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Program and speaker biographies

Queensland International Gas Symposium

The program for the International Gas Symposium included an impressive array of high-calibre speakers and decision makers. They provided expert analysis and commentary through keynote presentations, discussion panels and briefings addressing the following themes:

  • demand and global market trends
  • business and industry innovation
  • encouraging investment
  • environment and best practice regulation.

Download the Queensland International Gas Symposium Program (PDF, 244KB).

Speakers included:

Anna Bligh MP, Premier and Minister for Reconstruction

Anna Maria Bligh made history on 21 March 2009, when she became the first popularly elected female Premier in Australia. Prior to the election, she served as Queensland Premier from 13 September 2007, following the resignation of Peter Beattie.

On 21 February 2011, Ms Bligh took on the role of Minister for Reconstruction to oversee the rebuilding Queensland in the wake of unprecedented natural disasters in late 2010 and early 2011.

Ms Bligh was born in Warwick, Queensland, on 14 July 1960. She grew up on the Gold Coast, attending Catholic primary schools and Miami State High School, before completing the last six months of her schooling at Nowra State High School.

She became Deputy Premier of Queensland in July 2005 - the same month she celebrated 10 years as Member for South Brisbane. As Deputy Premier she was also Treasurer and Minister for Infrastructure, running the $33 billion Queensland State Budget and leading construction of the $9 billion South-East Queensland Water Grid.

Ms Bligh was formerly Minister for Finance, State Development, Trade and Innovation. Prior to that she was Queensland's first female Education Minister, spending almost 5 years overseeing the most significant reforms to the state´s education system in decades.

The reforms saw the introduction of a preparatory year of schooling and requirements for all young people to be 'learning or earning'. During that time she also had responsibilities for the Arts portfolio, overseeing construction of the Millennium Arts Precinct.

Following the election of the Beattie Labor Government in June 1998, her first ministerial responsibility was as Minister for Families, Youth and Community Care and Disability Services.

Prior to her election, Ms Bligh worked in community organisations, in the Queensland Public Service, and in employment, training and industrial relations policy.

Ms Bligh graduated with an Arts Degree from The University of Queensland in 1980.

Ms Bligh and her family have lived in South Brisbane for more than 20 years. She is married to Greg Withers, a senior public servant, with whom she has two sons (Joe born in 1987 and Oliver born in 1993).

Andrew Fraser MP, Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for State Development and Trade

Andrew Fraser is the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, with additional responsibilities as Minister for State Development and Trade.

Mr Fraser was first elected as the Member for Mt Coot-tha in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and 2009. Mr Fraser became the youngest ever Parliamentary Secretary in Queensland during his first term as an MP.

After first serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Treasurer, Mr Fraser then served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Minister for Health.

In 2006, Mr Fraser was charged with overseeing the most significant program of reform to local government in Queensland's history during his year in the Cabinet as Minister for Local Government, Planning and Sport.

In 2007, he was appointed Treasurer - at 30 years of age, the youngest Minister to hold the Treasury portfolio since 1915.

Following the 2009 election, Mr Fraser was reappointed Treasurer, and also held the ministries of Employment and Economic Development.

In 2011, Mr Fraser was appointed Deputy Premier - the youngest person to be sworn-in to this position in Queensland's history.

Mr Fraser is a graduate of Griffith University with degrees in Commerce and Law. He graduated with first class honours and received the University Medal for academic excellence.

Mr Fraser is married with two children.

Vicky Darling MP, Minister for Environment

Vicky Darling was sworn in as Minister for Environment  on 22 June 2011.

Vicky was elected to the Queensland Parliament, representing the electorate of Sandgate, in September 2006. Within Parliament, Vicky has been a member of the Legal, Constitutional and Administrative Review Committee and temporary Chair of the Parliament, the Scrutiny of Legislation Committee, and a Deputy Government Whip.

As Environment Minister, she is committed to working hard to continue delivering environmental reforms as the state government continues to address environmental challenges facing all Queenslanders. Her priorities include transitioning 80% of North Stradbroke Island to national park, protecting the Great Barrier Reef, reducing landfill and continuing strict regulation and scrutiny of the coal seam gas industry.

Noel Tomnay

Noel Tomnay

Noel Tomnay is Head of Global Gas at Wood Mackenzie.

Noel is responsible for the development of Wood Mackenzie's view on global gas issues. Previously Noel established Wood Mackenzie's Asia Pacific consultancy practice in Singapore, where he advised widely in Pacific basin gas, working with National Oil Companies, Majors, Independents and Utilities. In addition, Noel has developed and led a number of Wood Mackenzie multi-client studies and research products addressing gas issues.

Noel joined Wood Mackenzie in 1998, having started his career as a facilities engineer with BP International and has worked in the UK, Indonesia and Eastern Africa.

Noel graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) from the University of Glasgow in 1989, is a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) and holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh.

Ian Cronshaw

Ian Cronshaw

Ian Cronshaw is a consultant to the Office of the Chief Economist in the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Until recently, Ian was Head of Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division of the IEA - an intergovernmental body with 27 member countries. His responsibilities included analysis of energy policies and markets for gas, coal, and electricity, including nuclear and renewables.

Prior to working at the IEA, Ian spent 36 years in the Australian Government. Ian was most recently a general manager for the federal government in a role attracting investment in energy and resource industries. Prior to this he was one of the principal authors for the federal government's white paper, Securing Australia's energy future. Ian also worked in the IEA in the 1980s.

Al Hirshberg

Al Hirshberg is senior vice president, Planning and Strategy, for ConocoPhillips. A mechanical engineer, Hirshberg has 28 years of oil and natural gas industry technical and executive management experience.

Prior to joining ConocoPhillips in 2010, Hirshberg was vice president, Worldwide Deep Water and Africa Projects for ExxonMobil Development Company (EMDC). From 2000 to 2009, he advanced through increasingly responsible management positions at ExxonMobil with a focus on offshore and deep water projects in a number of areas, including Norway, Australia, Angola, Nigeria, the Gulf of Mexico, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Hirshberg also served as EMDC Vice President, Established Areas Projects, responsible for major oil, natural gas and liquefied natural gas projects in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong (Power), Venezuela, Nigeria, Chad and the United States.

Hirshberg began his career at Exxon Production Research Company in 1983. He held planning, engineering and production operations positions in various Exxon affiliates before being named a Senior Department Head and Upstream Planning Manager at Exxon Company, USA. In this role he had responsibility for Upstream Strategic Planning and Business Analysis as well as upstream Financial Reporting and Asset Acquisition & Divestment.

Hirshberg is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He also serves on the Rice Engineering Alumni Board. He received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in 1982 and 1983.

Douglas Buckley

Doug is Vice President Commercial in Australia for Upstream International. He has held various roles for Shell in Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Netherlands and UK in business development, LNG marketing, and commercial joint venture governance, primarily in the gas business.

Prior to returning to Australia in 2009, Doug was responsible for optimisation of Shell's Pan European gas business based in The Netherlands.

He was responsible for the marketing of LNG for the Sakhalin LNG Project in Russia leading to the final investment decision in 2003, and subsequently was responsible for LNG business development in Russia. He has had a number of roles on the North West Shelf Project including General Manager for Shell's interests.

Doug holds a bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland and completed the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University. He was Chair of the Board of the American School of The Hague in 2008 and 2009. He has had an association with Japan spanning over 35 years.

Doug is a Director of Shell Energy Holdings Australia Ltd.

Richard M McIlhattan

Richard M (Dick) McIlhattan is the General Manager of the LNG business line in Bechtel's Oil, Gas & Chemicals (OG&C) global business unit (GBU). He is also the Chairperson of Bechtel's project management committee (PMC). Prior to his current role, Dick served as Project Director of the Crossrail & Reading Project in London.

Dick joined Bechtel in the Mining and Metals GBU in 1972 as a cost engineer in project controls. Today, he is an established 38-year veteran of Bechtel Corporation and has gained domestic and international exposure in all phases of engineering, construction, and project management. Dick was elected a Senior Vice President in 2008.

With a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Dick's working background extends over a multitude of industries, including mining and metals; power; oil, gas, and chemicals; and transportation. He has managed large engineering organisations in addition to large construction organisations - both union and non-union.

Some of Dick's most significant accomplished assignments to date include manager of the Houston office execution unit, project manager of a large refinery expansion in St. Croix, and project director of a USD 24 billion transportation project in the United Kingdom. 

Jim Knudsen

Jim Knudsen

Jim Knudsen is Senior Vice President of QGC.

He joined the BG Group in 2008 as Regional Technical Director for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Region and was formally appointed Senior Vice President, Middle East, India and Asia in January 2009.

Jim was appointed Senior Vice President, QGC, in August this year. He chairs the regional health, safety, security and environment committee and brings to the BG Group more than 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry.

Before joining BG, he was president of Lower 48 exploration and production for ConocoPhillips in Houston which includes ConocoPhillips significant unconventional gas portfolio supplying the US market.

Previous assignments with ConocoPhillips included President of Dubai Petroleum Company, Vice President, Upstream Technology, for Conoco in Houston and President of ConocoPhillips China in Beijing where he managed its exploration and production business.

Jim is a US national with a science degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University. He is a graduate of the executive development program of Darden College at the University of Virginia.

Page Maxson

Page Maxson

Page F Maxson is CEO, Australia Pacific LNG.

Page started with the project in June 2010, following a period when he was deputy CEO of the Shah Gas Field - a joint venture with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Before joining ConocoPhillips, Page worked in construction management and management consulting. He joined the company in 1988 and has fulfilled a variety of assignments, including economic, commercial and strategic roles in Houston, Norway, Indonesia and West Texas. In 1997, Page became plant manager and then district manager for Conoco's midstream business in Oklahoma. In 1999, he became operating centre manager for the Pocahontas coal bed methane project in Virginia. In 2000, he moved to Aberdeen and became operating unit manager for the Southern North Sea, before being named general manager of the Southern North Sea Business Centre and member of the North Sea business unit management team. He was then named president and general manager of ConocoPhillips' Libyan operations in 2006.

A native of Oklahoma, Page graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1982. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas in 1984.

Mark Macfarlane

Mark Macfarlane

Mark Macfarlane is the President of GLNG - a $16 billion project that will use world-first technology to process coal seam gas (CSG) into liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Mark holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mech., Hons) and joined Santos in 1997 after a 9 year career with Esso in Australia and Malaysia. He served as Santos Vice President for Eastern Australia and Santos Vice President of Development before joining the GLNG project in 2010.

Mark will oversee the delivery of fields, pipeline and plant to produce 7.8 million tonnes per annum of LNG by 2015, creating 5000 jobs during construction and 1000 ongoing positions in the operational phase.

Andrew Faulkner

Andrew Faulkner is the CEO of Arrow Energy.

Andrew has wide-ranging upstream oil and gas operational experience, from new business development and project execution through to production operations and pipeline export. His extensive LNG experience covers the full extent of the value chain from LNG production to marketing.

His career with Shell began in 1982 and has spanned four continents, working in a variety of technical and commercial positions. He has spent significant time working in joint ventures, both directly and in governance roles. Most recently, Andrew has worked as Vice President Technical and Production for the Middle East and North Africa, based in Dubai, and Vice President North Asia and Floating LNG, based in Singapore.

Andrew Faulkner graduated with a first class degree in Civil Engineering from Auckland University in 1981.

Kyel Hodenfield

Kyel Hodenfield

Kyel Hodenfield is Vice President of Unconventional Resources for Schlumberger, and has over 25 years of industry experience.

Based in Paris, he is responsible for the research and development (R&D) strategy, operational support, and marketing of Schlumberger services for shale gas and liquids, coal bed methane, and tight gas. Previously, he managed the Reservoir Sampling and Analysis division of Schlumberger Testing Services, where he worked to integrate and expand the acquisitions of Oilphase, DBR, and TerraTek.

Kyel began his career with Schlumberger in 1985 as a Wireline field engineer. After various roles in sales and management for Wireline and Testing, he transferred to the Drilling and Measurements segment. While with Drilling and Measurements, he served as Vice President of North and South America and later as Vice President of Marketing and Technology, where his global responsibilities included developing, launching, and marketing new drilling and LWD technologies.

Kyel holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Petroleum Engineering and Geological Engineering from The University of North Dakota.

Ken Mullen

Ken Mullen is the President and CEO of Savanna Energy Services Corp.

Mr Mullen is responsible for the overall direction and performance of the company and its operating subsidiaries. He reports to the Board of Directors of Savanna. Mr Mullen is one of the founding members of Savanna and was instrumental in raising the funds necessary to form Savanna through a private equity offering in 2001. Those funds were utilized to develop one of Canada's leading drilling and well servicing companies, including a successful merger with Western Lakota Energy Services in 2006.

Previously, Mr Mullen was a founding officer and President and Chief Executive Officer of Plains Energy Services Ltd. ('Plains'). In July 2000, Plains was acquired by Precision Drilling Corporation pursuant to a hostile takeover, realizing a 235% value increase for shareholders based on the 1996 IPO price of Plains' shares.

Mr Mullen is a lawyer and chartered accountant.

Ashley Nelson

Ash Nelson graduated from the University of Queensland (UQ) and has previously held roles included Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, General Manager of Opcom, board member of Boeing Australia Holdings Limited, Country Head for Jeppesen's Australian businesses and a Director of Jeppesen's Global Rail and Logistics business.

In January 2009 Ash co-founded Biarri, a commercial mathematics startup, which has since become one of the largest Australian based providers of operations research.

Ash has more than 15 years experience working in IT and mathematical optimisation and particularly in developing and commercialising technology and information systems.

He guest lectures and provides training at both UQ and the Queensland University of Technology on various topics ranging from the impact of changing technology on business to logistics and supply chain best practices.

Rodney Naylor

Rod is Director of Veolia Water's Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries.

He has executive responsibility for the growth of Veolia Water's long term water business in Australia and has direct managerial responsibility for the organisation's technical capability, new business development, and project implementation.

Rod holds a First Class Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering, a Diploma in Marketing and a Master's Degree in Business Administration. He is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

During his 25 years in the water industry, Rod has worked in both the public and private sectors, in Australia and abroad, and in operational, consulting and development roles at all levels of management.

Mary Boydell

Mary was appointed as the Commissioner of the Queensland Water Commission on 19 June 2009.

She is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in professional services firms, private business and commerce including more recently as a Non-Executive Director. Currently she is Chairman of the Gladstone Area Water Board, a Director of Energex Limited, a Director of Uniquest Pty Limited and a Board Member of the CSIRO. She is a Member of the Standing Committee of the Premiers' Smart State Council and a Member of the Surat Basin Coal Seam Gas Engagement Group.

Mary also undertakes consulting and advisory roles that are compatible with her portfolio of appointments and has served as an External Member of a number of Public Sector and Board Audit Committees. 

Professor Paul Greenfield

Professor Greenfield was appointed Vice Chancellor from 1 January 2008 and was Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 2002 to 31 December 2007.

Professor Greenfield has extensive experience as a Board Director and is currently a Director on a number of company boards. He has also consulted and worked widely with industry on a range of projects spanning biochemical engineering, wastewater treatment and waste and environmental management, as well as economic evaluation of projects (particularly in the biotechnology and environmental fields). His interests lie in biotechnology, environmental management and R&D management and commercialisation.

He was Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group of the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership until 30 June 2011. He is currently chair of the Science Integration Panel for the SEQ Natural Resource Management CEO's Committee and was appointed Chair of the Expert Panel on Purified Recycled Water. He is also Chair of the International Riverprize Committee and the International Water Centre. In 2006 he was appointed to the Board of ANSTO and chair in 2011.  In 2008 he was appointed to the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) Advisory Board representing the academic and research community.  He is currently chair of the Group of Eight research intensive universities.

Jim Reeves, Director-General, DERM

Jim took up duties as the Director-General of the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) on 29 August 2011. Prior to that Jim was the General Manager of the Institute of Sustainable Resources at QUT, and previous to that was the Divisional Manager of Brisbane Water.

Jim has also served on the boards of the Water Services Association of Australia and the Urban Land Development Authority.

He has significant leadership and public sector experience, particularly in the fields of greenhouse gas management, long term ecological research, water and geo-systems, energy systems, and sustainable communities and infrastructure.

Jim is committed to an evidenced-based approach to policy development within DERM to ensure the right balance between natural resource and environmental protection and prosperous economic development opportunities for Queensland.

Peter Stone

Peter Stone is Deputy Chief of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences and the Director of GISERA, the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance. GISERA is a vehicle initiated by Australia Pacific LNG and CSIRO to foster collaborative public good research into the social and environmental challenges and opportunities associated with Australia's growing gas industry.

Peter's work history includes farm management, food industry consulting, grain marketing and agricultural research. For much of the last 10 years, his research has focused on the use of contested land-based resources, seeking to understand the intersection of a range of scientific, community and industry perspectives.

Rick Wilkinson

Rick Wilkinson is the Chief Operating Officer - Eastern Australia for the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), the peak industry association for the upstream petroleum industry.

Prior to this role, he was President - GLNG and Queensland for Santos.  He oversaw the initiation and definition of GLNG, a $16 billion coal seam gas to LNG project, as well as representing Santos' interests in Queensland. 

Before joining Santos, he has been an Associate with management consultants, McKinsey & Co., and held various managerial and engineering positions with Schlumberger in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and the USA.

Rick has a first class honours science degree majoring in nuclear physics from Melbourne University. 

Michael Ackland

Michael was appointed to his current role as Vice President of Strategy and Growth GE Australia and New Zealand in April 2011.

Prior to this, Michael has spent eight years with the Boston Consulting Group. In this time, he consulted for major financial services, retail and a range of manufacturing clients across Australia, Europe and India.

Michael joined GE in 2004, and since that time he has held a variety of roles across Finance, Quality and Operations. In May 2008, Michael assumed the role of acting Chief Operations Officer for GE Money Australia and New Zealand, and was appointed Chief Operating Officer for GE Capital in January 2009.

Michael also serves on the Melbourne University Masters of Energy Systems Advisory Board.

John Veil, VEIL Environmental

John Veil founded Veil Environmental, LLC, a consulting practice specialising in water issues affecting the energy industries, upon his retirement from Argonne National Laboratory in January 2011. Mr Veil spent more than 20 years as the manager of the Water Policy Program for Argonne National Laboratory in Washington, DC, where he was a senior scientist. He analysed a variety of energy industry water and waste issues for the Department of Energy. Mr Veil has a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science from Johns Hopkins University, and two M.S. degrees - in Zoology and Civil Engineering - from the University of Maryland.

Contact

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+61 7 3405 4174

Last updated
08 December 2011

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