Featured Speakers

Andrew Williams

Andrew Williams is the Chief Operations Officer at DevelopmentWA. He is responsible for a large team of people to drive commercial and social outcomes across a significant state-wide portfolio of projects. With more than 20 years’ experience in the property development industry, Andrew joined DevelopmentWA in January 2019 as the inaugural General Manager for the newly established Industrial Lands Authority. Previously, Andrew held leadership positions in ASX-listed companies, a state-owned enterprise, a national project management consultancy and a construction contractor. Having spent the first 10 years of his career as a consultant town planner on a range of master-planned developments and building projects, Andrew then transitioned into project delivery and development management, encompassing the full project lifecycle from feasibility through to marketing and sales. Andrew holds an MBA as well as tertiary qualifications in urban planning and project management, he is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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.

Shohan Seneviratne

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.

Keith Wilks

Keith Wilks oversees the management of Western Australia’s three southern regional ports at Albany, Bunbury and Esperance. With a career spanning 30 years in ports and maritime, Keith has deep operational experience in leading complex port operations, coupled with strategic expertise in port development, capital renewal and infrastructure planning to support global trade. Under his leadership, the regional port authority is delivering a record capital works program with major infrastructure upgrades across southern Western Australia.

Dr. Shirley Bowen

WA Health Director General Dr Shirley Bowen is a skilled physician with extensive experience across all aspects of health service delivery. Shirley is passionate about person centred care and delivering excellent health care to the people of Western Australia. Prior to her appointment as Director General in May 2024, she served as North Metropolitan Health Service Chief Executive and CEO of St John of God Subiaco Hospital. Throughout her career, Dr Bowen has demonstrated leadership across public and private health sectors, holding notable positions, including Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Capital Territory, Executive Director of Fremantle Hospital and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia. In these roles, she advanced healthcare standards, fostered medical education and led innovative research and community services.

Dr. Nicholas Fearnley

Dr. Nicholas Fearnley is Head of Global Construction Forecasting at Oxford Economics. Nicholas oversees the teams that produce the various global construction services, and also the Australian mining and maintenance outlooks. He works over the full construction spectrum, and has experience forecasting cost escalation and material demand. Nicholas has a PhD in economics from the University of Sydney, and regularly presents and provides commentary for the construction industry.

Matthew Pollock

Warren Harris

Warren Harris is a long-standing senior leader at Fortescue, currently serving as Director of Decarbonisation and Green Product Delivery. In this role, he is helping to drive Fortescue’s transition to green mining through the development and delivery of the company’s decarbonisation strategy.

Since joining Fortescue in 2014, Warren has held a range of senior project leadership roles, overseeing the successful execution of major and complex infrastructure developments. These include the 30-million-tonne-per-annum dry ore processing facility at Eliwana, as well as the ore processing facility and associated infrastructure at Iron Bridge.

Bringing together 17 years of project delivery experience with a strong strategic focus, Warren now applies this expertise to accelerating Fortescue’s decarbonisation plan, leading the delivery of zero-emission solutions including battery electric mining equipment, renewable energy, charging infrastructure and battery energy storage.

Cam Dumesny

Cam Dumesny has been the CEO of WA’s transport and logistics peak industry body, Western Roads Federation since Nov 2017. Graduating from Royal Military College Duntroon in 1984, Cam spent several postings as a Logistics Officer before attending the Royal Military College of Science in the UK. Following RMCS, he was posted to military research and development facilities in the UK, USA and Australia. Since leaving the Army, Cam has held senior executive roles in logistics, technology and manufacturing companies. Academically, in addition to a BA(Mil) Cam holds post-graduate qualifications in Logistics Management, Technology Management, and a conferred Masters in Blast Wave Predictive Modelling. In addition to WRF, Cam is a Trustee Director of a multi-billion-dollar industry super fund, is listed by Business News in WA’s most influential 500 people, an Editorial Advisor to WA Defence Review and is the Director of TraumaSim, a WA manufacturer exporting to 25 countries.

Mike Buttery

Tim Bray

In his role as Deputy Director General, Tim leads PoweringWA to drive the State’s renewable energy transition and coordinate the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. Tim has extensive experience in the energy sector across both the public and private sectors, with expertise in economic regulation, market design, network service delivery, and the rapidly evolving distributed energy space. Prior to holding the position of Deputy Director General, Tim served as Assistant Coordinator - Strategic and Consumer Energy Policy within Energy Policy WA, overseeing customer and retail policy, the regulation of emerging energy service models, and the group's contributions to national energy policy and whole-of-Government energy initiatives. Additionally, Tim led the Pilbara energy transition team, working to facilitate regional decarbonisation through the implementation of the Pilbara Energy Transition Plan. This work involves coordinating across Government and collaborating closely with Traditional Owners and industry stakeholders to develop common-use transmission infrastructure in the Pilbara, unlocking the region's best renewable resources.

Michael Kilgariff

Michael Kilgariff is the Chief Executive Officer of Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia - the peak body for the heavy construction materials industry in Australia. CCAA members produce the majority of Australia's cement, concrete, and aggregates, which are crucial to Australia's building and construction sectors. These materials support the development of our nation's transport, energy, water, housing, defence, and social infrastructure. The industry generates approximately $15 Billion in annual revenues and employs approximately 30,000 Australians directly and a further 80,000 indirectly. Michael Kilgariff has a strong background in stakeholder engagement and collaboration. He has always sought to build strong working relationships between industry and government, with the aim of supporting and achieving public policy outcomes that are beneficial to industry. Michael has a keen understanding of the major economic, social and government policy drivers, combined with a broad understanding of the key issues impacting on industry. In recognition of his work in this area, Michael won the Transport and Logistics Executive of the Year in the CEO Magazine 2014 Executive of the Year Awards. Michael holds a degree in Economics from the Australian National University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ diploma and advanced diploma courses. He also completed the Cambridge University Judge Business School Advanced Leadership Programme in November 2017.

Cr. Daniel Kingston

Elected Mayor in October 2025, Daniel Kingston leads the City of Joondalup with a focus on sustainability, community engagement, and transparent governance. First elected to Council in 2021 Daniel holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors As past Secretary of the Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park, and working closely with Friends of Craigie Bushland, and Hepburn Heights Daniel is passionate about restoring bushland, boosting biodiversity, and promoting urban greening.  Daniel has also advocated for residents on major developments ensuring growth respects local character and amenity.  Passionate about Joondalup’s future, Daniel is committed to making the City an exceptional place to live, work, and visit.

Aaron Walker

Aaron is a Policy Manager and Head of Economics at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, with over a decade of experience across macroeconomic, financial and policy roles. He oversees the Industry Competitiveness and Economics (ICE) portfolio which is responsible for advocating for policy settings that make WA an attractive and competitive jurisdiction for resources investment and operations. Prior to CME, Aaron was a Senior Economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia where he led the RBA’s Perth Office for 5 years. He holds a double degree in Economics and Commerce from the University of Western Australia, along with First Class Honours in Economics.

Rick Brooks

Rick joined AusIndustry in July 2024, bringing over 30 years of experience across various sectors including resources, energy, construction, manufacturing, government, community, and defence. He has a proven track record in delivering transformative initiatives in People, Process, and Systems management both in Australia and Europe. Rick brings experience in industry engagement, strategy and business development, business improvement, and organisational effectiveness as well as to people and culture. Rick holds qualifications in Information Systems, Electronic Engineering, Human Resources, and Corporate Governance. He is passionate about supporting businesses and their leaders, including founders, owners, boards, executives, and professionals. In July 2025 he rejoined the Derbarl Yerrigan Aboriginal Medical Health Service as an Independent Director and in late 2025 retired after 10 years as a Director with Sexual Health Quarters, being the Chair for the past six years.

Sarah Lambert

Neil Appleton

Neil Appleton is a Director at Lyons and one of Australia’s leading architects in the design and delivery of major civic, cultural and educational projects, with over 30 years’ experience. He has played a significant role in shaping contemporary public architecture in Australia, with a strong focus on sustainable, culturally informed and place-responsive design. Neil was most recently Project Director and Co-Design Lead for Edith Cowan University’s City Campus in Perth’s CBD (in collaboration with London based Haworth Tompkins and Perth based Silver Thomas Hanley), with the design integrating the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with a diverse range of academic faculties in a vertical urban campus. Shaped through sustained stakeholder engagement, and built by Multiplex, ECU City sets an international benchmark for the contemporary urban educational campus. In WA, Neil has also led the design of Yagan Square, a major civic place grounded in Noongar stories and cultural landscapes, and was Co-Design Lead for Murdoch University’s Boola Katitjin, a 6 Star Green Star, award-winning mass timber teaching and learning building. He also led the design of a major new ‘all Australian’ mass timber building project for the Victorian State Government, the Galkangu GovHub, a regional government headquarters for over 1000 staff in the City of Bendigo. Neil is recognised for his leadership in complex public projects that embed cultural narratives, sustainability and community identity into architecture. He teaches design at RMIT and lectures on building ideas which bring cultural and environmental value to the contemporary city.

Elaine Jin