Speaker Biographies
The Hon. Penny Sharpe
NSW Minister for the Environment
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Penny Sharpe is the Leader of the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for Environment and Minister for Heritage. First elected to NSW Legislative Council in 2005, Penny has held a variety of Government and Opposition portfolios including Heritage, Transport and Planning, Family and Community Services, as well as Disability Inclusion. Penny is passionate about the care of our environment and making sure that NSW takes serious action to tackle climate change.
Andy Jackson
Director
Andy Jackson is a director of Lex Enviro Services a used lead acid battery (ULAB) collector based in Western Sydney and servicing all states nationally. Andy has over 20 years experience in the industry. Andy as part of the Lex team has experience in all facets of the ULAB industry including processing for domestic and export markets, local and interstate collection, logistics, storage and transport. Lex are also traders of all ferrous and non-ferrous waste material, with a primary focus on the automotive and material handling environments. Andy and the Lex Enviro team have been strong supports of the Association Battery Recycling Industry and the Australian battery recycling indsutry.
Andrew Bottoms
Automotive Marketing Manager – Australia & New Zealand
Andrew is responsible for all aspects of product management, marketing and training for leading battery manufacturer and supplier Century Yuasa Batteries, across both Australia and New Zealand. With over 25 years’ experience in the Automotive Industry, nineteen of which has been with Century Yuasa, Andrew has played an integral role in the growth and development of the company’s Automotive division and for driving awareness and exposure of their battery recycling program. Andrew passionate about the Automotive Industry & Australian Manufacturing.
Brian Spak
General Manager, Advocacy and Policy
Brian Spak acts as General Manager, Advocacy and Policy for Energy Consumers Australia, the national voice for household and small business energy consumers. He previously served as the head of CSIRO's research program focused on integrating renewable energy. Among other roles, he helped develop the first household battery program in the US State of Oregon while serving as the Head of Customer Energy Solutions for Portland General Electric. He began his work in the electricity industry in 2009 working on behalf of energy storage companies as a clean energy lobbyist in Washington DC. The biggest battery he owns is in his electric car.
Felicity Greenway
Planning Policy & Environmental Impact Spcecialist
Impetus Planning
Felicity has over 25 years of environmental assessment practice and policy experience in planning, energy, infrastructure and resources. She has held senior executive level planning assessment and policy roles in government, most recently advising the NSW Premier on planning, environment, energy and housing policy. Felicity has led high performing teams with responsibility for delivery of major policy reforms including development of innovative Wind Energy Assessment Guidelines and the ‘Rapid Assessment Framework’, driving productivity and integrity across the planning system. She has also represented the NSW Government at the most senior levels, including being the NSW member on the Australian Building Codes Board for two years.
Isaac Gatt
Strategist
IPG Resources
Isaac Gatt is a strategic leader with extensive experience in manufacturing, recycling, and resource management. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and circular economy initiatives, he has successfully developed and executed projects that drive industry growth while aligning with ESG principles.
Isaac has worked across global markets, forging key partnerships and optimizing operations to enhance efficiency and long-term sustainability. His expertise spans business development, strategic planning, and operational leadership, helping businesses navigate complex industry challenges and unlock new opportunities.
As a Plastic Industry Manufacturing Association member, Isaac is committed to fostering collaboration and advancing sustainable solutions in plastics and manufacturing.
Janice Lee
Managing Director
Scyne Advisory
Janice is Managing Director and co-Lead of Scyne Advisory’s NSW Infrastructure and Property group. She has extensive experience of network and infrastructure planning for decarbonisation, including for private vehicles, public transport and freight, and is passionate about how net zero transition can spur the development of new industries and placemaking.
Jonathan Van Leeuwen
Principal Industry Engagement Advisor - Automotive
Jonathan has over 18 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket industry and has been instrumental in improving the quality and efficiency of automotive workshop operations. His career highlights include serving as Training and Development Manager at Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group and successfully owning and operating an independent automotive workshop.
Jonathan holds diplomas in Leadership and Business Management. He is passionate about cultivating inclusive workplace cultures, championing ongoing education through Australia's VET system, and driving continuous improvement to support the automotive industry.
Katharine Hole
Chief Executive Officer
Katharine has extensive experience in setting direction, articulating and driving public policy outcomes to strengthen safety and sustainability. She greatly enjoys working with the battery recycling industry to support development of a world leading innovative and best practice sector. Prior to joining ABRI, she worked in senior executive roles across the energy, resources, planning, water, infrastructure and environment portfolios within government. University qualifications in economics, Asian studies and environmental management provides her with a strong skill set to take a multi-disciplinary approach to applying evidence based solutions to policy challenges.
Libby Chaplin
Chief Executive Officer
Libby Chaplin is an expert in product stewardship and sustainability, driving the environmentally sound management of batteries across their lifecycle. As CEO of the Battery Stewardship Council, Libby established Australia’s first nationwide, government-backed battery stewardship scheme, B-cycle. Accredited by the ACCC, B-cycle makes sure that the precious materials in every battery collected get made into something new. It is a unique approach to battery stewardship designed around accreditation and independent verification to rapidly increase battery collection rates across the country. Libby has worked extensively in electronics and battery stewardship, bringing practical experience in traceability and verification from her work in the US, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and Australia.
Matt Crocker
Head of Market Development & Corporate Affairs
Matt Crocker is a strategic advisor with extensive experience in infrastructure, public policy, and corporate strategy. In his current role at Plenary Group he advises on project delivery funding strategies and investment models for large-scale projects.
Previously, he served as Policy Director for three NSW Premiers—Gladys Berejiklian, Mike Baird, and Barry O’Farrell—between 2009 and 2019, shaping major infrastructure, economic and social policy. He has been a strategic advisor to UTS, the Susan McKinnon Foundation, Westpac and the Australian Energy Market Commission.
In addition, Matt is Deputy Chair of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Deputy Chair of the Biennale of Sydney, a Board Member at the Committee for Sydney and a member of the NSW Government advisory board for Macquarie Technology Group.
Moksha Watts
Founder & Principal
Yallaroi Group
Moksha is the founder and principal of Yallaroi Group, an advisory and strategy firm passionate about helping companies and organisations to grow and protect value by distilling policy, market and stakeholder expectations into actionable and practical roadmaps.
Moksha has worked at the highest levels of government and the private sector as a strategic advisor and experienced executive in policy, sustainability and stakeholder engagement. She has over 20 years’ experience operating across Australia, New Zealand, India, South-East Asia and the Middle East.
Most recently, as the Australian Prime Minister’s key advisor on climate change, energy and resources policy, Moksha supported the Prime Minister and his ministers to deliver flagship policies across clean energy manufacturing, renewable generation and transmission, household electrification and climate mandatory reporting.
Prior to that, as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Australia, Moksha led the development of its Net-Zero by 2050 roadmap, which built on similar achievements at Arnott’s Group and Qantas Airways in systems-level climate and energy policy and implementation, and ESG-driven corporate targets and transformations.
Phoebe Ashe
A/Director Circular Economy
NSW Environment Protection Authority
Phoebe has worked in the NSW Government across contaminated sites, waste, product stewardship, biodiversity and land management since studying science and law. After seconding to the Office of the NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage and working for a Judge at the Land and Environment Court, Phoebe returned to the NSW EPA as a leader setting up Return and Earn, NSW’s beverage container deposit scheme. As Acting Director Circular Economy Policy she currently leads product stewardship work on batteries.
Richard Delplace
Director Emerging Technologies
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI)
Richard leads the development and coordination of FCAI’s approach to waste minimisation and circular economy. He spearheaded the delivery of the joint FCAI-MTAA research on End-of-Life Vehicles, supported by the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.
With a Master's in Electronics Engineering and two decades of experience spanning both public and private sectors within transport and automotive technology, Richard brings a deep understanding to his role. He is a passionate advocate for a more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable Australian transport industry.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is the peak representative organisation for companies who distribute new passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in Australia. The full list of FCAI members can be found on the FCAI website.
Shane Randall
Senior Partnerships Manager
EV TAFE Centre of Excellence
Shane has been working in the automotive industry since 1999, gaining extensive experience across the OEM, aftermarket, wholesale and retail sectors. Shane spent five years as Aftersales Manager at BMW, and prior to that, he was involved in operations at Wesfarmer's Kmart Tyre & Auto. As a qualified technician and roadworthy inspector in both NSW and ACT, he has developed a deep understanding of the industry’s needs and the importance of collaboration in driving innovation and success.
Shawn O’Sullivan
Exective Director, Clean Energy Battories
TAFE Centre of Excellence Clean Energy Batteries
Shawn O’Sullivan has a wealth of experience in emerging industries education and training, shaped from a diverse career as a bush mechanic turned educator.
The Centre, a $20M joint initiative by the Queensland and Australian Governments, thrives under Shawn’s leadership, focusing on equipping the nation’s workforce to meet the current and emerging needs of the clean energy batteries sector.
Passionate about accessible education, Shawn is committed to ensuring quality training is available to everyone, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds.
With a degree in vocational education and training and extensive experience in curriculum design and industry engagement, Shawn has been instrumental in developing innovative training opportunities that address both community and industry demands.
Shawn Ticehurst
Head of IAG Research Centre
Insurance Australia Group
Shawn Ticehurst is the Head of the IAG Research Centre in Sydney. IAG is Australia/NZ’s largest general insurer with brands such as NRMA Insurance and CGU. The IAG Research Centre focuses on automotive research in topics such as vehicle repair, building relationships with OEM vehicle brands, creating repair innovation and investigating the impacts of new automotive technology with an insurance lens. Shawn has worked in the automotive industry for 30 years in Australia, Germany and the USA and previously with brands such as BMW and Audi. Shawn has been involved with electric vehicles for over 10 years.