Presenters and Panellists
Views expressed by speakers, chairs, presenters and/or panellists are their own. The BIC does not accept liability for advice given, or views expressed, by any speaker at the event or in any material provided to delegates.John has over 18 years of banking and finance experience spanning Structured Asset Finance, Funds Management and Private Equity investment. Prior to Joining CBA, John spent 5 years at Westpac in the Structured Asset Finance and Securitisation team. More recently 10 years at Investec Bank as a Director in the Structured Asset Finance Team, and as Investment Director in Investec’s Private Equity investment team. John has a breadth of experience in financing major moveable transportation assets including aviation, mining equipment and manufacturing machinery as well as investment in technology assets, datacentre infrastructure, and airport infrastructure.
Christine is a Director in the Sydney office with over 20 years’ experience in transport and infrastructure development and assessment. Her skills span the project life cycle, from strategy and policy analysis through business case development to procurement and contractual negotiation. She has worked closely with NSW Government and operators on procurement in the bus industry and has held key advisory roles in a number of organisations including Deloitte and Saha International and has managed the transport function of an independent peak body. Christine has been involved in projects in a number of jurisdictions, including Australia, the UK, South Africa, Italy and New Zealand. She has a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.
Peter Austin is a seasoned technical policy expert who has over 15 years of experience in the in-service regulation of vehicles, including 8 years at the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. Having previously worked in a range of roles focusing on vehicle safety regulation, including registration, written-off vehicles and prescriptive and innovative vehicle standards, he has a commitment to improving road safety and ensuring that regulatory facilitates a productive heavy vehicle industry. As the Director of Vehicle Safety and Performance at the NHVR, Peter leads a team of policy and technical experts who administer the heavy vehicle safety standards as well as managing and administering the engineering elements of Australia’s world leading PBS scheme.
Carol Brown is Tasmanian born and raised and understands the many daily challenges faced by Tasmanians. Her passion and dedication is driven by her life experiences and her strong values. Her drive to fight for equality and equal access to employment, education, health and other community services led to her to join the Labor Party at 20 years old. She has remained dedicated to this fight her entire working life. Carol’s commitment to equality and fairness and her determination to ensure all Tasmanians have equal access to opportunities regardless of their background led her to the Senate in 2005 and since joining the Senate Carol has been a tireless advocate for her home state, worker’s rights, the LGBTIQA+ community and women’s access to reproductive health. She has held shadow portfolios across a diverse range of areas including families and payments, disability and carers, infrastructure and regional tourism. Carol is honoured to have been appointed Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
Alex is an experienced project engineer with over 5 year’s experience delivering projects within the bus sector. Previously working for Keolis Downer, Alex has delivered a wide range of transport projects including asset refurbishments, new transport services, network reviews and electric bus projects. At JET Charge, Alex is leading fleet electrification projects in the electric truck and bus sector with an emphasis on concept design, charging systems specification and project delivery.
Matt oversees People & Culture, Health, Safety, Environment & Quality, Social Impact & Sustainability, and Transformation across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this role Matt was Kinetic’s Executive General Manager Queensland, responsible for a team of 1700 people and 900 buses delivering urban, school and charter services. He oversaw the development of Australasia’s first all-electric bus depot on the Gold Coast, and the electrification of depots on the Sunshine Coast and in North Queensland, supporting the roll-out of electric buses in partnership with the Queensland Government. Matt holds tertiary qualifications in Human Resources, Employment Relations and Safety and has worked in the mass transit industry for almost a decade across various leadership positions. He is a hands-on, commercially astute people leader focused on delivering continuous improvement in service delivery and driving Kinetic towards its ambitious sustainability targets.
Maria is a leading commercial lawyer with expertise in the Australian transport industry. Maria regularly advises government, transport operators, manufacturers and suppliers within the transport and logistics industry in relation to major Government contracts, procurement processes, supply agreements, due diligence and OHS issues. She has extensive experience in drafting and advising on Government passenger service contracts throughout Australia and is considered an expert on Government contracts in the bus industry. Recently, Maria has advised her clients on the introduction of zero emission vehicles into their operations. She also has significant experience in negotiating and advising on complex M&A transactions by way of asset and/or share sale throughout Australia. Maria is highly regarded for her legal skills as well as her understanding of the commercial realities that her clients face.
Melissa Cashman, Assistant Secretary of the Vehicle Safety Policy and Partnerships Branch at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts, leads the team responsible for developing the Australian Design Rules, policy related to the recently introduced Road Vehicle Standards legislation, and developing the supporting ROVER IT system. With a passion for safety, Melissa has worked in regulation since the 90’s and has specialised in transport related policy and regulation for the past 10 years, primarily in the areas of aviation and road vehicles. Melissa is an avid bus and coach user, both in her home town of Canberra and when travelling overseas – as road trips definitely are the best way to see a country.
Roz Chivers joined the Bus Industry Confederation in August 2021 as the Executive Director. Previously, Roz was the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director Policy and Advocacy at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). Roz is highly regarded for her advocacy, communication, and engagement expertise. Prior to joining ALGA she spent fifteen years in public services working for the NSW and ACT governments. In that time, she gained an understanding of the passenger transport industry and the moving people task through a variety of roles including leading the transport planning team for the ACT Government at the time when the government shifted its focus to sustainable transport. Roz was also responsible for leading the development of the Belconnen to City Busway project and lead the ‘walking school bus’ project. At the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Roz worked with regional bus operators on projects to tempt regional commuters to use buses rather than cars on their daily commute to Canberra.
Jaad Clifford-Bolt has worked in several roles in new-technology development and sales in the energy industry over the past 8 years. With a financial markets and electrical engineering background specialising in power systems and energy storage, Jaad has previously worked in development of the demand response market, development of renewables projects (in both behind and front-of-meter contexts), and grid-scale energy storage project development. Jaad led development of the Ballarat Energy Storage Project as a part of Spotless/Downer, and later joined Fluence Energy as a Senior BDM to market grid-scale energy storage systems across the NEM. Most recently, Jaad joined AusNet Services to lead strategy and development of Clean Mobility (Electric Vehicles) services, solutions and infrastructure.
Brendan’s a principal consultant with more than 24 years’ experience delivering vehicle systems development projects. He’s gained systems approvals in aerospace and vehicle type approvals (VTA) within automotive industries and understands the development life cycle for vehicles from the perspective of government procurement, original equipment manufacturer and tier one suppliers. He's gained 43 VTA’s for his client’s road vehicles, first working on zero emission vehicles (ZEV) in 2016 for ADR testing to homologate his first ZEV in 2017. He also gained VTA for his first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (HFCEV) ZEV bus in 2022. As technical advisor to Brisbane City Council for procurement of sixty Brisbane Metro vehicles, he’s insights developed the procurement specification and performance testing of a prototype vehicle to ensure it meets operating requirements in service. He delivered a ZEV durability test and verification programme to ISUZU for prototype vehicles to identify parts requiring re-design. Brendan has a B.Eng. (Hons), MBA, MIEAust, PBS Assessor and is a PBS Certifier.
Anthony is the Managing Director of the Buslines Group who operate bus services in 12 rural areas of NSW and in the Sydney Outer Metropolitan area of Cessnock and the Hunter Valley. Anthony is a recently elected member to the APTIA Council.
CCAT is a government, industry, academia and community collaboration focused on facilitating the transition to a connected and automated transport future in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining CCAT, Rahila led the development of the safety assurance framework for the commercial deployment of automated vehicles in Australia, at the National Transport Commission. Rahila has had a diverse policy career in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, leading regulatory reforms in areas including transport, energy and local government.
Segolene is a strategic customer and stakeholder specialist with over 20 years’ experience leading public relations, stakeholder engagement and future mobility projects. Her career has spanned Europe, the UK and the US, and she has been working in the transport industry for 12 years. Segolene passionately believes that to improve transport connectivity, encourage modal shift and address new mobility behaviours, we need to work collectively and look beyond one size fits all solutions. Segolene joined Keolis Downer in 2017 to lead the reputation and market positioning in Australia, as well as develop future mobility projects.
James entered the transport industry in 2003 and is a multi-modal transport professional with extensive experience managing operations in bus, light and heavy rail across Australia and most recently in the Middle East. He has worked within human resources, industrial relations, operational delivery and planning. Key aspects to these roles include relationship building with State and Federal Government bodies. Over the last two years James has focused on strategy and governance, setting up the Registered Training Organisation for Keolis Downer, and is a key member of national working groups launching the Whistle-blower platform, the Reconciliation Action Plan and Modern Slavery statement.
Luke Edwards proudly head’s up Product, ZEB & New Technologies for Yutong Bus in Australia, delivering turnkey decarbonisation solutions for depot-based fleets. Luke has over 20 years of experience across a wide range of the bus industry, from driving, maintenance to technical support and manufacturing. For the last 6 years Luke has been particularly focused on new energy & ZEB technologies product development with Yutong Bus, Supporting the first regional trial in NSW with Premier Coaches and the implementation of the Yutong ZEB products around Australia.
David is a key driver in the design and engineering process for all of ARCC’s projects. With over 22 years of engineering experience in the UK, USA and Australia, including working at Dennis Specialist Vehicles (ADL) for over a decade, he has an in-depth knowledge for all things automotive. Skilled in vehicle chassis and body design, production, project management and business development. David has successfully overseen the production of over a thousand buses in numerous factories around the world. He also has a wide knowledge of the legislative requirements for Australia’s strict ADR certification processes as well as the ECE regulations. The latest ARCC 16 tonne GVM low floor city buses have been the culmination of 6 yrs work to make the lightest most efficient electric bus in Australia.
Ralph is an individual with a drive to build communities working professionally with businesses, governments and social enterprises and voluntarily in the not-for-profit sector as a Chairman, Non-Executive Director, Committee Chair / Member, Mentor and Volunteer. He is passionate and results focused leader with experience across several geographies, industries, sectors, categories and functions with specialist expertise in manufacturing, sales, facilitation, coaching, mentoring, consulting and community development. Ralph holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Aberdeen and a Diploma of Coaching.
Jack is leading the establishment of Hitachi Zero Carbon in the APAC region. He is part of the regional Strategic Management Office, with a wide remit across all Smart City activities including strategy, new business and execution. He previously spent almost a decade at Lendlease in senior roles in Asia, both on major projects and as the Regional Head of Innovation where he helped to spearhead Lendlease’s diverse range of technology initiatives. He is a smart building expert and is passionate about the intersection of real estate and technology.
Sarah is the Director for eMobility, Connected Services and Strategic Partnerships for Volvo Bus APAC. She is responsible for delivery of service solutions, tender support and identifying strategic partners to bolster Volvo’s delivery and support of ZEB products in the market. Sarah has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Asian Studies from Murdoch University, WA. She has held previous roles with the BusTech Group and Gemilang Australia focusing on commercial tendering and business management. Prior to working the bus industry, Sarah was a commercial litigator in Perth, WA.
Having worked in the bus industry for over 22 years, Crinel is continuously integrating his passion and excitement for new technology and products into his day-to-day job. Crinel gained his extensive experience in the bus industry working for renowned brands in end-user as well as in industry supplier roles, developing and promoting bus products and delivering workable solutions to complex problems in large international and OEM organizations.
Red Bus Services is located on the Central Coast NSW and operates Transport for NSW Outer Metropolitan Region7 contract which consists of 106 buses as well as a successful small coach operation consisting of 10 coaches. Red Bus have been providing bus services to the people of the Central Coast for over 80 years. Leanne currently is the Metro Vice president of Bus NSW and is an APTIA Council Member. Over 30 years working in the bus industry, Leanne is very passionate about transport, working in the bus industry is not a job but a lifestyle. Leanne’s new interest, like many in the industry is reducing our carbon footprint. Red Bus Services was awarded Transport for NSW first Hydrogen bus trial that commenced this month.
Julian Gurney has served on the Council of the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) every year since 2014. He was appointed BIC’s Vice Chair and Supplier Group Chair in February 2022. In his long service to the BIC council, Julian brings to the table a mature understanding and genuine support for the broad interests of BIC supplier members, contributing a balanced and fair view. Julian has been in the bus industry for 18 years, working for Scania Australia for 16 of those. In his most recent appointment as the Sales Director for Bus and Engine, Julian is responsible for managing retail and government bus sales as well as leading the Marine and Industrial Engines team.
His Honour Adam Hatcher SC was appointed President of the Fair Work Commission on 19 February 2023. Prior to this appointment, he was Vice President of the Commission from 15 April 2013. He practised as a barrister specialising in industrial relations and employment law, occupational health and safety law, anti-discrimination law and administrative law for 16 years. He graduated from the University of Sydney with degrees in Arts and Law. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1987. He was employed as Legal Officer, then Chief Legal Advisor to the NSW Branch of the Transport Workers’ Union from 1988 until 1996. He went to the bar in early 1997, and was a member of HB Higgins Chambers until his appointment to the Fair Work Commission. He was appointed Senior Counsel in October 2010. He regularly appeared in the Fair Work Commission (and its predecessors) and the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, as well as in the High Court, Federal Court, Federal Circuit Court, the NSW Court of Appeal and the NSW Supreme Court in a wide range of employment and OH&S related cases.
Luke Hardy has been involved in the bus industry for close to 34 years in both the government and private sectors. He worked with State Transit in NSW for 17 years in a range of both operational and engineering positions and finally as the Manager Engineering Policy and Standards for 7 years. Luke then had a 7 year stint as Engineering General Manager with Custom Coaches. For the last 10 years, he has undertaken the role of BIC Technical Manager as well as running his own Transport Engineering Consulting business Bus and Coach Solutions. Luke has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and holds a number of other qualifications and licenses that are relative to the bus industry.
Tony Hopkins is the Chief Executive Officer, Regional Australia Division of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC), one of the country’s largest urban, school, and charter bus operators and part of the international ComfortDelGro group. He is a transport, tourism, and logistics expert and bus industry veteran of 40 years, and has delivered comprehensive passenger transport solutions for some of Australia’s most renowned bus brands including Greyhound and Buslink VIVO. Thoughout his career Tony has served as a chair, president, vice president and committee member on the executive of various state and national industry associations. He is an active contributor to the community and wider industry, lobbying state, and federal governments to create improvements for with various bus operators across the country. In 2021 Tony was awarded the QBIC Outstanding Achievement Award, and in the same year, his division was honoured with the QBIC Environmental/Innovation Award, and a High Commendation in the 2021 NSCA Foundation/GIO National Safety Awards of Excellence.
Ken is a Board Chair and Independent Adviser to governments and the corporate sector. Previously he had 20 years of experience as a CEO in NSW Government, including as CEO of Roads and Maritime Services. In February 2022 the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting (ITMM) asked Ken to undertake stakeholder consultation on the HVNL Safety and Productivity Program and bring back a package of reforms that was likely to have broad support. ITMM considered and endorsed Ken’s report at its meeting on 4 August 2022 and he continues to be engaged is as an adviser to the HVNL Steering Committee and facilitates the Reform Advisory Committee which is the peak consultative forum for the law review and associated reform projects.
Catherine was first elected in 2001, Catherine King represents the electorate of Ballarat in the Australian Parliament. Following the 2022 Election, Catherine was sworn in as the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government – a key portfolio that reaches into the heart of every community across the country. Catherine held a similar portfolio in the previous term of opposition, as well as serving six years as Labor’s Shadow Minister for Health and Medicare. Catherine has previously held the Cabinet portfolio of Minister for Regional Australia, Local Government and Territories, as well as serving Minister for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories, Minister for Road Safety, and before that as Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Parliamentary Secretary for Health. Catherine holds Bachelor Degrees in Social Work and Laws and a Masters’ in Public Policy. Prior to entering Parliament, Catherine was a senior manager at KPMG’s Consulting Practice. As a regional MP, Catherine is a strong advocate for the seven million Australians who live outside our capital cities.
Jack Kotlyar is a seasoned professional with over 23 years of experience in the energy sector. As Head of NextGen at EnergyAustralia, he is responsible for identifying and scaling new products and services, including EnergyAustralia's Green Transport offerings. Jack has a track record of driving strategic initiatives and has held various leadership roles throughout his career, including Head of Strategy and Head of Reputation at EnergyAustralia and Head of Strategic Planning for Siemens Energy business. His expertise in business analysis, finance, M&A, and change management has been honed through various roles at Siemens, Jemena, and Alinta, where he played a key role in shaping the strategic direction of these companies. Jack's finance background and MBA from Deakin University further augment his ability to make informed and impactful decisions.
Damian joined Murrays Australia in 1996 as Financial Controller before becoming General Manager of Administration and then Chief Executive Officer in 2014. Prior to joining Murrays, Damian worked as a Chartered Accountant at Dewsbury’s Chartered Accountants. During his time at Murrays, Damian has been involved in many key administration projects including overseeing the redesign of Murrays financial accounting software and the negotiation of workplace agreements with drivers and staff.
Allan has over 30 years’ experience in the Air conditioning and Refrigeration industry. During that time, Allan has come through the ranks from technician, into middle and senior management positions, Allan’s experience has given him an appreciation for product performance, through best fit, and best practises for service and maintenance. In his current role of Customer Solutions Manager, as part of the QTK Group senior leadership team, Allan oversees his team in assisting customers, local and international manufacturers find solutions for Air conditioning equipment, to enhance product performance, drive lower operating costs and provide the customer with the best overall experience throughout the whole life of the of the equipment. Allan sees this experience and his team’s vision of strategic product alignment and whole of life performance as an important asset as the industry embarks on a transition into manufacturing and operating Zero Emission Buses in Australia.
Ian MacDonald is the National Industrial Relations Manager for the Bus Industry Confederation. At the same time Ian heads up the Australian Public Transport Industrial Association (APTIA), which is the industrial arm of BIC. He has been involved in the bus industry for over 25 years, firstly as a solicitor and then as the Industrial Relations Manager for BusNSW and then the National Industrial Relations Manager for BIC. Ian is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute, has a Bachelor of Laws and Certificate of Transport Management from Sydney University.
Katrina grew up seeing her dad and step-dad drive trucks and knew this was a challenge she would like to take on, mostly to prove she could do it just as well! Being a people person and wanting to be able to come home to her own space, Kat decided that driving buses would be the best of both worlds and joined Transport Canberra in late 2019 as a bus driver. Since joining the team, Kat has become a health and safety representative and is passionate about making sure herself and colleagues return home safely and their wellbeing is looked after. In April last year, Kat was a successful applicant to become a starter (a supervisory position). Kat is a firm believer that in order to be given promotional opportunities, you need to put in the effort and give it a go.
Rolf Mitchell has been involved in the bus industry since 1998 and is currently the State Manager for Keolis Downer Bus in Queensland. He currently is a BIC Councillor and sits on the Operator Group and a sitting councillor of APTIA, along with representing as a member of the Management and Commercial Committee of the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) and has previously served as President and Vice President of QBIC.
Steve Schofield is Group Head-HR & Industrial Relations at Downer EDI Ltd. He was also on the board of Foodbank New South Wales Ltd. Mr. Schofield previously held the position of General Manager-Industrial Relations at Qantas Airways Ltd., Assistant Director-Resource Planning at Australia Royal Navy, General Manager-Human Resources at Komatsu Australia Pty Ltd., Director-Human Resources for Schindler Lifts Australia Pty Ltd. and Director-Human Resources at Goodman Fielder Pty Ltd. Mr. Schofield received an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management Pty Ltd. Downer Group, partner with Keolis to operate bus services across the Country.
Senator Sheldon is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He is a Senator and a member of the Australian Labor Party. Senator Sheldon has served as a Senator for New South Wales, since 2019. Senator Sheldon was previously a senior figure in the Transport Workers Union, serving as state secretary and national secretary. Senator Sheldon has recently chaired a Senate Select Committee on Insecure Work, and which final report is due for release at the end of the month.
Sharon Stevenson is a proud woman of mixed race who uses the pro-nouns she/her. Sharon has worked as a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader, for almost two decades across the property, construction, infrastructure, and transport sectors. Sharon is a strong advocate for reconciliation, gender equality, accessibility and inclusion, cultural and linguistically diverse groups, and LGBTQ inclusion. She is passionate about developing embedding fair and inclusive policies and practices to ensure all people can bring their true authentic self to work and thrive. Sharon holds a University of Cambridge Sustainability Management Leadership Certificate, Strategic Human Resources Management Diploma, Bachelor of Applied Social Science Degree, and a Master of Counselling & Psychotherapy Degree.
Rachel is a strategically driven, inclusive and collaborative executive with more than 20 years of international transport management experience. Having held senior leadership positions in Rail, Light Rail and Bus in both the United Kingdom and Australia, she provides motivational and authentic leadership for large, complex multi-site operations - through periods of stability, change and adversity. Rachel believes in achieving financial results through empowered, motivated employees and continuous improvement. Her previous career roles include Interim Managing Director for Transdev Melbourne, plus Head of Business Operations and Customer, as well as General Manager Customer Experience and Commercial for Transdev NSW. Prior to her arrival in Australia, Rachel worked in senior leadership roles in UK transport, where she specialised in operational excellence, customer service strategy, business change, tender submission and evaluation, and contract compliance. Currently, she leads Transdev John Holland Buses (NSW) - an integrated joint venture partnership between Transdev Australasia and John Holland. With almost 500 buses and around 1,200 staff, the company operates bus services across Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and parts of the CBD.
Born and educated in Ireland, Seamus qualified as a Chartered Accountant, before moving to South Africa to broaden his life and work experience. After 7 years in South Africa, Seamus and his wife immigrated to Australia. After spending 14 years in various financial positions with a major advertising agency network, culminating in a Finance Director/shareholder role, Seamus decided to try his luck at being self-employed. Seamus set up Australia Here We Come in 2010. Since rebranded to AHWC Immigration Law, the business now has offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and is in the process of opening in Brisbane. AHWC currently employs over 25 lawyers and migration agents and has a reputation as a leader in its’ field. Seamus recently established an international recruitment business, Lorg Talent which specialises in sourcing talent internationally for Australian employers. Seamus is recognised as a Labour Agreement expert.
Yuri Tessari became a Council Member for the Bus Industry Confederation representing the Bus Body Manufacturers Group in early 2022, and is a Member of BIC’s National Zero Emission Bus Committee. Yuri is Volgren’s Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for contract management, partnerships, and customer success. Yuri has led a number of Volgren’s recent zero-emission bus supply contracts including the Melbourne Bus Franchise, Zero-Emission trials in Victoria and a recent Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership with Wrightbus in the UK. Yuri brings global experience having held senior sales roles at Marcopolo, Brazil and global sales for Scania based in Sweden.
Anna Tyben commenced her career in the bus industry in 2010 as the General Manager of Latrobe Valley Bus Line. During this time, she was fortunate to hold a position on the board of Bus Association Victoria for two years. She has contributed and participated in a number of industry working groups, including promoting and encouraging diversity through participation in BAV All Aboard Seminars and the BAV Social Strategies Committee. In 2010 Anna was a founding member and President of Latrobe Women In Business, a non for profit organisation delivering mentoring and professional development for women across Gippsland. She is passionate about promoting and supporting diversity in the bus industry and working towards achieving gender equity.
Rowena Van Malsen commenced life in the mining town of Broken Hill where her interest in Employee and Industrial Relations was sparked. Working across Australia New Zealand, Fiji and Southeast Asia, Rowena is an experienced organizational change specialist. She has worked for the past 10 years across fuel and bus transport, having successfully negotiated employment agreements across both industries. Most recently, Rowena is a member of Tony Hopkins’ team, CDC Regional Australia, overseeing People & Culture across their operations in the NT, Qld, NSW and the ACT. She supports the operations through managing the Employee and Industrial Relations complexity of bus companies in transition from owner operated to a global company.
Nicholas Yap was appointed Chief Executive Officer of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia on 1 July 2019. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chief Executive Officer of CDC Victoria and Chief Operating Officer of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia. Nick joined our parent company, ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited in 1994 and was Vice President, Group Business Development, before his posting to Australia. He also served as a Manager in the Service Development Department of SBS Transit Ltd. Nick holds a Bachelor of Economic and Social Studies (Hons) from the University of Wales and completed the Executive Programme in Transportation Management from the Nanyang Technological University and Chartered Institute of Transport, Singapore.
Russ is a thought leader and influencer at the forefront of global mobility innovation. In his current role he works with transport agencies and operators across Australia and New Zealand to improve mobility outcomes through the Optibus platform and its ever-increasing suite of capabilities. During his 20 years in the transport and infrastructure industry he's worked across the globe, and has always sought to challenge norms and find opportunities to improve outcomes through process redesign, user-centricity and the adoption of innovative technologies. Russ is an advocate of the holistic transformation opportunity that presents itself during this transition to a zero emission transport paradigm and where possible helps his peers chart a path to a digitally enabled, sustainable future.
Dominic has over 20 years of experience in marketing, branding, and communications in Australia and Europe. His career started in advertising with Clemenger BBDO in Australia. He also worked extensively across the Asia Pacific region during this tenure. He is currently the Managing Partner of the Hero Co which is a highly successful Australian independent marketing organisation which believes in turning brands into heros. The Company are recent recipients of Australian independent EFFIE Awards, the Mumbrella Media Campaign of the Year 2022, and the AdNews Social Media Campaign of the year 2022.
Max has 15+ years of experience in the energy industry, specializing in generation projects, energy retail, and transitioning large fleets to zero emissions. With a background in electrical engineering and expertise in large-scale power systems, he understands the complexities and challenges of grid upgrades, civil and electrical works, contractual agreements, and operational impacts in converting bus depots. Max has provided analytical and advisory work to most Australian grid operators on the impacts of EVs on the grid and Transport for NSW on their 8,000 bus transition plan. Currently, he is leading Australia's largest bus depot electrification project and has worked with bus operators globally to find innovative solutions to their challenges in transitioning to zero emissions. Recently, he visited several North American bus depots and gained valuable first-hand lessons learned from operators with 100% electric bus fleets, mixed electric/hydrogen/diesel fleets, and various charging solutions.
