Judging will be based on the merit of each application, not as a competition between applicants. Small projects will be assessed taking the size and resources of the company or organisation into consideration.
Applications will be judged against the eligibility criteria for each Award.
The judging panels for each of the three sectors (resources, METS and energy) will discuss criteria assessments and make recommendations on the winning applicants to the Premier. The Premier's decision is final.
The panels have representatives from business, industry, aboriginal affairs, environmental management, engagement, social services and government, providing a wide range and depth of experience from government and industry sectors.
Resources sector
Ms Alex Blood - Panel Chair
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Executive Director Mineral Resources, Department for Energy and Mining
Alex Blood is Executive Director Mineral Resources, within the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, which she joined in late 2017 from the private sector.
Alex’s experience spans state, national and global levels for a wide variety of mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and industrial projects across Australia, Asia-Pacific and Africa interacting with lenders, governments, communities and a wide range of stakeholders. She is Chair of the Australian New Zealand Board for environmental professional certification and has held global and national corporate sustainability and technical advisory roles. In 2012, Alex was awarded Australian Environmental Practitioner of the Year, and has received a number of project technical awards.
Ms Elinor Alexander
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Director Geoscience and Exploration, Department for Energy and Mining
As Director Geoscience and Exploration in the Energy Resources Division of DEM, Elinor is responsible for delivery of applied prospectivity research projects and programs, management of industry geoscientific data and regulation of industry work programs and data submissions. She has 34 years experience in the South Australian Department for Mines and Energy, initially as a graduate petroleum geologist, more recently as an executive leading a team of enthusiastic geologists, geophysicists and data specialists.
Mr Martyn Campbell
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Executive Director, SafeWork SA
Martyn has 30 years’ experience working in regulatory compliance and investigation at a senior executive level in the UK and Australia. Formerly a police detective in the UK, he later qualified in law focusing on health and safety in the extractive mining and construction sectors in Australia and Asia-Pacific.
Martyn is now the Head of SafeWork SA, leading the safety regulator through large-scale organisational reform and capability development. He is on the Safe Work Australia Board, Heads of Work Safe Authorities and serves as an Advisory Board Member for the University of South Australia’s Centre for Workplace Excellence.
Ms Pauline Carr
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Chancellor of the University of South Australia
Pauline Carr has built a 30-plus year career bringing her executive experience, business improvement, governance, compliance and risk management consultancy services to a range of companies in the resources, construction, superannuation, education, retail and community health care sectors.
Pauline was invited onto UniSA's Council in 2010, was appointed Chancellor in August 2018 and currently chairs the Senior Remuneration Committee and the Governance and Nomination Committee. Previously she has worked at Esso Australia (now Exxon Mobil) as a financial analyst, accountant, internal auditor and in government and community relations. She has also held a divisional accounting leadership role with Normandy Mining Limited and helped it to become Australia's largest gold mining company, and the fifth largest in the world. This was followed by an executive role with Newmont Mining Asia-Pacific, the world's largest gold miner, after its takeover of Normandy. Pauline is currently chairman of National Pharmacies and the SA Government's Minerals and Energy Advisory Council and a non-executive director of ASX-listed Highfield Resources Limited.
Ms Pru Freeman
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Deputy Executive Director Mineral Resources, Department for Energy and Mining
Pru Freeman brings more than 25 years’ diverse experience to the Mineral Resources leadership team within the South Australian Government. For the past 15 years, Pru has diligently led teams responsible for legislation, policy, management and administration of various mining acts including the tenements granted under them, assessment, compliance, and royalty-related functions.
Previously Pru led several successful exploration initiatives for government and held roles within the Geological Survey of South Australia, co-publishing mapping before specialising in remote sensing and image processing work. Pru became familiar with the needs of mineral explorers early in her career, having gained field experience as a graduate geologist exploring gold tenements before joining the state government.
Ms Jacqui McGill
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Premier’s Economic Panel
Jacqui is a highly accomplished Executive and Non-Executive Director with broad strategic and deep operational leadership across a range of industries. She is a highly regarded business leader with more than 30 years’ experience in the mining and resource sectors.
She is the Chair of TAFE SA, Director of J McGill Consulting, and is on the boards of the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Playford Trust. Jacqui is a recipient of numerous awards including the 2017 South Australian Women’s Honour role, 2015 Gender Diversity Champion Australia Resources, and 2016 Women In Leadership South Australian Leadership Award. In 2018, Jacqui was selected to be part of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council.
Mr Richard Morrow
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Chairman, Melbourne Mining Club
Richard Morrow is a Melbourne-based stockbroker with establishment broking house, Baillieu Ltd, and chairman of the globally acknowledged Melbourne Mining Club, Australia’s most successful resources networking organisation. Richard began his relationship with the resources sector as a journalist with the Australian Financial Review in the 1980s.
He joined global stockbroker Smith New Court in London before returning to Australia in time for the 1987 share market crash. Richard became a director of the then E.L. & C. Baillieu where he has been entrenched for more than a quarter of a century, advising high-net-worth investors. He is a Fellow of the AusIMM and a Director of Lowell Resources Fund Management, Investment Manager of dynamic small resources-focused listed investment trust Lowell Resources Fund.
Mining Equipment, Technology and Services sector
Ms Alex Blood - Panel Chair
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Executive Director Mineral Resources, Department for Energy and Mining
Alex Blood is Executive Director Mineral Resources, within the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, which she joined in late 2017 from the private sector.
Alex’s experience spans state, national and global levels for a wide variety of mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and industrial projects across Australia, Asia-Pacific and Africa interacting with lenders, governments, communities and a wide range of stakeholders. She is Chair of the Australian New Zealand Board for environmental professional certification and has held global and national corporate sustainability and technical advisory roles. In 2012, Alex was awarded Australian Environmental Practitioner of the Year, and has received a number of project technical awards.
Mr Gavin Asikas
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Manager Energy Industry Supply Chain (SA and NT), National Energy Resources Australia
As Manager Energy Industry Supply Chain for National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), Gavin is responsible for building and maximising the capability and capacity of supply chains in South Australia and the Northern Territory. As NERA focuses specifically on the energy resources sector, Gavin works collaboratively with industry, research professionals and supply chain SMEs to increase the national and global competitiveness of Australian businesses.
Prior to joining NERA, Gavin has worked as Specialist Minerals and Energy within the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Gavin has broad operational experience gained within manufacturing and mining production and technical management positions within South Australian industry.
Mr Peter Clarke
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General Manager, Industry Engagement, METS Ignited Growth Centre
A career built in technology development and commercialisation in a range of industries including mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, Peter has co-founded four tech companies. In 2007, he was the founding CEO of Scanalyse Pty Ltd, a mining tech company developed from Curtin University, which he grew to a global company and sold to Outotec in 2013.
Awarded WA Innovator of the Year in 2007, he was also named University of Sydney Innovation Hero in 2011, and accepted the Australian Museum Eureka Commercialisation prize for Scanalyse in 2013. Currently he is General Manager for Industry Engagement with the METS Ignited Growth Centre, promoting the technology developers and suppliers to the mining industry to both the Australian and global market.
Mr Michael Haddy
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State Director, Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre
Michael has a three-decade-long background in the defence software industry and more recently, the manufacturing industry. Over half of his career was as Founder and CEO of Innovation Science Pty Ltd, a company providing naval combat systems software, naval simulation software, and public environment security software solutions to Australia, Canada and the UK.
He has held various board and management roles within the Australian Department of Defence’s Rapid Prototyping Development and Evaluation program, and is currently the National Director for Defence, Space and State Director for South Australia, for the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. Michael is a patent author and international Research & Development award recipient for developing counter-terrorism technology.
Professor Caroline McMillen
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Chief Scientist
An active champion for science, science education and for the next generation of scientists, Professor Caroline McMillen commenced in the role as Chief Scientist for South Australia in 2018 after serving as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle for 7 years from 2011. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and a Bragg Member of the Royal Institution, Australia. She has served in academic leadership positions at Monash University, the University of Adelaide and at the University of South Australia where she held the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation prior to her move to Newcastle.
She has recently served as a Director on the Boards of the Australian Business Higher Education Round Table, Universities Australia, and the Universities Admissions Centre and as a Business Events Sydney Ambassador. She has been a member of international disciplinary bodies, research policy and assessment panels and industry groups, as well as state industry and government leadership groups focused on innovation, health, mining and resources and manufacturing.
She was a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Science in Australia Gender Equity formed under the auspices of the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Richard Turner
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University of South Australia Entrepreneur in Residence
Richard is the founder of four significant South Australian businesses, the most recent being the multi-award winning and world leader in Intelligent Distributed Energy Solutions, Zen Energy. It recently became SIMEC Energy Australia after a 50.1% majority was acquired by Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance in 2017.
Richard was awarded 2010 Australian Entrepreneur of the Year for the Cleantech Sector and South Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996 and 2010. A passionate advocate of innovation and start-ups, Richard is also the founder and active member of the South Australian chapter of the global Entrepreneurs’ Organisation.
Ms Bettina Venner
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Manager Supply Chain Development, Industry and Business Growth – Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment
Bettina Venner is Manager Supply Chain Development in the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment, focusing on developing supply chains in the minerals, energy, infrastructure, defence and other industries and leading the Industry Capability Network in South Australia. She has worked in industry as a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry in South Africa, Germany and Australia before joining government. Her government roles include policy, regulation and economic development.
Energy sector
Ms Rebecca Knights - Panel Chair
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Director Energy Policy and Projects, Department for Energy and Mining
Rebecca Knights has more than 20 years commercial and regulatory experience in the energy sector. She currently leads the energy policy and projects group responsible for providing policy advice on gas and electricity market reform and sustainability issues, as well as implementing related projects.
Before joining the South Australian Government in 2010, Rebecca provided upstream oil and gas commercial and regulatory advice to governments, national oil companies and oil majors across the globe. She has previously held energy advisory and regulatory roles with SA Water and ETSA Utilities.
Ms Natalie Atkinson
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Acting Executive Director Clean Energy Transition Division, Department for Energy and Mining
Natalie is currently the Acting Executive Director of the Clean Energy Transition Division in the Department for Energy and Mining. The Division is responsible for the delivery of major energy projects including the Home Battery Scheme, Grid Scale Storage Fund and South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant and supporting renewable industry development.
Natalie started her career in workers compensation reform at WorkCover, before moving to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Mr Martyn Campbell
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Executive Director, Safework SA
Martyn has 30 years’ experience working in regulatory compliance and investigation at a senior executive level in the UK and Australia. Formerly a police detective in the UK, he later qualified in law focusing on health and safety in the extractive mining and construction sectors in Australia and Asia-Pacific.
Martyn is now the Head of SafeWork SA, leading the safety regulator through large-scale organisational reform and capability development. He is on the Safe Work Australia Board, Heads of Work Safe Authorities and serves as an Advisory Board Member for the University of South Australia’s Centre for Workplace Excellence.
Mr Sandro Canale
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CEO and Energy and Water Ombudsman SA
In 2007, Sandro was appointed the Ombudsman and Chief Executive of Energy and Water Ombudsman SA. A former Director of the Energy Industry Ombudsman Scheme in SA, he has also served as a Director on the Boards of the Energy and Water Ombudsman Schemes of Victoria and New South Wales.
His expertise spans a number of disciplines including customer services, corporate affairs, support services, property and change management and he’s currently a Vice President of the St Vincent de Paul Society SA and Chairs the Centres Advisory Committee of the Society.
Mr Craig Oakeshott
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Director Wholesale Markets, Australian Energy Regulator
Craig is a mechanical engineer with over 35 years’ experience in the electricity industry. He has worked in power stations, in business development, and in preparing the South Australian Generation Corporation at the start of the National Electricity Market. During the past 20 years, Craig been involved in South Australian and national electricity planning, renewable energy development policy, and electricity regulation at the Electricity Supply Industry Planning Council, the Australian Electricity Market Operator, and the Australian Energy Regulator.
Mr David Swift
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Deputy Chair, Energy Security Board and Commissioner, Essential Services Commission of South Australia
An independent consultant advising on energy market development and a commissioner at the Essential Services Commission of South Australia, David has worked in various senior roles within the national energy markets since the late1990s. A member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Cigré and the International Council of Large Electric Systems, David was a member of the executive leadership team of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AMEO) from its inception until 2019. In that time, he led its work to ensure the security of Australia’s evolving emerging markets with the first Integrated System Plan.
Previously the Chief Executive of the South Australian Electricity Supply Industry Planning Council (ESIPC), David has had a strong involvement in work to integrate renewable energy into the national grid both in the ESIPC and AEMO.
Young Achiever
Dr Paul Heithersay
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Chief Executive, Department for Energy and Mining
Dr Paul Heithersay leads the South Australian Government’s Department for Energy and Mining. The new Department brings together the resources, energy and renewables divisions responsible for managing and regulating the State's mineral, gas, petroleum and energy sectors on behalf of the people of South Australia.
The Chief Executive role also encompasses leading the Resources Infrastructure and Investment Task Force, a specialist team that works to secure investment in state significant projects involving mineral resources and downstream processing with recent examples being the Port Pirie’s Smelter Transformation and the Steel Task Force for Whyalla.
Previously, Dr Heithersay was deputy chief executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet where he was responsible for the Minerals, Resources, Energy and Economic Development divisions. He joined the South Australian public service in 2002, initially as executive director of the Geological Survey of South Australia within the Department of Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA).
In June 2012, Dr Heithersay was awarded a Public Service Medal for his outstanding public service to the growth and development of the mineral resources sector in South Australia and in November 2012, elected to the Fellowship of the Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (ATSE). In October 2013, Dr Heithersay was awarded the prestigious Legend in Mining award for his role in guiding South Australia’s transformation into a major destination for investment in mineral resources and energy.
In 2014, the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) appointed Dr Heithersay as the 2014 International Exchange Lecturer. This is the Society’s lectureship that is intended to bring leading economic geologists to lecture venues worldwide, to interact with economic geology professionals and students, and act as an ambassador for the profession and SEG.
Before joining the Public Service, Dr Heithersay spent more than 20 years in the mining industry in Australia and Southeast Asia and China for North Ltd and its predecessor Geopeko.
Ms Alex Blood
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Executive Director Mineral Resources, Department for Energy and Mining
Alex Blood is Executive Director Mineral Resources, within the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, which she joined in late 2017 from the private sector.
Alex’s experience spans state, national and global levels for a wide variety of mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and industrial projects across Australia, Asia-Pacific and Africa interacting with lenders, governments, communities and a wide range of stakeholders. She is Chair of the Australian New Zealand Board for environmental professional certification and has held global and national corporate sustainability and technical advisory roles. In 2012, Alex was awarded Australian Environmental Practitioner of the Year, and has received a number of project technical awards.
Ms Alisha Green
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Program Manager, Department for Energy and Mining
Alisha is the Awards Program Manager and a Senior Policy Adviser for mineral resources policy matters, including cross-jurisdictional collaboration, planning, regulation and policy reform. Alisha has over 13 years' experience within the Commonwealth, Victorian and South Australian Governments, working in agricultural, water and forestry policy.
Professor Caroline McMillen
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Chief Scientist
An active champion for science, science education and for the next generation of scientists, Professor Caroline McMillen commenced in the role as Chief Scientist for South Australia in 2018 after serving as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle for 7 years from 2011. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and a Bragg Member of the Royal Institution, Australia. She has served in academic leadership positions at Monash University, the University of Adelaide and at the University of South Australia where she held the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation prior to her move to Newcastle.
She has recently served as a Director on the Boards of the Australian Business Higher Education Round Table, Universities Australia, and the Universities Admissions Centre and as a Business Events Sydney Ambassador. She has been a member of international disciplinary bodies, research policy and assessment panels and industry groups, as well as state industry and government leadership groups focused on innovation, health, mining and resources and manufacturing.
She was a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Science in Australia Gender Equity formed under the auspices of the Australian Academy of Science.