Meet our Speakers
View the list of industry experts who will be speaking at Climate Risk & Asset Resilience 2026!
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Aidan Ashton
Telstra
Allyson Woodford
APA Group
Andrew Thai
Frasers Property Industrial
April Jewell
EnergyAustralia
David Young
Accor
Dr Mahesh Prakash
CSIRO Data 61
Dr Veronika Emetc
Climate Council
Edward Rowe
Arup
Estefania Arteaga
World Adaptation Science Programme
Hanane Fares
Asset Management Council
Jacqueline Balston
IPWEA Australasia
Karandeep Chadha
Asset Management Council
Kate Simmonds
Investor Group on Climate Change
Kumar Srinivasan
University of Technology Sydney
Martin Boettcher
Ventia
Mary Delahunty
Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia
Matt Weaver
Howden Insurance Brokers
Olivia Tyler
IVE Group
Pedram Danesh-Mand
Engineers Australia
Peter Jenkins
Transurban
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Simon Carter
ESR
Simon Wild
Andefena
Sophie Griffin
Gallagher
Stephan Gabadou
Front Sentier
Syed Kazmi
Connect Sydney
Visakhan Vythilingam
Australian Council of Superannuation Investors
Dr Mahesh Prakash
Sector Lead Environment, Agriculture and Natural HazardsCSIRO Data 61
Dr Mahesh Prakash is Sector Lead for Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Hazards at CSIRO’s Data61, where he drives science and technology strategy to deliver scalable platforms for community and industry applications. With over two decades at CSIRO, he has led teams in computational modelling, simulation, and integrated analytics across environmental, agricultural, and industrial domains. His expertise spans climate change, risk assessment, and advanced data-driven decision-making, enabling innovative solutions to complex environmental and industrial challenges.
Speaking at
09.00
Masterclass A: From Data to Decisions – Climate Risk Sourcing & Scenario Analysis
Pedram Danesh-Mand
President of the Risk Engineering SocietyEngineers Australia
Pedram Danesh-Mand is Executive Director and Head of Project Controls & PMO at KPMG Australia, with over two decades of leadership in project controls, risk management, and PMO delivery across major infrastructure and construction programs. He specialises in integrated cost, schedule, and risk assurance, guiding organisations to manage uncertainty and optimise outcomes on complex projects. Pedram has held senior roles at Jacobs, UGL, and CPB Contractors, delivering high-value transport, energy, and urban infrastructure projects, while championing governance, contingency planning, and quantitative risk analysis for improved project performance and decision-making.
Speaking at
09:00
From uncertainty to bankable decisions: Building asset resilience through quantitative risk analysis & contingency governance
Kumar Srinivasan
Director, Risk & InsuranceUniversity of Technology Sydney
Kumar Srinivasan is a board-level governance, risk and compliance leader with 25 years experience guiding organisations through complexity and change and overseeing complex public infrastructure, utilities and education portfolios in Australia.
As Director of Risk & Insurance at the University of Technology Sydney, he shapes resilient strategies that protect research innovation and commercial partnerships while embedding risk intelligence into every decision across the institution.
Before joining UTS, Kumar served as Chief Risk Officer at Sydney Metro and held senior roles at Transport for NSW and Sydney Water, he also led major GRC transformations.
A Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and Engineers Australia, he’s widely recognised for fostering risk-aware cultures and helping leaders turn uncertainty into opportunity.
Speaking at
09:30
Making climate risk decision-ready: Turning frameworks into executive action
Allyson Woodford
General Manager, Engineering & Technical SolutionsAPA Group
Allyson Woodford is General Manager of Engineering & Technical Solutions at APA Group, providing technical leadership and assurance across APA’s gas and electricity asset portfolio. With over 25 years in the energy sector, including senior roles at BP and Caltex, Allyson plays a key role in strengthening process safety, emissions reduction and the technical foundations supporting APA’s climate transition. She is a Fellow of IChemE and a frequent speaker on engineering leadership and sustainability.
Speaking at
10:00
From accountability to execution: Creating an organisational resilience roadmap
David Young
Director of SustainabilityAccor
Currently the Director of Sustainability for Accor Pacific the largest hotel operator in the Pacific David drives the strategic sustainability actions at over 400 hotels in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. He has had an extensive senior career in the travel and hospitality industries with companies including EY, Qantas , Air New Zealand and the oneworld alliance. A Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ and a graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors his governance experience includes Non Executive Director roles at YHA Australia where he Chairs the Board ESG Committee and with Eco Tourism Australia, BGF Foundation and the IATA Sustainability Council. He is a former Chair and President of the International Travel Catering Association and was awarded the global Industry Champion Award in 2023 by Onboard Hospitality.
Speaking at
11:20
From scenarios to triggers: How can organisations embed climate signals into day-to-day operations?
Peter Jenkins
Manager Climate Change Delivery & RiskTransurban
Peter Jenkins is Climate Manager at Transurban, with extensive global experience in sustainability, climate strategy, and urban resilience. He has led international programs accelerating zero-emission commercial vehicles, managed multi-million-dollar urban resilience initiatives across U.S. cities, and advised governments on climate adaptation and infrastructure risk. Previously at KPMG Australia, CALSTART, and the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, Peter has combined technical expertise with strategic leadership to drive large-scale climate and resilience programs, engage stakeholders, and implement actionable solutions that advance sustainable transportation, urban planning, and organizational climate performance.
Speaking at
11:20
From scenarios to triggers: How can organisations embed climate signals into day-to-day operations?
April Jewell
Management Systems LeadEnergyAustralia
April Jewell is the Management Systems Lead at EnergyAustralia, bringing over a decade of experience across engineering, sustainability, and project management. She has led complex climate and sustainability analysis, building capability in Scope 3 emissions and broader non-climate performance, while previously managing major power station projects including decommissioning, turbine operations, and engineering upgrades. April combines technical expertise with strategic insight, guiding organisations to deliver improved sustainability outcomes and operational excellence across the energy sector.
Speaking at
12:00
Turning asset intelligence into operational advantage
Martin Boettcher
Principal Asset Engineer, Asset & Auditing ServicesVentia
Martin Boettcher is a Principal Asset Engineer with Ventia Engineering Services, with more than 30 years’ experience across power, water, mining, and major infrastructure. His work focuses on asset criticality, maintenance strategy, and risk‑based decision‑making under complex operating conditions, including climate stress. Martin has led criticality assessments, maintenance strategy development, and failure investigations for large infrastructure owners, and regularly publishes and presents on practical approaches to asset resilience and risk management.
Speaking at
13:30
Adaptive maintenance: why old plans fail under climate stress & how to strengthen them
Jacqueline Balston
Director of SustainabilityIPWEA Australasia
Dr. Balston has been an applied climate and environmental scientist for the past 25 years during which time she has researched the impacts of climate variability, climate change and environmental degradation on agriculture, natural resources, ecosystems, emergency management and the built environment across Australia. She currently works as Director of Sustainability for the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA), as a member of the South Australian Government Climate Science Advisory Committee and as a private Consultant to local, state and federal governments and other organisations nationally.
Speaking at
14:00
Designing for resilience: embedding climate risk into asset lifecycle strategies and maintenance
Syed Kazmi
Strategic Asset ManagerConnect Sydney
Syed Kazmi is a Strategic Asset Manager at ConnectSydney, responsible for asset stewardship across the Harbour Zone under the Sydney Roads Asset Performance Contract. He leads strategic asset planning, lifecycle optimisation, and cost–risk–performance decision-making across a complex, multi-asset road network, translating uncertainty into practical capital and maintenance decisions.
With over two decades of experience across infrastructure, operations, and asset management, Syed has worked across telecommunications, tunnels, and motorway networks in Australia and internationally. His work focuses on balancing OPEX and CAPEX trade-offs, integrating risk into long-term planning, and demonstrating value from resilience investments. He is a Certified Practitioner in Asset Management (CPAM).
Speaking at
14:50
Capital allocation for resilience: Optimising OPEX, CAPEX and long-term value
Simon Carter
Head of ESGESR
Simon Carter is a sustainability and ESG leader with more than 25 years of experience, primarily in the commercial real estate sector but starting in architecture.
ESR is one of the world’s largest industrial and logistics real estate developers, asset managers and fund managers. Over 10+ years at ESR Australia & New Zealand, Simon has established the business’ ESG strategy, governance and management platform, including net zero and physical climate risk. His approach is pragmatic and impact orientated.
Speaking at
15:50
Focus on the asset first then stress test the future: A practical pathway for resolving physical climate risk in real estate
Simon Wild
Founder & CEOAndefena
Simon Wild is Founder and CEO of Andefena and a seasoned sustainability leader with over 25 years of experience in engineering, design, and climate strategy. He has led sustainability transformation at Lendlease, including TCFD reporting, sustainable finance, ESG disclosure, and decarbonisation initiatives across Asia-Pacific. Previously, Simon served as CEO of Cundall Australia and Managing Director Asia Pacific, driving sustainable design and integrated project solutions. His career spans leadership roles at Hyder Consulting, Lincolne Scott, and Atkins, combining technical expertise with strategic vision to deliver measurable environmental, social, and economic impact across global infrastructure and built environment projects.
Speaking at
15:50
Focus on the asset first then stress test the future: A practical pathway for resolving physical climate risk in real estate
Stephan Gabadou
Responsible Investment DirectorFront Sentier
Stephan Gabadou is a Responsible Investment Director within the global responsible investment team at First Sentier Group – a global asset manager with capabilities across listed equities, fixed income, cash, listed and private infrastructure, and private credit. He leads work to support investment teams integrate sustainability considerations into their investment processes and brings an investor perspective on how governance quality, oversight, and strategic alignment can influence investor decisions.
Speaking at
16:30
Upgrade, replace, or retire: What are the most effective frameworks for hard calls?
Sophie Griffin
Head of Climate, Sustainability & ResilienceGallagher
Sophie Griffin is Head of Climate and Sustainability at Gallagher, with extensive expertise in climate change adaptation, natural hazard risk assessment, and ESG strategy. She has over a decade of experience advising organizations on climate resilience, risk mitigation, and sustainability practices, including senior roles at Marsh, Marsh Advisory, and Willis. Sophie specializes in leveraging GIS, catastrophe modeling, and hazard analysis to help organizations understand the material impacts of climate-related risks on operations, supply chains, and financial performance. She is passionate about driving positive change, supporting clients to build resilience, and advancing a sustainable and climate-ready future.
Speaking at
9:00
Financing resilience: Risk transfer, parametrics & capital structuring
Edward Rowe
Associate, Resilience & Adaption, ANZ & PacificArup
Ed Rowe is the Resilience and Adaptation Lead ANZ and Pacific Market Lead at Arup, with over a decade of experience in coastal resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable systems. A Chartered Civil and Environmental Engineer, Ed has led major projects across the Pacific and Australia, including multi-hazard risk assessments, urban resilience measurement, and post-cyclone recovery. He combines technical expertise with strategic leadership, guiding communities, councils, and organisations in climate-resilient planning, environmental regeneration, and infrastructure delivery to support sustainable, adaptive, and resilient systems.
Speaking at
9:30
How can organisations turn climate insight into investable advantage?
Kate Simmonds
Senior Manager, Climate ResilienceInvestor Group on Climate Change
Kate is the Senior Manager, Climate Resilience at the Investor Group on Climate Change. She is responsible for uplifting investor understanding and action on physical risk, advocating for effective adaptation policy, and supporting opportunities for private investment in resilience. Kate is also a member of the NESP Climate Systems Hub Steering Committee.
Previously, Kate worked in the insurance sector as a Senior Climate Analyst for WTW and Gallagher Re. She led the development of their Australia and New Zealand climate change strategy and built their first physical climate risk models, covering bushfire, flood, and cyclone. She was a member of the Insurance Council of Australia’s Climate Change Action Committee and contributed to the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative.
Kate has a PhD from the University of Melbourne in landscape resilience, a First Class Honours in climate science from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) from the University of Sydney.
Speaking at
9:30
How can organisations turn climate insight into investable advantage?
Matt Weaver
Head of Climate Risk & ResilienceHowden Insurance Brokers
Matt Weaver leads Howden’s Climate Risk and Resilience practice across the Pacific. A Fellow of the UK Faculty of Actuaries, he brings more than 17 years’ experience across insurance, reinsurance, catastrophe and climate analytics, product development, pricing, and alternative risk transfer. Matt specialises in parametric insurance aligned to climate resilience, helping clients manage natural hazard risk, mobilise adaptation investment, support carbon and nature markets, and quantify returns on resilience through innovative, tailored risk solutions.
Speaking at
9:30
How can organisations turn climate insight into investable advantage?
Hanane Fares
Chair, Sustainability & Resilience in Asset Management CommitteeAsset Management Council
Hanane Fares is a strategic infrastructure, sustainability, and resilience leader with over 15 years’ experience delivering major capital, reform, and operational programs across NSW Government, health, justice, defence, PPPs, and complex private‑sector environments.
As Chair of the Sustainability and Resilience in Asset Management Committee at AMC , she drives national leadership on climate resilience, sustainable asset management, and innovation pushing the sector to rethink how emerging technologies, data intelligence, and new operating models can shape future‑ready infrastructure.
Hanane is recognised for turning complex asset, demand, and socio‑economic intelligence into bold, practical strategies that strengthen organisational resilience, elevate community outcomes, and support long‑term, evidence‑based decision‑making.
Speaking at
11:00
Digital twins and spatial intelligence: Enabling data-driven decisions
Karandeep Chadha
Senior ManagerAsset Management Council
Karandeep Chadha is a seasoned Senior Manager and Strategist with nearly two decades of diverse experience across government services, infrastructure asset management, property, procurement, supply chain, consumer goods, and financial services. He has worked with top-tier Australian, US and European organisations, consistently delivering results in high-performing, agile environments. Karandeep has an extensive track record of helping organisations achieve their objectives through strategy, transformation, innovation, data and analytics, technology, financial analysis, risk management, and project delivery.
Speaking at
11:00
Digital twins and spatial intelligence: Enabling data-driven decisions
Dr Veronika Emetc
Fellow, Climate Risk & ResilienceClimate Council
Veronika has over 10 years climate-related experience spanning consulting, government, and academia. Her formal qualifications in Earth and Climate Sciences and Applied Mathematics support her commitment to supporting industry and businesses resilience and developing strategies and tools to enhance the decarbonisation to support corporate net zero commitments.
Speaking at
11:40
Rapid resilience prioritisation: Identifying high-impact opportunities
Aidan Ashton
Climate & Environment, Senior SpecialistTelstra
Aidan Ashton is a Climate and Environment specialist within Telstra’s Sustainability team. Their work focuses on how climate hazards and the low‑carbon transition affect infrastructure, operations, customers and communities. They work to embed climate intelligence and capability across Telstra to support operational and strategic decision making. His current work focuses on modelling interdependent systems and cascading impacts to improve real-world resilience. Aidan is passionate about building climate‑informed systems that help organisations and people to adapt and thrive.
Speaking at
12:10
Managing interdependent systems & protecting networks
Estefania Arteaga
MemberWorld Adaptation Science Programme
Dr. Estefania Arteaga is a climate change adaptation and mitigation specialist with extensive experience translating research into practice, policy, and implementation. Her doctoral research developed a framework for bridging theory and practice in climate adaptation, which she has applied throughout her career to guide governments, cities, and communities toward sustainable climate solutions. Dr. Estefania Arteaga has built a distinguished career in government, applying her academic research to shape climate policy and practice at both state and city levels.
As a Senior Strategy Officer at Queensland Treasury, she has led emissions reduction policy development, evaluated strategies, integrated international best practices, and provided high-level advice to executives and ministers, shaping Queensland’s role in national climate negotiations.
Previously, as Coordinator of Climate Adaptation for the City of Gold Coast, she designed and implemented resilience strategies that embedded scientific evidence and her PhD framework into practical, community-focused interventions. Together, these roles highlight her ability to bridge theory and practice across scales of governance, delivering climate strategies that are technically robust, socially responsive, and impactful. Her consultancy experience further demonstrates her versatility.
As founder of her own firm, she led projects on climate risk assessments, adaptation planning, and resilience strategies. She has also worked as a consultant with other organizations, advising on climate governance, emissions reduction, and adaptation planning across cities in Latin America and Australia.
With an MSc in Environmental Engineering and membership in the World Adaptation Science Programme, Estefania is recognized as a Climate Change Knowledge Broker who excels at turning knowledge into action by connecting know- how, know-why, and know-who. She aspires to be an authentic leader guiding international stakeholders toward long-term sustainability.
Speaking at
13:40
Post-event forensics: Leveraging lessons to take from failure
Olivia Tyler
Chief People & Sustainability OfficerIVE Group
Olivia Tyler is Chief People & Sustainability Officer at IVE Group, where she leads People & Culture, Safety, Compliance, and Sustainability. She’s Founder of Good & Should, an organisation focused on embedding sustainability into real-world business outcomes. With 25+ years’ experience across major Australian brands including Westpac, Woolworths and Treasury Wine Estates, she brings deep expertise in leadership, risk, governance, and transformation. A CEW Sustainability Scholar and TED speaker, Olivia holds degrees in marine science, environmental engineering, an MBA, and is a graduate of AICD, Oxford, and Harvard executive programs. A lifelong animal advocate, she serves on several boards advancing companion animal welfare.
Speaking at
14:30
People as the bottleneck: Strengthening workforce capability for resilient operations
Visakhan Vythilingam
ESG AnalystAustralian Council of Superannuation Investors
Visakhan Vythilingam is Founder and General Manager of Greenfluence, a sustainability media platform and community focused on upskilling young people in responsible investment and environmental impact. He has extensive experience in ESG research, climate risk, and sustainable finance, having held roles at KPMG Australia, Active Super/Vision Super, and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors. Visakhan combines advisory, research, and leadership expertise with a passion for education, community engagement, and innovation, having developed podcasts, educational programs, and impact accelerator initiatives to foster knowledge and action in sustainability and responsible investment across Australia.
Speaking at
15:30
Preparing for emerging risks: Regulatory and liability snapshot for asset owners
Mary Delahunty
Chief Executive OfficerAssociation of Superannuation Funds of Australia
Mary Delahunty is the CEO of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA).
ASFA is the peak policy, research and advocacy body for Australia’s superannuation industry. It is a not-for-profit, sector-neutral, and non-party political, national organization whose mission is to continuously improve the superannuation system, so all Australians can enjoy a dignified retirement.
Mary joined ASFA in 2024 after founding Seven Advisory, a specialist ESG and impact advisory service to institutional investors developing their social license to deliver long-term value. Prior to that, Mary was Head of Impact at HESTA and was also previously an executive with Link Market Services.
Speaking at
16:00
How can organisations prepare for the key regulatory, market and climate shifts to watch?
Andrew Thai
National Sustainability ManagerFrasers Property Industrial
Andrew Thai is the National Sustainability Manager at Frasers Property Industrial, where he leads the integration of sustainability across new developments and operational assets. His work focuses on net zero pathways, carbon accounting, renewable energy, and building certifications, with a strong emphasis on translating sustainability strategy into commercially viable outcomes. Andrew brings a practical, data‑driven approach to decarbonisation and is passionate about scaling low‑carbon solutions across the industrial and logistics sector.
Speaking at
16:00
How can organisations prepare for the key regulatory, market and climate shifts to watch?
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