QLD | Circularity in the water sector - challenging the status quo

Since joining the Veolia Group in 1994 as an environmental engineer, Richard has held a number of senior commercial, operational and technical positions in Europe and the UK & Ireland. Driving strategic development in Material & Energy Sales, Planning, Construction, Fleet and External Affairs, as well as commissioning key recycling and Energy Recovery Facilities, Richard was key in developing technology and innovation for the regions. Joining Veolia Australia and New Zealand in 2020 as CEO and Managing Director, Richard is now focused on delivering ecological transformation through Veolia’s ANZ water, waste and energy activities. Richard is a passionate advocate for preserving and replenishing resources and is pivoting the organisation to be a trusted partner for complex infrastructure, whilst influencing policy as an authoritative voice on the challenges surrounding the environmental sector. Richard believes that delivering a sustainable future is about people, customers and teams working together. Richard is on the Board of NWRIC and is member of the ANZPAC Plastics Pact Collective Action Group.

Simon Prunster is the Energy and Emissions Specialist at Yarra Valley Water. His experience spans 16 years working across the energy sector, with the last 5 years while in the water industry. Simon’s primary role is to develop and implement decarbonisation strategies and projects that deliver both economic and environmental benefits. He is responsible for Yarra Valley Waters strategy of Beyond Zero Carbon and is also a Director of Zero Emissions Water (ZEW) Ltd, which is joint venture of Victorian Water Corporations to purchase renewable energy that originated from the IWN, whom he is speaking on behalf today.

Penny Joseph is Sydney Water’s Head of Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation. This team leads the organisation’s efforts to ensure that Sydney Water anticipates, prepares and adapts to changing circumstances including short-term shocks and long-term challenges such as climate change. Having both the short term and long-term horizons allows for the acknowledging patterns emergency management so that we can apply lessons to create resilient change.
Penny joined Sydney Water in 2013. In Customer Delivery, she was a Business Planning and Improvement Manager and later was the Program Manager for the One Water Project and the GPOP all of government collaboration.
Prior to joining Sydney Water Penny has held several transformational roles. She led the introduction of the Solar PV business at Solahart, a national role that included supply, distribution, marketing of solar PV systems as well as the trading of renewable energy certificates. She has also worked in Aerospace; at Boeing she worked to operationalise the first 787 Dreamliner (shipset 1), and at Airbus UK she worked to improve the production of wings on the A334/340 and A320 programs, as well as the design of the A380.
Penny has a Bachelor of Engineering (UNSW) with first class honours and a Master of Business Administration (UNSW). She has a Six Sigma Black Belt and is a member of Engineers Australia.

Outside of work Penny enjoys the outdoors, participating in mid-distance ocean swimming events, spending time on the South Coast and bushwalking. She has been acknowledged for her community service by her State Member as well as the CANTOO foundation. She has two children in high school.

Mike Basterfield joined Logan Water as Group Manager in 2020. He is leading the organisation through a period of significant transformation and growth.
Mike has a long history in the Australian water industry, holding senior management positions at several major contracting and engineering services businesses.
He is a civil engineer who blends technical knowledge with a strong commercial focus, open leadership style and an eye for innovation.

As Water Service Association of Australia’s Manager Liveable Communities, Danielle advocates for circular economy approaches; all options on the table for water security; liveability, and Indigenous advancement.
She has conducted years of research on purified recycled water for drinking, and is on a global Project Advisory Committee for the US Water Research Foundation.
She has held communications, regulatory, pricing, stakeholder and strategy roles in the Australian water industry.
She is also a former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to France, having studied at L’Université de Rennes II in Brittany.

Dr Kathy Northcott is a chartered chemical engineer (FIChemE), with 25 years of industry experience and has held a range of industrial, NGO and research roles, predominantly in the water industry. She has experience in development of robust and novel water treatment solutions, to address a range of water quality issues. In particular, she has been involved in water/wastewater treatment plant design for Australian Antarctic stations. She was the recipient of an Australian engineering excellence award for the design of a water treatment system to remediate contaminated sites in cold regions.

In addition to her industry experience, Kathy has a PhD in water treatment and has over 80 publications in national and international scientific and industry journals, books and reports, and national and international conference proceedings. She was the recipient of an international postdoctoral (JSPS) fellowship to conduct research into advanced water treatment materials at Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan.