Featured Speakers

Shohan Seneviratne

Andrew Williams

Hon. David Michael MLA

Jason Waters

Jason commenced as CEO of Perth Airport in November 2023 and prior to this was the CEO of Gold Corporation, owner of The Perth Mint, from April 2022 and CEO of electricity generator and retailer Synergy from 2014 – 2022. He is a graduate of Curtin University of Technology (Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Diploma of Business) and Harvard Business School (Executive Education – Program for Leadership Development).

Vince Catania

Vince Catania is the Chief Executive Officer of Hastings Technology Metals. He joined the company in early 2023 as General Manager of Corporate Affairs and was instrumental in leading negotiations for the strategic Joint Venture with Wyloo Metals for the Yangibana Rare Earths and Niobium Project before being appointed as CEO. Prior to joining Hastings, Mr Catania has a distinguished 18-year career as a Member of the Western Australian Parliament, holding senior roles in both Government and Opposition. In his final term, he represented the expansive electoral district of Northwest Central, the home of Hastings’ Yangibana Project. This extensive political background has equipped Mr Catania with a strong understanding of government agency processes and has forged exceptional relationships at both State and Federal levels. His deep experience in the region provides him with a unique insight into the needs of the community and key stakeholders, including the Traditional Owners whose agreements are critical to the project’s success. As CEO, Vince is focused on steering the Yangibana Joint Venture through development and into production, ensuring strategic objectives are achieved and value is delivered to shareholders and partners.

Michael McGowan

Michael McGowan is currently the Regional Executive Director at the Housing Industry Association in WA, appointed to the position in June 2022. Mr McGowan joined the Housing Industry Association in 2019 and has held the roles of Commercial Manager and Deputy Regional Executive Director. Previous to Michael joining HIA, he spent four years at CCIWA. Michael is an experienced business executive, having worked closely with government, industry bodies, members and stakeholders. Michael has a particular interest in training & development, and influencing young members of our industry. Michael is also Chair of the Housing Industry Forecasting Group following his appointment in October 2023.

Ray Loh

Ray Loh plays a pivotal role in connecting local suppliers with major project proponents. With a strong background in major projects and supply chain, Ray is dedicated to maximizing procurement and supply chain opportunities for local businesses. His expertise ensures that local businesses are well-positioned to participate in numerous significant projects across various industries including energy, resources, renewables, infrastructure and defence among others, fostering economic growth and development in the region. 

Andrew Ross

Upon graduation in 1994, Mr Andrew Ross worked in Australia and internationally as a lawyer and an investment banker for 10 years. He then co-founded and ran as Managing Director two international oil and gas exploration and production companies for 8 years. In 2012, Mr Ross founded URBNSURF Group, which he led for a period of 8 years as Executive Chairman. During his tenure, URBNSURF grew to become Australia’s leading surf park developer and operator. In his role at URBNSURF, Mr Ross was responsible for delivering the first man made surfing lagoon in the Southern hemisphere, ‘URBNSURF Melbourne’, which commenced operations in early 2020. Mr Ross joined Aventuur, Inc. as Chairman and Chief Development Officer in mid 2020 and is now focused on developing large scale, integrated recreation and leisure destinations globally, which feature man-made surfing lagoons. Mr Ross is considered a leading global authority with respect to the feasibility, design, construction and operation of man-made surf parks, including the creation of related brands, guest experiences, and project capital raising. Andrew is an avid surfer, skater, snowboarder, and a passionate photographer and musician.

Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson joined ECU in February 2012 as Vice-President Corporate Services. He has been the Program Executive accountable for ECU’s City Campus project from 2019, in addition to his corporate services responsibilities. Mr Henderson was on the Board of Venueswest until recently, including during the construction and delivery of Perth Stadium. His previous roles have include being the CEO of Harvey Beef, Skywest Airlines and Netball WA, where he commenced the construction of the State Netball Centre. In the late 1990s he was State Manager for United Airlines in Victoria, before being appointed Manager International Strategic Planning for United Airlines in Chicago. Scott was a commissioned officer in the Royal Australian Navy for more than a decade prior to embarking on a commercial career. Scott has served on the Boards of Tourism Council WA as Chairman, Skywest Ltd, Higher Education Services Pty Ltd, Edith Cowan College Pty Ltd, Sapien Cyber Ltd, Willetton Senior High School and Perth Modern School. Mr Henderson is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds the degree of Master of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management at UNSW and Diploma of Applied Science in Military Studies from the Royal Australian Naval College.

Dr Richard Hughes

Richard Hughes has more than two decades of experience managing and advising on major government and infrastructure projects in both Australia and the UK. Now based at Edith Cowan University (ECU), he brings this practical expertise into his research, exploring how large public projects, particularly in infrastructure and construction, can deliver lasting value for organisations and society. As a seasoned program and project manager, Richard has worked on local and national initiatives ranging from urban development to public service delivery. His insights draw on years of leading projects on the ground, combined with recent studies into how government can better align project benefits with long-term sustainability. At ECU, Richard plays a leading role in shaping postgraduate project management programs, preparing the next generation of project leaders to manage complexity and risk in high-stakes environments. He is also a regular contributor to industry publications and forums, where he writes and speaks on the challenges of delivering efficient, sustainable, and community-focused outcomes. Recognised with multiple university awards for leadership, mentoring, and inclusion, Richard continues to bridge industry and academia through advisory boards, industry networks, and collaborative research.

Tanya Steinbeck

Dale Harrison

Claire Tyrrell

Claire Tyrrell has covered property for Business News since joining the publication in 2021. Claire began her career with Seven West Media in 2009, working at regional publications before moving to The West Australian in 2013. She has also worked in London as a journalist covering the finance sector. Claire is heavily involved in Perth’s business sector, as a regular MC and moderator across a range of events. 

Prof. Peter Newman

John Curtin Distinguished Professor Peter Newman is a part time Professor of Sustainability at CUSP. He has written 25 books and over 420 papers on sustainable cities with a global reputation and his 2025 book is Net Zero Cities with Sustainability: A Practitioners Approach from Edward Elgar. He has worked to deliver his ideas in the three levels of government in Australia, including as a councillor in the City of Fremantle, seconded to work with three Premiers in WA and the NSW Sustainability Commissioner, and at Federal level on the Board of Infrastructure Australia. Peter has worked for the UN’s IPCC from 2010-25; he was the Co-ordinating Lead Author on Transport in the 2022 Mitigation Report and was a Lead Author in the Cities chapter. In 2014 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport particularly for his work in saving and rebuilding Perth’s rail system. In 2018 he was the WA Scientist of the Year.

James Jiang

James is an experienced and qualified digital engineering professional having worked in various sized projects and contract delivery mode. He has sound field-knowledge in construction interface with digital design and engineering management, and has worked both as client DE and delivery team DE consultant and lead for major projects. He is passionate in BIM/digital engineering innovation and solutions to deliver projects in various sectors and scales; believes in value adding practical BIM/DE implementation through out early design and design development, onsite construction & project hand-over. His proven successes in projects cover broadly Design/Construction Coordination & Documentation, Project & Digital Engineering management, implementing 4D, 5D and 6D ; site multidisciplinary construction coordination , Urban Design & Planning and FIFO Iron Ore Mining & Plant. James also advocates and lectures for the Master of Building Information Modelling at University of Western Australia.

Bryan Tay

Prof. David Shirley

David Shirley is a professor and the Executive Dean of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), at Edith Cowan University, Australia. Previously, holding posts as the Director of the Manchester School of Theatre, and the Head of the School of Theatre at Rose Bruford College in Kent, David has extensive experience of performer/director training at both UK and international levels. The founding Chair of the Conference of Drama Schools Research Forum and an Associate Editor of Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, he is actively engaged in promoting research initiatives across the performer training sector. His own research includes a range of articles and book chapters reflecting on the work of Konstantin Stanislavsky, Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Samuel Beckett, Uta Hagen, Declan Donnellan and Katie Mitchell. Formerly the Chair of the UK’s Federation of Drama Schools (FDS), David is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), and serves on the Advisory Board of the Stanislavsky Research Centre at the University of Leeds.

Matthew Pollock

Cam Dumesny