Executive Director
UITP, Australia/New Zealand

Michelle Batsas is the Executive Director of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in Australia and New Zealand, advocating for best practice public transport and sustainable mobility solutions for the region. Michelle is a senior executive with broad and diverse experience across management, strategy, governance, events, communications and policy. She has held senior roles at Public Transport Victoria and VicRoads, leading large teams through transformational change in order to realise the best outcomes possible for users of an integrated transport network. Michelle is a qualified lawyer and prior to entering the world of transport, she worked in the justice and emergency management portfolios of the Victorian Government. She is passionate about promoting urban mobility for the benefit of customers and broader communities.

Managing Director
MRCagney Pty Ltd

Les Carter is MRCagney’s Managing Director, charged with the responsibility of leading the company as it strives to grow its reach and reputation as one of Australasia’s leading independent transport and planning advisory firms.

Les has over 25 years’ experience as a transport management professional in both the public and private sectors including operational, specialist technical and advisory roles Technically, his key areas of specialisation include fleet procurement and maintenance, operational management, transport technology and institutional reform.

More recently Les has also lead MRCagney’s movement into Mobility as a Service (MaaS), electric buses and autonomous vehicles through leading and or contributing to research studies relating to improving the environmental efficiency of Australia’s bus fleets, electric vehicles, a zero carbon Australia, energy storage systems for road based vehicles and autonomous vehicles and their impact on cities and transport infrastructure.

MRCagney is also currently providing Queensland’s department of Transport and Main Roads with strategic advisory services and project management support as they develop their MaaS strategy, identify and implement proof of concepts and enabling technology trials to improve mobility options for all Queenslanders. Les is leading this important piece of work on behalf or MRCagney.

He previously held senior management and executive positions at Brisbane Transport and Royal Automobile Club of Queensland as well as undertaking project assignments for the ACT Government, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Brisbane City Council, TransLink and Metro Tasmania in Australia and ETA (Durban) in South Africa and TransJakarta in Indonesia. During this time, he firmly established a reputation for excellence in project management and program delivery.

General Manager
UITP, Australia/New Zealand

Following the completion of a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree in Houston, Texas USA, Angé migrated to Australia and began work with a harm-prevention charity focussed on level crossing safety and trauma prevention. She established the rail industry’s partnership with the R U OK charity and oversaw the launch of the inaugural Rail R U OK Day. Her responsibilities were then expanded to include strategic project management for the nation’s rail peak body – The Australasian Railway Association. With an authentic desire to make a difference in shaping the way we move people, Angé is currently using her talents to develop capacity and increase cross-jurisdictional engagement in the ANZ public transport industry as the General Manager for the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) Australia/New Zealand.

Chief Executive Officer
Ruter AS, Oslo

Bernt Reitan Jenssen is Chief Executive Officer of Ruter AS, the public transport authority of Oslo and the Akershus part of Viken, a position he has held since the company’s inception in 2008. Prior to joining Ruter, Bernt was CEO of Nordic postal and logistics group Posten Norge AS for eight years. He has previously served as CEO of logistics companies TNT Norge AS and IL-X Budservice AS. Bernt holds a degree in economics from BI Norwegian Business School.

Bernt holds a seat in the Norwegian government’s Expert Committee on Technology and Future Transport Infrastructure. He is also a member of the governmental Council of Mobility and Technology, led by the Minister of Transport and Communications. Bernt lead the national strategy group Transport21, whose mandate has been to recommend key areas for research and development and advise the government on how to meet the transportation challenges of the future. He chaired the Skift task force preparing a summary of the main shifts necessary to reduce emissions in the transport sector.

Board positions
Chairman in Spekter
Board member in Pole Position Spitsbergen AS
Board member in DIGITALNORWAY – Toppindustrisenteret AS
Board member in Kollektivtrafikkforeningen
Board member in Skift

Deputy Secretary, Greater Sydney
Transport for NSW

Elizabeth is the Deputy Secretary of the Greater Sydney division.

The Greater Sydney team is redefining integrated transport choices to improve the lives of customers and communities, making Greater Sydney a better place to live, work and play.

Prior to this role, Elizabeth was the Deputy Secretary of Customer Technology and Services, and before that she was Deputy Secretary of People and Corporate Services.

Before joining TfNSW, Elizabeth was Director of Australian Programs for Save the Children Australia. There she led a diverse workforce of over 500 people across Australia.

She also spent five years at Transurban, including time as the Victorian Group General Manager with responsibility for the operations of CityLink in Melbourne.

Elizabeth has more than 25 years’ management experience across customer services, legal, company secretarial, compliance, risk, management, human resources and general operations.

She holds a degree in Law and Economics, a Masters of Contemporary Asian Analysis and has completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in the USA. She is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Metro Manager Bus Services
Auckland Transport

Darek is a highly skilled manager and a people leader with 14 years’ experience in various roles in the transportation industry.

Darek is leading Auckland Transport’s transition to zero emission bus fleet known as Auckland’s Low Emission Bus Roadmap. He leads the collaboration with private bus operators to facilitate greater understanding of the benefits of moving to zero emission fleet and promotes greater uptake of electric buses while assessing the benefits of using hydrogen.

He also plays a key role in the development of supply chain to support the transition from diesel to electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses, their management, operations and charging infrastructure. He is leading the Low Emission Bus Working Group in NZ tasked with overcoming challenges and removing barriers to earlier adoption of zero emission buses in Auckland and New Zealand.

CEO/General Manager
Sunline Transit

Ms. Lauren Skiver has served the transit industry for almost 20 years. Starting as a Maintenance Clerk at HART in Tampa, Florida, she has progressed her career by serving as Director of Paratransit Services at HART, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at MTA Maryland, and CEO at Delaware Transit Corporation.

Since 2013, she has been the CEO/General Manager of SunLine Transit Agency where she remains excited to lead the delivery of transit services to the Coachella Valley and continue the efforts of SunLine’s Zero Emission Bus program. SunLine has long been a pioneer of Hydrogen Fuel Cell and zero emission technology and continues to be a leader in innovative approaches to clean transit service delivery.

Additionally, Ms. Skiver served nine years in the U.S. Army specializing in Military Intelligence as an Imagery Analyst and served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Minister for Transport & Roads
NSW Government

Andrew Constance has served as the Member for Bega in the New South Wales Parliament since 2003.

He was sworn in as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure in the Baird Government in 2015. In March 2019 Premier Gladys Berejiklian expanded his portfolio to include Transport and Roads. Andrew was also named Leader of the House.

As Minister, Andrew is overseeing a record $55.6 billion spend on public transport and roads over the next four years, on top of the $58.3 billion the NSW Liberals & Nationals has already spent on public transport since winning Government in 2011.

The New South Wales’ transport and infrastructure revolution is well underway with the opening of mega projects such as the Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail, the new M4 Tunnels and the driverless Northwest Metro train in 2019.

Other game-changing projects, including the opening of the new major motorways known as Northconnex and Westconnex, are just around the corner.

Progress is well underway on the next stage of the driverless Metro train through Sydney’s CBD and South West, which will include the first rail tunnel under Sydney Harbour.

Transport of the future is a key interest of Andrew’s and he is excited about combining technology, innovation and transport. He believes customer experience should be at the centre of all transport, and overseeing both Roads and Transport portfolios means he has an unprecedented opportunity to design and build an integrated network of roads and public transport.

This, combined with evolving transport technologies including contactless payments, autonomous and electric vehicles and on-demand transport will provide more reliable, comfortable and efficient options for customers now and into the future.

Head of International Development
Shenzhen Bus Group

Hallie Liao is the head of international development department at Shenzhen Bus Group. Hallie is in charge of international business development, branding, procurement and advertisement. Hallie is passionate about public policy and public transportations role in creating a greener urban environment, particularly after Shenzhen Bus Group became the first fully and largest electric-powered public vehicle operator in the world. Prior to joining Shenzhen Bus Group, Hallie had worked for the United Nations Development Programme, McKinsey and other international organizations in cross border development projects across the United States, China, Latin America and South East Asia. Hallie holds an B.A in political science and economics from Columbia University.

Deputy General Manager
Shenzhen Bus Group

Joe Ma is an urban planner with over 30 years of international experience. He is an Eminent Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a registered Professional Planner (Hong Kong) and a Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists. Joe is currently holding the post of Deputy General Manager in the Shenzhen Bus Group, in charge of international development, procurement, finance and advertisement. A major accomplishment since joining Shenzhen Bus is the successful procurement of some 6,000 electric buses and 4,700 electric taxis resulting in Shenzhen Bus Group becoming the first fully and largest electric-powered public vehicle operator in the world. Joe Ma also represents Shenzhen Bus Group at all international marketing, development and exchange activities as well as sitting on the global Bus Committee and Taxi and Share-riding Committee of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP). He is also a regular guest speaker in many global public transportation conferences and forums.

Partner
L.E.K. CONSULTING

Natasha is a Partner in L.E.K.’s Melbourne office. Natasha is part of L.E.K.’s New Mobility, Transport and Infrastructure practices. Natasha’s experience in transport and infrastructure spans heavy asset procurement, major project investment evaluation, bid support, public policy, PT operations and airports. In the new mobility space, Natasha regularly advises Governments and infrastructure owners on the impacts of new and emerging technologies/services to their organisations. She has also worked extensively across the energy value chain, including renewable technologies and alternative fuels – bringing a deep understanding of the implications of the decarbonisation of the transport fleet.

Minster for Women, Associate Minister for Transport and Health
New Zealand Government

Julie Anne is pleased to take up the mantle of Minister for Women and continue her work on transport and health as Associate Minister for Transport and Associate Minister for Health.

Julie Anne grew up in Los Angeles where she witnessed women’s and civil rights movements making huge strides for people. In the famously car-dependent city she also saw the profound impact that transport and urban design have on our quality of life.

She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA and studied Politics at the prestigious Sciences Po Paris, before moving to New Zealand as a scholar at the University of Auckland. In Auckland she gained a Masters of Planning Practice with First Class Honours.

She went on to work as a transport consultant at some of New Zealand's leading firms, working in transport economics and urban design. Julie Anne worked in predominately male working environments, sometimes where she would be the only woman in the room. She is passionate about addressing the barriers that women face in working in these environments, as well as addressing the gender pay gap.

Julie Anne can see the connections between her portfolios and keen to promote the links between Women, Associate Health, and Associate Transport. For example, making it safer for people to walk and cycle helps improve everyone’s health.

Director, Bus Infrastructure & Asset
LTA, Singapore

More than 20 years of experience in the public transport industry, specialising in public transport policy and regulation. Currently oversees three (3) divisions in the development of bus infrastructure (such as bus interchanges and depots), procurement of buses and managing bus information systems (including the common fleet management system and passenger information system). She is responsible to drive the adoption of cleaner energy public bus fleet. She is also responsible to safeguard and ensure new depots and bus interchanges are designed to support electrification of public buses (including the use of renewable energy) as well as carry out new technology trials.

Managing Director
RATPDEV

Since February 2019, Catherine Chardon has been the Managing Director for RATP Dev London*, the Bus Group Operator for Transport for London (TfL). From her London office, Catherine heads up the effort to expand RATP Dev’s global reach in London and UK offering worldwide expertise in operating quality bus networks.

As a long serving employee of RATP Group and RATP Dev, with more than twenty five years of transportation experience, Catherine has held senior executive positions delivering bus and rail services in France, Switzerland, the USA and United Kingdom. She was Chief Executive Officer of RATP Dev North America for four years before moving to London.

Recruited by RATP Dev’s Paris headquarters to lead a major push into the North American marketplace, after four years in New-York, the group named her Business Transformation Director and Chief Digital Officer for RATP Dev UK in September 2018.

Catherine serves as a Board Member for the RATP Group Foundation, a philanthropic board that funds educational and cultural opportunities for young people worldwide. She is an active member of the Women in Business Committee, an advisor to the French Foreign Trade as well as a member of the Advisory Council of the French Chamber of Great Britain.

As well as her commercial and philantropic work, Catherine is a friend of ELLPHA, helping them to create a gender-balanced world faster through embracing artificial intelligence. As an active member of the Women Initiative Foundation, Catherine also helps to promote the advancement of women in the workplace and in the economy, and with SWIFT, an integral part of Women in Rail, Catherine aims to help the charity connect all grades and roles of the WR membership.

Fluent in French and English, Catherine holds two Master’s Degree from Paris Descartes University, Nottingham University in England and is also a graduate of INSEAD business school. Catherine and her husband reside in London, UK with their youngest child out of three, and in her spare time, loves to sing as an ‘Alto’ in her local choir.

*RATP Dev London: 10 garages, 1200 buses, 3600 employees.

Principal - NSW and ACT Business Leader
Arup

David has over 20 years’ experience in leadership appointments across many aspects of the built environment, including major project direction and business leadership.

David leads Arup’s business in the NSW and ACT, working closely with government and private partners to instigate, plan, develop and deliver better outcomes within our cities and regions.

David also leads Arup’s Transport Developments team to instigate consortia, fund and deliver next generation infrastructure in Australia. This has included leading the design and advisory for Metro Martin Place from inception. Several other similar large Transport Development proposals are at various stages of design, deal development and delivery.

David heads Arup’s strategic approach to Greater Western Sydney with oversight of strategic partners, clients, key influencers and government advocacy and approaches. David has a passion for developing sustainable opportunities and supporting Indigenous communities and the socially disadvantaged.

He is Charity Secretary for Engineering Aid Australia, as well as working closely with other charities and agencies in this space. He is a leadership mentor to a number of emerging leaders across the private and public sectors. He sits on several trade and industry groups, boards and taskforces ranging across international and sector boundaries.

Energy Transition Manager
WWF-Australia

Nicky Ison is the Energy Transition Manager at WWF-Australia, where she is leading their new campaign to accelerate Australia to become a renewable export powerhouse. Prior to joining WWF, Nicky co-founded the Community Power Agency, was a Senior Research Consultant at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS, a Strategist at Climate Action Network Australia and an energy commentator writing on energy for a range of media outlets. Currently, Nicky is leading WWF’s campaign for a Renewable Recovery, advocating for job rich, clean stimulus measures such as manufacturing and deploying electric buses. In 2014, Nicky was recognised on Westpac and the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence List.

Promoter of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Siemens Ltd. Australia

An electrical engineer with over 14 years experience across diverse industries including electric vehicle charging and smart grid solutions, energy efficient building technologies and rail automation, signalling and communication. Olivia is the promoter for Siemens electric vehicle charging infrastructure portfolio in Australia and New Zealand, covering AC and DC charging from residential through to high power heavy vehicle and niche industry applications. Olivia is a lover of the great outdoors and can’t wait for her young children to have the legs for some overnight hiking trips in Australia’s remote wilderness.

National Marketing & Sales - Traction
ABB Australia Pty Limited

Dr Ali Parvizi is the Marketing and Sales Manager for Rail Traction at ABB Australia, covering the Australian and New Zealand markets. His scope of responsibility covers the entire ABB traction product portfolio, including traction converters, energy storage systems and digitalization for rolling stock and electric buses.

Prior to joining ABB, Dr Parvizi held senior management positions within rolling stock manufacturers throughout Europe and the Middle East, including MAPNA Locomotive, Siemens and Vossloh. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tehran and has published more than 40 technical papers in ISI journals and technical conferences concerning manufacturing and railway rolling stock technologies.

General Manager - Passenger Transport Services
Department of Transport and Main Roads, QLD

Graham Davis has been in the Bus and Coach Industry for over 40 years and has been the Chair of the QBIC Commercial Committee and served 3 years as its President. His first job was with Newmans Coach Lines in New Zealand where he worked in administration whilst also driving at times, staying for 10 years and ultimately attaining the position of Commercial Manager responsible for School and Commercial Contracts. In 1990 Graham moved to Australia where he has gained immeasurable experience in a range of roles including Manager Operations / Deputy Chief Executive ACTION Buses in Canberra, CEO of MetroBus Perth, Divisional Manager of Brisbane Transport and former CEO of Bus Queensland and Clarks Logan City Bus Service.

Graham is currently the General Manager of Passenger Transport Services, TransLink Division within the Department of Transport and Main Roads. His position works with delivery partners to provide reliable and efficient public transport services, including customer information. He is responsible for a multi-modal network delivering metro and regional services. He oversees the negotiation and management of rail, air, bus, tram and ferry service contracts for the state of Queensland. Working alongside a strong Executive team, Graham manages a branch of around 320 staff. He is an advocate for zero emission transport and equality in the workplace.

Graham is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Association. He also completed the Enterprise Workshop Program in Business Management and Entrepreneurship representing the ACT in the national finals in 1992 he also holds an Advanced Management Diploma.

Leader, CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission
CSIRO

Dr. Patrick Hartley is the leader of CSIRO’s Hydrogen Industry Mission. In this role he is responsible for developing the strategy, structure, operating model and partnerships for a major new national research initiative which is focussed on delivering research, development and demonstration partnerships which enable the scaleup of Australia’s domestic and export hydrogen industries.

In 2018, he co-led the formulation of CSIRO’s ‘National Hydrogen Roadmap, and, with the Chief Scientist of Australia, the briefing paper ‘Hydrogen for Australia’s Future’ which was presented to the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) Energy council in August 2018.

Patrick graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London in 1994 and, following a research fellowship at University of Melbourne, he joined CSIRO in 1998 as a research scientist. Since then, he has led research teams working with national and international large corporations and SME’s to develop new technologies for applications in drug delivery, energy storage, water treatment and oil and gas recovery. He has co-authored more than 90 peer reviewed publications almost all in collaboration with university and/or other research institution partners. Patrick has occupied senior research management roles in CSIRO since 2006, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds an Adjunct Professorship at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Manager, Assets and Infrastructure
Metlink, Greater Wellington

I have worked in both private and public sectors as a consultant in operational risk, including contract management, and the development of policies, procedures, compliance programmes, and management systems for both large and small businesses in a variety of sectors. I have spent the last 15 years at Transpower NZ, our National Grid Owner and Operator, in a wide variety of roles. These have included operational risk and compliance, business and contract management, project and programme management, and procurement, with the last 5 years spent leading Transpower’s Asset Planning Group, which is accountable for the grid asset investment plans. I joined Metlink in June 2020 as the Assets and Infrastructure Manager with accountability for the end-to-end management of our public transport infrastructure and assets.

Managing Director
Keolis Dijon Mobilités

Since 2018, Thomas has the responsibility of the full mobility contract in Dijon Métropole : public transportation, street and covered parking, bicycle and on-demand transportation. Before, he has been Asset Management since 2011 in Keolis Lyon. He has been appointed Deputy General Manager in 2015. Following on from a carrier in the automotive industry, Thomas joined SNCF(French national railway) in 2001 as responsible of a TGV and train maintenance plant. From 2005 to 2009, he has been in charge of the new trains purchasing department , focus on delivering the best performance and added value for high speed and mass transit trains.

Keolis is an operator of public transportation present in 16 countries across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East with turnover in excess of €5B and staff of 56,300.Keolis Dijon is one of the major subsidiary of Keolis SA, with a staff of 800 employees Keolis Lyon operates the Divia network for Dijon Metropole public transport authority under a 6-year public service delegation contract. These operations include responsability for 2 tram lines, 20 bus lines, 5500 parking place and 10 covered parking. Keolis develops with Dijon Metropole innovative solutions like open payment in tram and buses, global apps for all the mobility in Dijon (MaaS)

President and CEO
CUTRIC

Josipa Petrunic is the President and CEO of CUTRIC. She is leading the formulation of several national transportation technology trials related to zero-emissions transportation and “smart vehicles” innovation, including the Pan-Canadian Electric Bus Demonstration & Integration Trial, the Pan-Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration & Integration Trial, and the National Smart Vehicle Demonstration Project. Dr. Petrunic has built up CUTRIC’s consortium to include more than 100 private and public sector companies and organizations across Canada. Previously, she served as the lead researcher in electric vehicle policy studies at McMaster University, and as a senior research fellow in the history and philosophy of mathematics at University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom in Science and Technology Studies. Dr. Petrunic continues to lecture in Globalization Studies at McMaster University. She currently sits on the Board of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Foundation and Women’s Transportation Seminar – Toronto (WTS Toronto). In 2018, she was named as one of Canada’s a Top 40 Under 40 by Bloomberg News and Canada’s Top Clean 50. In 2019, she was named Aspioneer Top 10 Influential Women Leaders.

Head of Bus Electrification Strategy
Transport for London

BIO to come.

Operations Manager
Electromotiv

BIO to come.

Advisory Services Leader
Arup

BIO to come.

Deputy Director-General
Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland

Matthew is the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads and the head of TransLink, where he leads the delivery of customer-focused passenger transport services across Queensland including policy, planning, ticketing, contract management and customer services.

TransLink Division is responsible for the integrated rail, bus, ferry and tram network in South East Queensland; and long distance rail, coach and aviation services in regional, rural and remote Queensland.

Matthew has undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in Urban and Regional Planning and has completed an Executive Master of Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Deputy Secretary - Policy & Innovation
Department of Transport, Victoria

Megan is a strategy, policy and reform leader with over 20 years’ experience in the transport, infrastructure and social services sectors.

Her roles have included reforming social housing and child protection systems, transport policy and planning, and leading market-based reform including Victoria’s deregulation of legacy taxi and hire car restrictions and new train, tram and bus contracts.

As Deputy Secretary, Policy and Innovation for the Department of Transport, Megan leads and works alongside a team of people who drive future mobility through user-focused innovation, legislation and policy; data and analytic capability; and development of a commercial strategy for new business models and partnerships.

CO-CEO
Kinetic

Before co-founding Kinetic in 2014, Adam has enjoyed a long and successful career in the Australasian transport advisory and finance industry, including as founding partner of the Heritage Group with Michael Sewards.

Over five years Adam has led the SkyBus Group’s drive for excellence and growing its footprint from a single Melbourne service to 15 services across five airports and two countries. Adam was also instrumental in Kinetic’s acquisition of Transit Australia Group in mid-2019.

Executive General Manager – Integrated Networks
Auckland Transport

Mark is the Executive General Manager at Auckland Transport responsible for the development and operation of public transport services and the construction of new and maintenance of existing road and public transport infrastructure and facilities across the Auckland region.

Mark has overseen the transformation and evolution of the Auckland public transport service network over the last 15 years. He has seen the use of public transport more than double in that time with Auckland contributing to over 60% of New Zealand public transport use, and contributing to New Zealand being amongst the top three in the World under the UITP Global Index for public transport rate of use growth. In recent years, Mark’s current role has enabled closer integration of transport infrastructure and asset development and management with public transport service delivery - Auckland Transport being one of the few Public Transport Authorities that is accountable for both service design and delivery along with infrastructure development and management.

Mark studied Construction Engineering and Management at Loughborough University in the UK. He spent the first 10 years in construction and infrastructure project management in the UK and Europe on various public and private sector projects including public private partnership procurements. Mark moved to New Zealand in 2003 working for Ernst & Young before joining Auckland local government in public transport.

General Manager
Metlink Greater Wellington Regional Council

Scott is the General Manager Metlink at the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and is responsible for the delivery of public transport (bus, ferry and rail) throughout the Greater Wellington region. He has extensive regulatory, government, environmental, legal and international trade experience, working in both government and private sectors throughout his career. He took on his current role in mid March 2020.

Vice President Asia Pacific Region
Volvo Bus

In his current role David has commercial responsibility for markets throughout South East Asia including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines.

David has over 16 years’ experience in the bus and coach industry. In his role as General Manager (2007-2011) with Volvo Bus Australia he grew the business to take Volvo to the leadership position in the Australian industry. David was been a Bus Industry Confederation Councillor (BIC) in Australia for over 10 years and held the position of Deputy Chair from 2011 to 2013. David holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) and Master of Business Administration (MBA). He has also completed the Australian Institute of Company Director (AICD) course in 2014.

David is a high-performing, experienced General Manager with a proven track record for results, growing and transforming businesses into the future. A hands-on people leader with excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills. Previous positions include General Management, Product Management, Logistics, Network and Distribution and Marketing positions in both Australia and U.S.A. for two global companies – Volvo and CNH Global.

Group Chief Executive Officer
SeaLink Travel Group

BIO to come.

National Contract Manager
Custom Bus Group

After 23 years in the Aviation industry in aircraft maintenance engineering, Grant moved into the world of buses in January 2013 bringing in the experiences gained over a variety of roles in Aviation. Aside from aircraft maintenance, Grant also gained experience in WHS & human resources.

He then moved into contract management roles with both Volvo and Scania between 2013 and 2019. These roles were primarily focused on the contract management of government contracts for bus delivery and the TfNSW procurement process. At this time Grant was also completing a Masters in Management part time culminating with graduating in December 2017.

In January 2019 Grant made the move from chassis supplier to the body side of the industry, starting in the role of National Contract Manager at Custom Bus Group.

Principal Advisor
BYD Asia Pacific

Luke Todd was the long-term CEO of leading airport bus company Carbridge, between 2003-2018. After creating the first successful electric buses for Australian operations and seeing the environmental, cost and benefits of electric mobility, he departed Carbridge to establish Nexport, a multi-model zero emission mobility company. In 2018, look also took on the position as Principal Advisor for BYD Asia Pacific. Nexport is now the leading supplier of electric buses in Australia with 113 e-buses currently in build, most of which to be delivered to NSW by March 2021. With a further 200 electric bus chassis in production for the Australian market available for delivery in mid-2021.

Transport and Highways Advisory Leader
Arup

Mark is a leader in transport and land-use integration. He has a passion working with stakeholders and the community to understand how the transport system can enable liveable, sustainable and productive communities.

He has earned a reputation for successfully managing and leading multi-disciplinary teams from business case development through to project implementation. His ability to understand the strategic, tactical and operational aspects of the transport system has resulted in him leading several high profile transport initiatives for government.

Mark is accredited by the Department of Treasury and Finance as an Investment Management Standard Facilitator.

Managing Director
BusTech Group

BIO to come.

Zero Emission Program Manager
Transdev Netherlands

Bart is a public transport electric bus fleet management specialist with more than 25 years’ experience in transportation and fleet management. He is responsible for managing Transdev’s Zero Emission Program in the Netherlands, as well as Transdev Netherland’s Zero Emission Competence Centre since 2016.

During this time, he has successfully managed the implementation of the two largest zero emission bus fleets in Europe; 43 articulated electric buses in Eindhoven in 2016, and 100 articulated electric buses in Amstelland-Meerlanden in 2018, including Schiphol Airport.

In Amstelland-Meerlanden, the success of the innovative project is partly owed to the partnership between key stakeholders and their clear articulation of a shared vision.

The electric buses collectively cover up to 30,000km per day, and are fitted with the latest generation of fast-charging batteries. These batteries are charged in approximately 30 minutes at charging points along the route, allowing 24-hour service.

Bart completed his studies at HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

Executive General Manager
AEMO

Violette’s role focuses on developing and implementing strategies for emerging areas, including integrating Distributed Energy Resources (DER), and developing value-add data and information services.

Prior to moving to her current role in December 2018, Violette held various roles at AEMO in market design development, market change implementation and operations.

Violette previously held roles driving energy market policy in the Commonwealth government and working on competition policy initiatives at the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Her experience includes economic regulation, energy policy development, development of regulatory frameworks, market development and design, and market change implementation.

Founder
InvertedPower

Stefan Smolenaers has been involved in electric bus development and deployment for more than 8 years. He is a mechatronics and robotics engineer with direct hands-on experience with electric powertrain and ultra-fast charging technology development, and is the inventor of several cornerstone international patents in the field. Stefan is the managing director of InvertedPower, a company headquartered in Melbourne designing and licensing IP for charging technologies being commercialised by world-leading Tier1 and OEMs.

Stefan has also been increasingly engaged by transport operators and authorities for his electric fleet transition strategy and modelling expertise, with a focus on the optimisation of vehicle, route, and charging infrastructure selection leading to the lowest total cost of ownership. Stefan has contributed to the electrification strategy for more than 10 e-bus deployments worldwide, with projects ranging from 50 buses to hundreds of buses, where his proposals have collectively saved upwards of tens of millions of dollars in CAPEX and OPEX

Vehicle Delivery Manager
Brisbane Metro

Stephen James has a comprehensive background in automotive product design / development & engineering at General Motors, culminating with several senior management powertrain roles at Jaguar-Land Rover in the UK. Stephen’s repatriation to Australia in 2017 coincided with a career transition from Automotive OEM’s into the world of EV charging, joining Tritium’s leadership team to lead the Manufacturing & Engineering parts of the business. At the beginning of 2020, Stephen joined Brisbane Council to lead the Vehicle Design & Build (D&B) part of the Brisbane Metro project, which will comprise of a fleet of 60 high-capacity bi-articulated fully electric vehicles. Stephen has been active in vehicle electrification programmes since 2008 and has acquired significant knowledge in this space, witnessing firsthand the initially slow but rapidly accelerating acceptance of BEV’s (Battery Electric Vehicles). With over 23 years’ experience working in / adjacent to the Automotive sector, Stephen has acquired valuable insight into a world where transportation & energy will invariably converge. Stephen is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, RPEQ qualified and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Executive Vice President
Global Bus Ventures

BIO to come.

Zero Emission Vehicle Specialist
Volgren

I hold Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees. My professional experience spans for over 40 years in electrical systems, Electric vehicles development, Fuel Cell system, GM Holden and Metro railway.

I am specialist in Electric vehicles design, development, manufacturing, testing, regulations, homologation and consultancy.

Expert with hydrogen fuel cell system design, development, integration with grid connected system, regulations and safety systems.

Expert in electrical, electronic and control systems.

Expert in vehicle testing and testing facility for automotive, heavy transportation and railway.

At Marcopolo Volgren I am the Zero emission buses designer, participating in a global team of experts to develop company’s own technology for sustainable zero emission transport options available for customers around the globe.

Prior to Brisbane Metro, I was the engineering manager at SEA Electric developing electric trucks in Australia

Back in 2015 my experience includes the developing of one the first electric bus designed and built in Australia, a 12m city bus for Malaysia government entity MAI.

My comprehensive 10 years’ experience developing fuel cell systems at CSIRO/CFCL strongly motivates me to develop Hydrogen buses and zero emission vehicles in Australia. A couple of documents about H2 buses already submitted to VIC gov and TfNSW.

Executive Director, Investment Attraction
NSW Treasury

Matthew leads the Investment Attraction branch within the Jobs, Investment and Tourism division of the newly formed Economic Development Cluster of the NSW Treasury.

The Investment Attraction team is responsible for promotion, attraction and facilitation of private sector led investment into the State. The team includes the investment concierge team and key account management functions that provide a front-door for all investors seeking to establish or grow a business in NSW for priority investment areas.

The Investment Attraction team is responsible for promotion, attraction and facilitation of private sector led investment into the State. The team includes the investment concierge team and key account management functions that provide a front-door for all investors seeking to establish or grow a business in NSW for priority investment areas.

Director, Smart Innovation Centre
Transport for NSW

Evan Walker is the Director of Transport for NSW Smart Innovation Centre. His team focusses on developing and delivering trials of emerging transport technology that could have positive benefits for transport customers and has led a number of automated, connected and electrical vehicle projects in NSW. Evan’s focus is on creating partnerships that can fast track the development of these technologies and working collaboratively both within government and across industry to put NSW at the forefront of new technology.

Director-General
Transport Canberra and City Services

BIO to come.

Principal - Complex Projects
Arup

Diana is a member of Arup, a values-driven firm aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Within Arup, Diana is Principal Complex Projects. She also drives innovation and creativity within the NSW Infrastructure group.

Diana has a career lifetime of delivering and leading major infrastructure development, environmental assessments and business cases; and is now tackling the challenge of introducing technology into the built environment. Her Intelligent Mobility portfolio includes advisory, smart infrastructure projects, mobility pricing, and data-driven design.

She believes that in the face of global and disruptive influences such as big data, AI, automation and the IOT - it is not just what we are doing, but how we think that will set us apart. Analytical thinking, creativity, originality, leadership and emotional intelligence will be key to this.

Diana lives in Rozelle in Sydney, will talk to anyone about hiking, and loves that creative buzz from workshopping ideas.

Managing Director
Electromotiv

Toby is an entrepreneur advocating zero emission transport. He co-founded Electromotiv in 2017 – a company that delivers turn-key renewable transport refilling solutions (electric and hydrogen) and supports operators and governments in the transition.

He is also an electrical and electronics engineer with two decades of experience in energy delivery, energy policy, cost benefit analysis, feasibility design, construction, consulting and finance. His experience covers the transition to a zero emission, carbon neutral world. Toby brings passion and experience from his work in the energy sector to solving the electricity grid transition including smart grids and microgrids, integration of energy storage and renewables into the transport in the most cost effective, efficient way.

His wealth of experience is invaluable in the delivery of new energy projects saving time and deferring infrastructure spending while delivering the project outcomes.

Sub Regional Lead for Advisory, Planning and Design NSW and ACT
Arup

Joanne is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Highways and Transportation, Director and Sub Regional Lead for the Advisory, Planning and Design business for Arup in NSW and ACT. She has held a board position with the Transport Planning Society in the UK and was previously the UK, India, Middle East and Africa Skills Network Leader for Transport Planning for Arup. She has over 22 years of experience as a Project Manager and Project Director for large projects in the UK, UAE, Qatar, Africa and Australia. She has worked on a diverse range of planning and transportation related projects for both public and private sector clients.

She is currently the Project Director for major master planning and transport projects in Sydney and Canberra and is delivering integrated and unique solutions for incorporating sustainable and cultural considerations into Planning to achieve more liveable places.

Future Energy Lead – Victoria and South Australia
Aurecon

Harriet is Aurecon’s Future Energy Practice Leader working with a range of clients, including developers, networks, and large energy consumers to identify opportunities that unlock value from their assets and within projects. As a chartered engineer and certified project manager, Harriet leverages system thinking approaches to sense-make complex scenarios and support informed decision making. In 2019, Harriet led the Hydrogen for Transport research that was published as a supporting document to Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy. Harriet’s experience spans the end-to-end project lifecycle giving her a unique perspective on the inter-relationship between organisational structures, contracts/commercial requirements, and technical delivery. Leveraging this knowledge, Harriet is particularly passionate about the commercialisation and advancement of emerging technologies.

Managing Director, Transport
NRMA

Samantha Abeydeera is the newly appointed Managing Director of Transport at the NRMA. She was previously the groups Chief Operating Officer for Maritime.

Samantha's experience in mass transport includes leading more than 1000+ Drivers and Guards who delivered in excess of 400 million customer journeys annually as the Director of Crewing at Sydney Trains, during which time she was recognised as one of the Top 50 women in the public sector in 2018.

Samantha holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws and started her career in the transport sector as an industrial relations practitioner.

Senior Partner and Chair
L.E.K. Consulting

Simon is a Senior Partner with L.E.K. Consulting in Australia. He leads L.E.K.’s Travel and Transport practice in Australia and in recent years has played a leading role in building L.E.K.’s New Mobility practice. He has more than 25 years of experience in strategy consulting across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.

Simon has a long history of advising both governments and private operators on rail, bus, ferry and light rail contracting models in Australia and NZ, working on some of the most significant reforms of the last two decades. More recently he has led much of L.E.K.’s work on disruptive technologies in transport in including rideshare, on-demand buses, MaaS, CAVs, EVs etc. as well as strategies for transitioning to Zero Emissions Buses.

Simon works extensively in the public sector on long-term policy and planning, organizational design and major projects and also advises major corporations on strategy, M&A and performance improvement.

Simon is an Advisory Board Member of the Transport and Tourism Forum (TTF), the Chair of the TTF’s Passenger Transport Panel, and on the Board of the Pathways Foundation.

He has a BSc (Science) from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.