Birgit has successfully made an impact in the clean energy sector within roles that bring together government, trade, and industry stakeholders, to drive strategic and commercial outcomes. She is an experienced business leader supporting sustainable growth of companies and is enthusiastic about meaningful ecosystem engagement, enabling technologies and circular economy principles. Prior to joining Business Finland in 2022, Birgit led the industry engagement of the German-Australian Energy Partnership and the Industry 4.0 Prime Minister Task Force at the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and is the Co-Founder of the German-Australian Hydrogen Alliance. Based in Sydney since 2009 she holds a degree in International Management.

Michele Bauer is the Deputy Director-General for the Queensland Government Department of State Development, Infrastructure and
Planning. She has extensive experience in driving strategic initiatives and policies to support industry and regional economic
development. Michele’s leadership has included executive roles in Office of the Coordinator-General focussing on complex projects and infrastructure planning.

Michele has been recognised for her outstanding public service to industry and economic development in Queensland and was awarded a Public Service Medal in the King’s Birthday 2024 Meritorious Honours List.

Chris has over 30 years’ experience with waste management but prefers to refer to it as ‘Circular Economy Management’ .

Chris commenced his journey back in 1995 becoming the Project Manager for a 7Mwe landfill gas to energy project. From there though landfill, recycling, energy management and now to organics recycling, Chris has gain experience at all levels of this industry and now applies his passion for being a part of the Circular Economy continuously optimising organics recycling  and  producing a product that stands for quality.

With 20 years’ experience and expertise across waste, finance, energy, carbon and sustainability, Henry is a leader in the delivery of resource recovery and energy from waste solutions across Australia. He previously led Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s waste and resource recovery team and is currently a Director of Bioenergy Australia, WMRR and WRIQ.

Matthew Askeland is an environmental professional engaged in the contaminated land, resource recovery, and circular economy sectors specialising in the management of emerging contaminants.

Matt previously led ADE Consulting Group’s Victorian Environment Practice which included a specialist Business Unit, focused on emerging contaminants.

Matt enjoys solving problems, challenging conventional approaches, and being generally disruptive.

Alix is the Queensland Manager at EnviroCom Australia and a Director at WRIQ. Alix has accrued thousands of hours of waste segregations across Qld councils, facilities, and waste and resource streams, as well as delivering waste minimisation education to Qld communities, schools, kindies, and businesses. The team at EnviroCom works with Local Governments and Private Industry to better understand their communities’ behaviours and implement strategies to meet waste reduction targets through Behaviour Change.

Nick founded and is currently Director of Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions specialising in economic analysis, research and advocacy and has over two decades of experience applying these skills in the real world for Queensland’s and Australia’s business community. 

Nick has  delivered economic consultancy services nationally to exemplary organisations including Australian Aluminium Council, Australian Council of Recycling, AORA, Brisbane Airport Corporation, iOR Petroleum, Port of Brisbane, Property Council of Australia, Queensland Investment Corporation, Queensland Resources Council, RACQ, as well as many projects for both WRIQ, NWRIC and many industry members attending the conference.

Nick’s representations are based on extensive research and his preferred approach is to achieve results by working with stakeholders behind the scenes to secure positive and lasting outcomes.  He places much emphasis on having a thorough and convincing evidence that is readily understood and in turn leads to real world application and solutions.

Daniel Blaser is a seasoned business leader and qualified Mechanical Engineer, with a distinguished academic credential from Stanford University’s Senior Executive Program, MBA. He has extensive experience in leading and managing large national organizations, including businesses with annual turnovers exceeding $130 million. Among his notable achievements is the management of operations spanning 10 manufacturing facilities nationwide.

Daniel has a proven track record of executing successful business turnarounds, driving significant profit growth, and delivering sustained improvements in business performance. Currently, he serves as the General Manager of Rino Recycling, where he is at the forefront of advancing Australia’s transition to a circular economy having built a state-of-the-art recycling facility in Pinkenba.

Passionate about leadership and growth, Daniel excels in building high-performance teams and fostering a results-driven culture, ensuring long-term success and sustainability.

Mark has 25 years of experience in the waste industry focusing on waste disposal and resource recovery and joined BMI Group in 2011. Mark has continued to focus on developing waste infrastructure for the group including transfer stations, improving recycling capabilities and develop landfill facilities. Commencing in the contaminated land investigation and remediation industry Marks interest shifted to the development of landfills implementing key measures to develop Queensland’s largest construction and demolition waste landfill at New Chum. Mark currently sits on the executive Waste and Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) in the capacity of Vice President.

Grant Gabriel is a respected Program Manager, with over 20 years of experience delivering complex infrastructure projects for local government, utilities and the mining industry across Australia. Grant is the City of Gold Coast’s Program Director for the delivery of the Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (the ARRC) for the Gold Coast community. The $1.6 billion ARRC, proposed to be built in the northern Gold Coast suburb of Stapylton, is an integrated precinct with eight purpose built facilities aimed to provide best-practice waste management, diverting up to 97% of waste from landfill. The City is developing innovative and sustainable ways to increase recycling and reuse and convert residual waste to energy for a cleaner, greener city. The ARRC will also act as an important anchor project enabling the activation of the Stapylton-Yatala Recycling Enterprises Precinct.

Nick Harford works across environmental strategy, regulatory development, technical waste and recycling matters, product stewardship and environmental management systems. 

His background includes corporate affairs and communications experience and assisting organisations to use sustainability issues as a platform to leverage organisational development and enhance reputation. 

Previous roles include being the managing director of sustainability consulting company Equilibrium as well as being a director and deputy chairman at the Metropolitan Waste Management Group, and Environment Manager at packaging and recycling company Visy. 

Nick’s experience also includes Government and media, including as an adviser to the Commonwealth Attorney General and an adviser to the New South Wales Minister for the Environment.

Mike is a 30 year veteran in the waste management field, in which time he has developed a significant network of highly professional waste management peers and legislators. As a practitioner in all the waste management disciplines, he has a thorough and proven working knowledge of the current waste management sector with its nuances, legislative policies, opportunities and challenges added to this he is recognised as a visionary and sound thinker in waste management strategy, direction and implementation.

Mike was instrumental in developing the Alternative Fuels project a joint venture between ResourceCo and the Adelaide Brighton Cement Company. He worked closely with HRL and Adelaide Brighton Cement technical staff to develop the audit protocols required to determine fuel composition, designed and undertook trials to process sorted waste materials to meet the required specification of end user, in this case Adelaide Brighton Cement.

Mike is currently working with Verdant Earth Technologies to recommission the Redbank power station from coal to biomass and creating renewable energy and green hydrogen.

Sarah Hausler is a Partner at McCullough Robertson Lawyers and a specialist in planning and environment law. With qualifications in environmental science and urban and regional planning, Sarah advises government and private clients on environmental compliance, litigation, infrastructure agreements, and water management. Her expertise spans major developments, waste management projects, and addressing emerging contaminants. Known for her strategic and practical advice, Sarah helps clients navigate complex challenges in infrastructure, water, and environmental law with precision and insight.

Josh Lannen has 14 years’ experience in the Waste and Resource Recovery sector.  The Mams Group is a regional north Qld based waste and recycling business with depots in Townsville, Ingham, Tully, Innisfail and Cairns.  Josh has extensive experience in regional and remote waste, recycling collection, transport, processing, trading and disposal.  He has managed waste contracts in remote Aboriginal communities, landfills in the wet tropics, regulated waste clean ups on mine sites, local government kerbside contracts, significant commercial waste contracts, container refund depots, cardboard and plastic baling operations.

Brett Lemin is the Executive Director of the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA), with extensive experience in the waste management and recycling industry. He is a recognised leader in advocating for industry safety, innovation, and sustainability.  Under his leadership, WCRA has launched several key initiatives to improve industry standards and environmental outcomes across the industry. Brett is passionate about driving positive change and fostering collaboration within the sector.

Jackie McKeay is the Executive Director of Waste and Enforcement Services in the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Jackie is an experienced environmental professional with more than 20 years’ experience in a range of policy, operational and regulatory roles in Local Government, Queensland Government and in the private sector. Jackie has worked in Environmental Services and Regulation – Queensland’s environmental regulator – for the last 12 years and in this time has had led significant legislative reforms, major investigations, and assessment and compliance of waste and recovery activities.

Since 2019 Umur leads the Fraser Coast Waste Business Unit, including landfill and transfer station operations, waste education, illegal dumping, multiple service contracts, an extensive capital program and an alliance arrangement delivering and operating the new Material Recovery Facility.

Umur oversaw the Brisbane City Council’s Resource Recovery Innovation Alliance and led BCC’s Waste Contracts Renewal Project awarding $3bn worth of waste contracts. He held advisory roles at QTC and LGAQ, was consultant at KBR, branch manager at IGIP and partner at IU.

Leanne O’Brien is a Special Counsel and she has worked on a wide range of matters dealing with landfills and associated issues including landfill gas and leachate, waste tracking, and water pollution. Leanne has authored a text, ‘Enforcement of Planning and Environmental Laws in Queensland’, the only one of its kind in Qld. In 2023, Leanne once again was recognised in the Best Lawyers publication.

Patricia ‘Trish’ O’Callaghan joined the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation as Acting Director-General in November 2024. She has held significant senior executive positions during the past 15 years and has a passion for growing companies, communities and bettering the lives of people.

Trish has a wealth of experience in tourism, having previously served as CEO of Tourism and Events Queensland. Prior to this, she headed up Destination Gold Coast from February 2021 – December 2022 and following nine years with Townsville Enterprise, first as General Manager for Tourism and Events before being promoted to CEO, a position she held for five years.  

With extensive experience in strategy, advocacy, corporate communications, Government, stakeholder and media relations and marketing, Trish has a proven record of working with communities to convert strategy into tangible outcomes.  

Hugo commenced his working career in Sydney during the 1980’s working for 8 years in various State & Federal Gov’t departments before relocating to Brisbane in 1992.

With over 30 years’ experience in resource recovery & recycling in Qld, Hugo has gained a wealth of practical & operational knowledge across a broad range of activities in the sector.

Hugo is currently on the board of WRIQ and is a strong advocate for the long-term sustainability of the industry, the environment and the communities in which we operate.

Scott is a strategic leader in the Waste and Resources sector with over 20 years’ experience, in both Infrastructure Development and Operations Management across the UK and Australia. Post-Graduate educated and Professionally Qualified with Expertise across Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Operations and Maintenance of Energy Recovery facilities.

Natalie Roach is the CEO of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit organisation that operates Containers for Change in Queensland. Natalie is well regarded for leading business transformation, driving operational excellence and improving the people and culture experience across large and highly regulated industries. Throughout her career, she has held prominent leadership positions, including Group Executive of Customer & Corporate Affairs at Queensland Rail, Head of Customer Experience & Operations at Qantas Airways and Head of Operational Delivery at Heathrow Airport. She currently serves on the board of Mildura Airport. Since joining Container Exchange, Natalie has led an organisational transformation which has strengthened customer and stakeholder partnerships and delivered record growth in the number of containers recycled through the scheme.

In 2015, after a decade in criminal law, Jennifer joined the NHVR, an organisation still in its infancy. For five years, she worked as a Principal Legal officer, helping establish many of the guidelines and policies that enable the agency to perform its functions.

In 2020, Jennifer moved to the codes of practice team which she now manages. That team works with industry groups to develop codes of practice and provides CoR guidance to multiple teams within NHVR and to the industry and the public.

Keiran Travers is the Founder and Director of Harbak a waste, recycling and circular economy consultancy based in Brisbane.  Harbak provides waste strategy, procurement, commercial, technical market research and environmental approval advice to both local councils  and the private sector (asset owners, recyclers, and other consultancies). Keiran has been engaged as project manager for the WRIQ Lithium Ion Battery Project