Key Speakers
-
Alastair Leighton | Associate Director – Design, Design + Planning | AECOM
Alastair is a Landscape Architect and designer with experience that spans large multi-disciplinary schemes, new settlement master planning and strategic urban developments. With extensive skills in the collaborative design and delivery of complex high profile public spaces, including parks, urban spaces and heritage environments, Alastair has a particular interest in the community and social impacts of strategic developments, particularly related to connectivity and movement in the urban environment. As an Associate Director – Design for AECOM, Alastair has recently contributed to a range of cross-disciplinary projects focusing on water management within the urban environment, strategic visioning and integrated infrastructure.
-
Dr Mike Gillen | Practice Director – Strategic Planning and Economic Development | AECOM
Dr Mike Gillen is a planner with more than 20 years experience in the field of sustainable urban development. Recent research and consultancy for local and state government has focused upon urban management in the face of population growth, transit patronage choices, water and food security and an altered climate change future. Mike currently leads AECOM Queensland’s Strategic Planning and Economic Development team where the key focus is on understanding the relationship between land uses, economics and infrastructure and identifying and delivering plans and strategies which will influence mobility choice, transit patronage and place making.
-
Dr Peter Breen | Director of Design + Planning | AECOM
Dr Peter Breen is a Director of Design + Planning at AECOM. He has a long-term interest in the integration of water science into the management of urban and rural catchments and his research and design expertise has contributed to urban stream ecology in Australia. Peter established and led the urban ecology group in the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology at Monash University from 1992 to 2001, and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the university’s Department of Civil Engineering. He is also involved in the Monash University/AECOM Cities as Catchments research program and contributes to the research agenda of the proposed Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities being developed by Monash University.
-
Geoff Garrett AO | Queensland Chief Scientist | Queensland Government
Dr Geoff Garrett was appointed Queensland Chief Scientist from January 2011, following the retirement of Professor Peter Andrews AO. A Cambridge graduate in metallurgy and an academic for 13 years, Geoff led two of the world's major national research institutions – CSIR in South Africa (1995-2000) and CSIRO in Australia (2001-2008). A former South African 'Engineer of the Year' (1999), he is a recipient of the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society through science. In June 2008 he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
-
Gerald Marion | Director - Consulting Strategy and Operations | Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Gerald Marion is a Director within Deloitte’s Strategy and Operation Practice and is the Queensland Innovation Lead. Gerald specialises in Growth and Innovation strategies and has been helping organisations grow for the last 14 years, as a Private Equity Investor and as an Innovation and Strategy Consulting practitioner. Gerald has been involved in the Deloitte Innovation Programme for the last 5 years and has won a number of Deloitte Signal awards for his contribution to the Innovation programme. Gerald is a regular speaker on Growth and Innovation as part of the UQ Business School Innovation Leadership Executive Course and was one of the co-leaders in developing and launching the Brisbane Innovation Scorecard, the result of a close collaboration between Brisbane Marketing, DEEDI, BCC, UQ and Deloitte.
-
Graham Quirk | Lord Mayor | Brisbane City
Graham’s appointment to Lord Mayor continues a long record of service to Brisbane and the local community. This service to Brisbane includes the past three years as Deputy Mayor alongside Campbell Newman and 26 years as a local Councillor on Brisbane’s southside. During this time and as part of the ‘Can Do’ Team, Graham has been responsible for delivering many positive outcomes and ongoing projects for the City. Easing traffic congestion with major infrastructure projects across the City – including the TransApex network of cross city tunnels and bridges along with the Road Action Program which fast-tracks 15 years of urgent road works into just four years; Improving public transport with 500 new buses and the re-building of the CityCat terminals following on from the disastrous 2011 floods; A green city with the planting of 2 million trees and using 100% renewable energy within Council; $100 million for Brisbane’s bikeways. As Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk will provide a safe set of hands and draw on his 26 years of experience as a Councillor to continue delivering for the residents of this wonderful city.
-
Iain Watson | Academic Dean and Head of School | UQ Business School
Iain completed his PhD in 1996, which investigated the use of market and industry data in financial distress modelling. His research interests are generally based in the broad capital markets area and corporate governance field along with interests in business finance, corporate disclosure of information, insider trading and investor relations. Iain has published academic papers in international journals and presented at leading international conferences, on topics such as insider trading, corporate governance and information asymmetry within the stock exchange.
-
James Mulligan | Graduate Planner | AECOM
James Mulligan graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (Hons) and is currently the Youth Engagement and Communication Co-Chair of the Queensland Youth Environment Council – an organisation that offers youth perspectives on environmental issues to the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, and the Minister for Education and Training. As Graduate Planner with AECOM, James’ passion for the environment and sustainability, land use and transport integration, sustainable development and urban design helps bring innovative solutions to planning issues faced in urban and regional areas.
-
John McGagh | Head of Innovation | Rio Tinto Limited
Joining Rio Tinto as a graduate trainee in 1980 his experience spans both business unit, corporate office and remote location mine-sites. His career roles include, project engineering, operations, marketing, business development, operational business improvement and Global supply chain management spanning locations in Europe, Australia and the USA.
-
Tim Biggs | Office Managing Partner | Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Tim is currently a Managing Partner for Deloitte in Queensland, a position he has held since 2004. Tim commenced his career with Deloitte as a graduate, also working overseas and in Adelaide. Tim is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Registered Company Auditor.