Tony also serves as Director of the First Nations Greentime Energy Group, championing renewable energy solutions that empower Indigenous communities and promote sustainable development. With a passion for fostering local opportunities, sustainability, and collaboration, Tony brings a wealth of experience and a visionary outlook to every project he undertakes.

Kris Cotter is the Managing Director of Synergy Safety Solutions. Synergy Safety Solutions is dedicated to helping businesses navigate their unique safety challenges with tailored, practical solutions to create safer workplaces, fostering confidence and compliance while supporting a strong safety culture.

Kris is a passionate health and safety professional with a remarkable journey that began in the construction industry. As a single parent raising five children, Kris transitioned to a safety career after surviving a near-fatal incident, inspiring a deep commitment to creating safer workplaces and thrives on connecting with people, sharing knowledge, and positively impacting the community.

Ilaria Giovannetti is the Strategic Sales Manager for Renewable Energy at Rohlig Logistics. With a focus on tailored supply chain solutions, Rohlig Logistics has been at the forefront of the industry for 172 years globally and 51 years in Australia, offering expertise in air freight, sea freight, customs, projects, and contract logistics. Ilaria brings 18 years of global logistics experience to her role and with her passion for renewable energy beginning eight years ago when she managed her first solar farm project in Australia, she has since overseen logistics for 22 solar projects, delivering over 1 GW of materials across the country. Her expertise lies in ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and with a strong emphasis on safety and stakeholder satisfaction. 

Michael Myer is the Executive Chairperson of Sunshine Hydro. Sunshine Hydro are developing a Superhybrid Project in Queensland, a pumped hydro with green hydrogen project being developed in three stages. Sunshine Hydro's vision is to play a key role in decarbonising the planet using technology and have re-imagined long duration energy storage projects to deliver 24/7 carbon free energy. Michael is a serial entrepreneur with venture capital experience in start-up ventures and sustainable development. He has a passionate interest in bringing engineering and economic resources to projects to support our social and environmental challenges.

On this week’s Connecting Industry Podcast we have Dan Whitmore, Business Development & Strategy Manager Eastern for Decmil. Decmil has supported and constructed some of Australia’s major iconic infrastructure projects across Australia. Decmil provide design, engineering and construction services for the infrastructure, resources, and energy sectors and provide residential, industrial, and commercial construction.

Dan is an industry professional who has industry experience across both the mechanical and civil sectors across Australia. Dan believes the right network will connect you to the right people and has developed a network of becoming, in his words, “the go to guy for project updates and pressing the flesh at an industry event”.  Dan credits his success to persistency and integrity and has a genuine desire to do everything in his power to help Decmil achieve their growth ambitions.

Gavin Loyden is the Founder and Managing Director of QEM Limited. Gavin is responsible for QEM’s capitalisation, exploration program and development of QEM’s Julie Creek vanadium and oil shale project.

QEM Limited is a publicly listed company focused on the exploration and development of its flagship Julia Creek Project, covering 250km² in the Julia Creek area of North Western Queensland. The Julia Creek vanadium and oil shale project is a unique world class resource with the potential to utilise and deliver innovative and sustainable energy solutions, through the production of energy fuels and vanadium pentoxide.

Prior to founding QEM, Gavin assisted a range of companies from early stage development through to international stock market listings. He has over a decade of experience in the mining industry and extensive experience in the structuring of capital raising proposals for both private and public companies, executive selection, and Corporate Governance.

Greg Elkins is the CEO of Global Power Energy (GPE); an advisory company he founded in 2021 to meet the growing demand for renewable energy and energy storage solutions. He has previously led the connections assessment teams for AEMO and Energy Queensland. At AEMO, Greg was responsible for connecting more than 3 GW per annum in his role as Head of Connections.

Greg's mission now, through GPE, is to deliver success for clients in the energy transition with a focus on decreasing project risk and improving delivery time across major solar, wind, BESS, pumped hydro and REZ projects.

Damian Vermey is the Project Director for Ark Energy’s Boomer Green Energy Hub, a wind farm development located approximately 30 km south-west of Marlborough and 70 km south of St Lawrence in central Queensland. Damian’s extensive engineering, project, and people management experience, has provided high quality power and water products ranging from hydro power plants, to wind farms, and power system design solutions. Throughout his career Damian has worked on projects throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, India, and Fiji. Construction of Ark Energy’s Boomer Green Energy Hub is expected to start in Q1 2025 creating 350 construction jobs.