Dr Simon Barrett
Senior Partner & Chairman | L.E.K. Consulting
Simon Barrett is Regional Head – Asia and Head of the Australian/NZ Transportation and Infrastructure Practice. He has over 25 years of experience in strategy consulting in Australia/New Zealand, Asia and Europe. He also advises major corporations on strategy and mergers and acquisitions, and works extensively in the public sector on policy and commercial issues. In his capacity as Head of Aust/NZ Transportation and Infrastructure, Simon has been deeply involved in many of the major transport reforms in Australia and New Zealand during the last decade through his close work with clients covering passenger and freight rail, light rail, bus, aviation and airports.
He joined L.E.K. in London in the early 1990s, and after six years in Europe, he returned to Australia where he is now based in the Sydney office. Simon earned a Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Melbourne and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, where he also received a Cambridge Australia Trust Scholarship. He is also an Advisory Board member of the Transport and Tourism Forum.
Hon Peter Beattie AC
Chairman | Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation
Director of the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund | Ambassador for Life Sciences Queensland.
The Honourable Peter Beattie AC served as the 36th Premier of Queensland. He also served as Queensland’s Trade Commissioner to North and South America based in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2010. Mr Beattie is Director of the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund, Ambassador for Life Sciences Queensland, joint adjunct professor at the University of Queensland’s Australia Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Institute for Molecular Bioscience, and a national media commentator.
Rachel Botsman
Specialist, Non-Executive Director | NRMA
Ms. Botsman is a world-renowned expert on the new economy and how technology is changing the way we can live, work, bank and travel. An award-winning author, speaker and University of Oxford lecturer, she has contributed to The New York Times, Australian Financial Review, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and more.
Her upcoming book, Who Can You Trust? (Penguin Portfolio, 2017) reveals that we are at the tipping point of one of the biggest social transformations in human history. She is also the co-author of, What’s Mine is Yours, which defined the theory of ‘collaborative consumption’ and was named one of TIME’s “Ten Ideas That’ll Change the World”.
She currently teaches the world’s first MBA course on the collaborative economy at University of Oxford, Saïd Business School.
Rachel was a founding partner in the Collaborative Fund and previously served as a Director on the William J Clinton Foundation.
Her TED talks have been viewed more than 3.5 million times. She was named one of the “Most Creative People in Business” (Fast Company); a “Young Global Leader” (World Economic Forum) and received the Breakthrough Idea Award (Thinkers50).
Ms Botsman holds an honours degree in Fine Arts from the University of Oxford and attended Harvard University for her post-graduate studies. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Brian Brennan
Managing Director, Transdev Sydney
Brian joined Transdev Sydney as the Managing Director in September 2015. He oversees the operations, performance and safety of the Sydney Light Rail Network.Previously Brian held the position of Managing Director of Transdev Dublin, where he managed the Luas Light Rail network and achieved an incredible 98% customer satisfaction rate.
His intimate working knowledge of public transport policy and procedure make Brian a trusted adviser to government, stakeholders and project partners.
Brian’s remarkable engagement and leadership skills and his extensive experience in the transport industry make him an asset to the Transdev Leadership Team.
Emily Castor
Director of Transportation Policy, Lyft
As a member of the original Lyft team, Emily has been on the front lines of ridesharing policy since the birth of the industry. She works with researchers, advocates, and transportation agencies at all levels of government to integrate Lyft as a viable alternative to car ownership and understand its impacts on infrastructure, behavior, and the environment. Emily started her career as a transportation policy aide for a U.S. Congresswoman and later served as a financial advisor for municipal infrastructure projects. She holds an MPA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Howard Collins OBE
Chief Executive | Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink
Howard Collins is the Chief Executive of Sydney Trains. Previously the Chief Operating Officer of the London Underground, he had a 35year career with London transport. Since Howard’s appointment as Chief Executive of Sydney Trains in 2013, the network has seen major patronage growth, record breaking customer satisfaction rates, which currently stands at 90%, a reduction in peak incidents and safety performance now better than most benchmarked operators in Australia.
He is also a board member of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and currently Chair of the ARA’s Passenger Transport Group. He is also Director of TrackSAFE and Transport Heritage NSW. In 2013, Howard was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his success as the Lead Director for the London Underground and London Rail for the 2012 Olympic Games and for services to Public Transport. Howard is a keen media spokesperson for a wide range of transport issues and a keynote speaker at many national and international events. In March 2017, Howard was appointed as Acting Chief Executive, NSW TrainLink, responsible for intercity and regional train and coach services.
Ian Dobbs
Chairman | UITPANZ
Ian Dobbs has been involved in the public transport industry for 39 years, working in both Australia and the UK – with the last 23 years at CEO level.
Born in Nottingham in the UK and educated at university in Scotland, Ian joined British Rail as a graduate trainee and began his early career in the UK rail industry. In 1993 Ian was appointed as Chief Executive of the Public Transport Corporation in Victoria, Australia leading the state’s transport reform program before establishing his own consulting business. Ian subsequently returned to the UK private sector as CEO of Stagecoach Group’s rail division – one of the largest rail operators in the UK.
In 2011, he returned to Australia as inaugural Chair and CEO of Public Transport Victoria. Ian is currently a Vice President of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and Chairman of UITP’s Australian/New Zealand board. He is a council member of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce in Australia, a member of the advisory board of Cubic Transportation Systems in San Diego, California and an advisor to private and public sector clients in the Asia Pacific region.
Hon Paul Fletcher MP
Minister for Urban Infrastructure
Paul Fletcher is the Minister for Urban Infrastructure in the Turnbull Government. He entered Parliament in December 2009 as the Member for Bradfield, was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications in September 2013, Minister for Major Projects, Territories and Local Government in September 2015, and was appointed to his present role in July 2016.
Before entering Parliament, Paul was Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, at Optus; established a consulting firm serving the communications sector; and in 2009 his book about broadband, Wired Brown Land, was published by UNSW Press.
He has dual first class honours degrees in law and economics from The University of Sydney and an MBA from Columbia University in New York where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Leila Frances
Chairman | Keolis Downer
Leila joined Keolis in May 2014 after two years as Commercial Director and Deputy Managing Director of Abellio UK. Previously, she had spent four years as Keolis Group Executive Vice President for Projects and International Director of Projects, where she led several key international tenders, including Melbourne trams, the Gold Coast Light Rail PPP (Public Private Partnership) bid, E20 in Stockholm and the OWL heavy rail contract in Germany.
She began her career as Franchise Bid Manager at First Group in June 2000, before moving to c2c Rail where as General Manager she transformed the organisation from the “Misery Line” into a top performing rail company and won the prestigious London Suburban Rail Operator of the Year 2005.
Leila holds a MBA from Kingston University London, as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Social Studies from Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
Clare Gardiner-Barnes
Deputy Secretary, Freight, Strategy and Planning | Transport for NSW
Clare Gardiner-Barnes is currently Deputy Secretary, Freight, Strategy and Planning at Transport for NSW, a position she has held since August 2015. Prior to this, Clare was Chief Executive at the Department of Transport in the Northern Territory. She has held numerous senior positions in government including Chief Executive at the Department of Children and Families in the Northern Territory and in policy at the Department of Education and Training in Queensland.
Under Clare’s leadership, a key focus area is aligning the transport project pipeline with land use planning in NSW to create an integrated transport system for both customers and freight that is underpinned by evidence-based research, innovative practices and makes use of emerging technologies to drive improvements.
Hon Nick Greiner AC
Former Premier of New South Wales
Nick Greiner was Premier and Treasurer of New South Wales from 1988-1992. Since his retirement from politics he has been heavily involved in the corporate world. He was the inaugural Chairman of Infrastructure NSW from 2011 to 2013.
Nick is Chairman of The European Australian Business Council and a Member of the Board of Governors, Committee for Economic Development of Australia.
Nick holds an Honours Degree in Economics from Sydney University and a Master of Business Administration with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Sarah Hill
Chief Executive Officer | Greater Sydney Commission
Sarah is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Sydney Commission.
Sarah is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building. Sarah is Planning Institute of Australia’s 2016/17 Planner of the Year.
Sarah is also the recipient of two international planning awards including the Mayor of London Planning Award for Excellence and the Royal Town Planning Institute Award for Planning.
Previously Sarah worked as a Director of Hill PDA Consulting, a leading economic planning firm, and prior to that Sarah worked as a Principal Planner in London where she developed and led the London Borough of Hackney (LBH) Major Projects Team. While working for the LBH Sarah created a new planning authority known as the London Olympic and Paralympic Joint Planning Authority responsible for the master-planning and approvals for the London 2012 Olympic Games and its Legacy. In turn, Sarah acted as a lead consultant for the London Olympic Delivery Authority on planning, design and environmental matters.
Sarah is the past President of the NSW Division of the Planning Institute of Australia and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO
Chief Commissioner | Greater Sydney Commission
LLB (Sydney University), MBA (University of NSW)
Lucy Hughes Turnbull AO is an urbanist, businesswoman and philanthropist with a longstanding interest in cities and planning, and the importance of technological and social innovation to the national economy.
She chaired the Committee for Sydney from 2012 to 2015 and in January 2016 was appointed Chief Commissioner of the new Greater Sydney Commission, tasked by the NSW state government to assist in delivering strong and effective strategic planning for the whole of metropolitan Sydney.
First female Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney from 2003-4 and 2011, Lucy became an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community, local government and business.
Katie Lahey AM
Chairman | TTF
Katie Lahey is the Chairman of the Tourism & Transport Forum and Executive Chairman, Australasia for Korn Ferry. She is on the boards of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the NSW Export and Investment Advisory Board, and Echo Entertainment.
Katie is a former Chairman of Carnival Australia, member of the David Jones Board, Australia Council Major Performing Arts Board, Director of Australia Post, Hills Motorway and the Garvan Research Foundation.
Before leading Korn Ferry, she was Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) for ten years and, prior to BCA, she was the Chief Executive of the State Chamber of Commerce (NSW), Chief Executive of the Sydney City Council and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Victorian Tourism Commission.
In June 2013, Katie was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for her services to business and the arts. Katie was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2003 for her contribution to Australian Society in the area of Business Leadership. She earned a master of business administration degree and a bachelor of arts (first class honours) degree from the University of Melbourne, and was awarded the prize for top student in the master of business administration program for her year.
Rene Lalande
Chief Executive Officer | Transdev Australia
René joined Transdev Australasia as Chief Executive Officer in September 2016. As CEO, René oversees more than 5,800 Transdev employees that deliver multi-modal public transport services across Australasia. Prior to joining Transdev, René was Managing Director at Bombardier Transportation Australia.
René has nearly 35 years of experience in the public transport, automotive and aerospace industries, and has held numerous senior executive roles, such as including Vice President Operations at both Heroux Devtek and Spectra Premium Industries. René brings to Transdev a wealth of expertise having worked in both international and local markets, with previous projects in Canada and Mexico.
René holds two bachelor degrees in Applied Science and Mechanical Engineering from Sherbrooke University and post graduate studies in Software Engineering at École Polytechnique. He is a member of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Board, member of Monash University’s Infrastructure Advisory Board and a member of the Tourism and Transport Advisory Board.
Graeme Legh
General Manager, Business Development | Transit Systems
Graeme Legh heads the Business Development operations of the Transit Systems group. Transit Systems has established itself as one of Australia’s largest and most respected public transport providers and is Australia’s only multi-national public transport operator. The now globally recognised group employs 5,000 people, while transporting over 265 million passengers each year.
Graeme is responsible for the ongoing growth of Transit Systems and over the last five years has overseen the expansion of the group into Sydney, Darwin, London and Singapore.
Graeme holds degrees in Science and Commerce from the University of Queensland and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Cambridge.
Campbell Mason
Chief Executive Officer | Keolis Downer Hunter
Campbell commenced as CEO of Keolis Downer Hunter in January 2017 after serving as Acting CEO for Keolis Downer and, previously, as CEO of Keolis Downer Gold Coast – where he was instrumental in the achievement of the Stage 2 O&M extension and ensuring operational excellence in light rail performance. Prior to that Campbell served, since 2011, as Downer’s Chief Risk Officer with responsibility for the management of risk across the Downer Group and as Chairman of Downer’s Tenders and Contract Committee responsible for review of significant tenders. Campbell has extensive operational and commercial experience in the infrastructure and logistics sectors. Prior to joining Downer, he worked for P&O and DP World (which acquired P&O in 2006) for over 14 years in various legal and managerial roles including serving as Managing Director of DP World Southampton, the United Kingdom’s second largest container terminal.
Michael McGee
Chief Executive Officer | Transit Australia Group
Michael is an experienced executive who has held a variety of senior executive positions in the financial services, venture capital, public transport and logistics sectors. Michael joined Transit Australia Group in December 2013, and has successfully launched several ventures across Australia and overseas for TAG, including engineering Australia’s first electric bus. Michael currently sits on several profit and not-for-profit Boards and has recently founded a multimedia business that focuses on inspiring young children. He holds post graduate business qualifications from a number of business schools, including Harvard University.
Colette Munro
Chief Digital Officer | AECOM
Colette has 20 years’ experience in Industrial Software Solutions for Operations and Maintenance. She has led the development of platforms for the Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics and Mobile. She has defined strategies for Industrial and Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security, Energy Management Software (demand side), IT/OT convergence, Asset Performance Management and Software Innovation.
She led the development of a software product for production accounting and delay analysis predominately used in the Mining Industry. Her background also includes 10 years designing, implementing and commissioning Electrical and Control Systems for large mining and infrastructure projects in Australia, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and South Africa.
At AECOM, Colette leads the implementation of our Digital by Design Transformation Strategy. Her focus is on delivering innovative digital solutions which solve engineering problems across the design, build, operate and maintain lifecycle of Assets.
Margy Osmond
Chief Executive Officer | TTF
Margy Osmond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism & Transport Forum, assuming the role on 1 October 2014. Margy has extensive experience in policy development and advocacy, politics, membership organisations, management, media and public relations.
Before joining TTF, Margy was the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006 as a lobby and research organisation to be the voice of the large national retailers in Australia. Prior to this, Margy was the CEO of the State and Sydney Chambers of Commerce in NSW for five years.
Margy has a wide range of Board experience having been Chair of the NSW TAFE Commission Board and Chair of the Australian Sports Foundation, Deputy Chair of Tourism NSW, and served on the boards of the Australian Sports Commission, Bell Shakespeare, the Retail Employees Superannuation Trust, NSW Major Events, the NSW Police Minister’s Advisory Board and NSW State Transit Authority. Margy also chaired the bid and official Organising Committee for the largest non-elite sporting event in the world, the International World Masters Games, held in Sydney in 2009
Janine Perrett
Sky News
Janine Perrett is host of The Perrett Report Sunday nights on Sky News as well as the Friday Show and a panelist on Paul Murray Live and The Last Word each night.
She has been with Sky for seven years and before that worked for most major media outlets in Australia from a columnist on Fairfax to guest presenter on ABC radio.
She began her career at The Australian newspaper where she became London correspondent and US correspondent for five years where she covered the US Presidential election, conflicts in Chile, Haiti and Panama, the space shuttle explosion and the Wall Street crash.
For 12 years she worked on the Nine Network’s Sunday and Business Sunday programs and founded and anchored The Small Business Show during that time as well.
In 2007 she was awarded the Knight fellowship to study for one year at Stanford University in the US
Marg Prendergast
Coordinator General, Sydney Coordination Office, Transport for NSW
Marg Prendergast has been appointed to lead the Sydney Coordination office to oversee the planning and operations of traffic, transport and communications during the transformation of the Sydney with various major transport projects and property redevelopments. Marg also manages the Transport Management Centre (TMC).
Marg has qualifications in economics and town planning with over 30 years’ experience in transport including; data analysis, transport planning, safety, project management and the delivery of capital programs, operational initiatives and events.
Marg was Operations Planning Manager for the Olympic Roads and Transport Authority for the Sydney 2000 Olympics and managed the City precinct during Games time.
Marg has spent the last decade focused on safety initiatives and was the General Manager of the NSW Centre for Road Safety.
Tim Reardon
Secretary, Transport for NSW
Tim Reardon is the Secretary of Transport for NSW, the lead agency of the transport cluster, which employs over 25,000 people. The role covers the planning and delivery of transport services and infrastructure, including trains, buses, roads and traffic, freight and ports, light rail and point to point services. He is accountable for delivering the largest transport infrastructure pipeline in a generation, including $41.4 billion over the coming four years, and driving reform to make the network better integrated, more customer-focused and efficient. Tim has over 25 years’ of experience in the public and private sectors, here and abroad.
Mike Rowe
Vice-President Expert Sales | Mastercard
Mike has over 20 year’s history in Payments and Technology innovation from the initial days of e-commerce in Australia through to more recently supporting the Open Loop launch in NSW.
Prior to his current role at Mastercard, Mike has worked for a diverse range of technology organisations covering Payments Gateways through to Global Media Entities in senior and executive leadership roles.
At present Mike is heavily focused supporting payment innovation such as Contactless Open Loop in Mass Transit and sharing the benefits to the Australian and New Zealand markets.
Neil Scales OBE
Director-General | Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
As Director-General, Neil leads the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), with an Operating Budget of $5.810 billion, Capital Budget of $2.804 billion and managed Assets worth $76.226 billion.
Neil joined the Queensland Public Service in March 2012 as CEO of TransLink where he was responsible for the public transport network across Queensland. He was appointed Director-General of TMR in March 2013.
In September 2014, Neil became Commissioner for the National Transport Commission (NTC) and joined the Roads Australia Board in November 2014. Neil is Chair of Austroads, Deputy Chair for the Australian Road Research Board and board member for the Queensland Police-Citizens Youth Welfare Association. He is also a board member of the Queensland Transport and Logistics Council, Tourism and Transport Forum, Roads Australia and the Australian Centre for Rail Innovation.
In September 2014, Neil became Government Champion for the Woorabinda Indigenous community. Since 2015, Neil has been the Queensland Public Sector’s CEO Champion against domestic and family violence by participating in Australia’s CEO Challenge Race.
Neil became Acting Chief Executive Officer for Queensland Rail in October 2016, returning to the Director-General role at TMR in April 2017.
Mark Streeting
Partner | L.E.K. Consulting
Mark Streeting is a Partner in L.E.K’s Sydney Office specialising in transport. He has 27 years of professional experience as a transport economist, having previously worked with the Bureau of Transport Economics, Commonwealth Department of Transport, London Underground, Travers Morgan, Booz Allen Hamilton and PricewaterhouseCoopers. His fields of expertise in the transport industry include strategy and policy development, demand analysis and forecasting, financial and economic appraisal, business case development, regulatory reform and procurement, pricing strategies and development and strategic marketing and communications. Mark has advised public and private sectors clients in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe and Asia on all forms of passenger and freight transport.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Public Economic Policy from Australian National University and a Master of Business Administration from the Queensland University of Technology.
Emma Thomas
Director General, Transport Canberra and City Services
Emma Thomas is the Director-General for Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) and brings extensive experience in both the commercial and public sectors, including major infrastructure projects that span most forms of transport including ‘planes, trains and automobiles.’
Prior to leading TCCS, Emma was the Director-General of the Capital Metro Agency, delivering Canberra’s first stage of light rail. Prior to this, she was the State Rail Commissioner for South Australia and Deputy Chief Executive of Public Transport. Previous experience also includes senior executive roles at Transport and Main Roads Queensland and Boeing. She commenced her career as an aeronautical engineer in the Royal Australian Air Force.
Emma is passionate about creating a simple and responsive customer experience and is excited, with the formation of TCCS, to proudly deliver services to the people of Canberra.
Jeroen Weimer
CEO, Public Transport Victoria
Jeroen joined Public Transport Victoria in January 2015 as Executive Director, Performance & Contract Management, leading the management of franchise agreements and operating contracts for Metro Trains, Yarra Trams, V/Line and all bus contracts across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Prior to joining PTV, Jeroen was Chief Operating Officer, UK Bus at FirstGroup plc, where he was responsible for the operation of over 6,000 buses and 17,000 staff operating across the UK and the turnaround of 40 regional bus businesses. Jeroen has also served as Managing Director, UK Transport for Serco Group plc, and as Chief Operating Officer, Surface Transport at Transport for London (TfL). Jeroen was appointed Chief Executive Officer in September 2016.
Jenny Wiggins
Australian Financial Review
Jenny Wiggins has been a senior journalist at The Australian Financial Review, covering transport and infrastructure, since 2010. She spent the previous decade with the UK’s Financial Times, covering consumer industries out of London and capital markets in New York. Before joining the FT, she reported on mergers and acquisitions from New York for BridgeNews. She is a graduate of the University of Western Australia (History) and Columbia University (Journalism).
Robert Williams
Partner, Strategy& Transport Sector Leader
Mr Williams is a partner in PwC’s strategy business (Strategy&) and PwC’s transport sector leader in Australia. He has extensive experience across a broad range of transport consulting projects, including financial, regulatory, institutional and strategic assignments. Over the last 31 years he has worked on consulting assignments for numerous government and private sector transport organisations in Australia and New Zealand and on transportation assignments in Russia, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Jeremy Yap
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Public Transport, Policy and Planning | Singapore Land Transport Authority
Jeremy oversees land transport policy, planning and public transport operations in the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore as its Deputy Chief Executive. He also spearheads active mobility in LTA. Also an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore and a lawyer by training, he spent over 3 years in the Ministry of Transport of Singapore overseeing land transport policy matters. He was also the Group Director for Vehicle and Transit Licensing and was appointed the Registrar of Vehicles from Oct 2007 to Mar 2010. In the UITP or International Association for Public Transport, Jeremy is the current chair of the Organising Authorities Committee and possesses an international perspective of organising public transport and the new mobility in cities.
Judi Zielke
Deputy Secretary, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
Judith Zielke is Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development. Her responsibilities include infrastructure investment, strategic policy, national maritime, rail and heavy vehicle regulation and regional development policy and programs. Judith is also Chief Coordinator, Joint Agency Coordination Centre, which was established by the Prime Minister in March 2014 to coordinate the Australian Government’s support for the search into missing flight MH370. Judith has had a lengthy public sector career encompassing a range of policy advice and implementation positions in the Australian Government in areas of Trade, Attorney-General’s, Industry and Innovation, and most recently Infrastructure. Across various roles, Judith has been involved in a broad range of international engagement activities including technical infrastructure and mutual recognition agreement negotiations, and World Trade Organisation negotiations. She is also a Member of the Board of the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
