SA-Hybrid | Hydrogen Summit

Mike Rann is the UK and Global Chair of the Climate Group, an NGO whose membership includes hundreds of state and regional governments on every continent and around 500 of the world’s biggest corporations.

Mike was Premier of South Australia for almost a decade and was National President of the ALP during the Prime Ministership of Kevin Rudd. During his Premiership he held a number of Ministerial portfolios including Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, an Australian first.

The Rann government introduced Australia’s first Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Act and solar power feed-in law.

After he retired from politics in 2012 Mr Rann was appointed as Chair of the Federal Government’s green bank, Low Carbon Australia. He then served as Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK and as a Governor of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Mike was later appointed as Ambassador to Italy, Albania, San Marino and Libya, and Permanent Representative to UN agencies in Rome.

He is currently the Chair of the South Australian Film Corporation.

Mike and his wife Sasha live in Adelaide and in Puglia, Italy.

In 1998, Gunther Andersson completed his PhD, applying ion scattering spectroscopy to liquid surfaces at the University of Witten/Herdecke (Germany) under the supervision of Prof. Harald Morgner. For the following two years, he worked at the Technical University of Eindhoven on a project involving polymer-based light-emitting diodes. In 2000, Gunther moved to Leipzig University (Germany), where he developed the method of neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) for investigating soft matter surfaces to its current stage. He completed his Habilitation in 2006. In 2007, he was appointed at Flinders University (Australia). He is now a leading as a full Professor and Deputy Director of the Flinders Institute of Nanoscale Science and Technology, a research group with activities in photocatalysis for water splitting, colloid surfaces and interfaces, and high-temperature corrosion resistance. The main research activities in photocatalytic water splitting involve the development of a reactor for concentrated solar light as part of his involvement in SPARC-Hydrogen and surface modification of photocatalysts

Susan Close is the State Member for Port Adelaide and was elected on the 11th of February 2012.
Susan has lived on the LeFevre Peninsula for twenty years with Declan and their two children and is passionate about representing the people in her community.
Before entering Parliament, Susan was an executive in the SA Environment Department. She previously worked at the University of Adelaide running student services and holds a PhD from Flinders University.
Susan held several portfolios during the Weatherill Labor Government, including being Minister for Education and Minister for Innovation and Automotive Transformation.

He is a mechanical engineer by training and hold a specialized master’s degree in risk management, with 30 years of experience in the industry and particularly in the oil and gas sector in EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation). He has held various positions throughout his career, including engineer, commercial manager, VP tendering and corporate risk management. Since July 2021, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Sofresid Engineering part of Ekium Group.

Sajimon’s history with Air Liquide Group is extensive having commenced with the Group over 25 years ago. He is currently posted as the National & Key Accounts Manager of Air Liquide Australia (ALA). Previous to this Sajimon held the role of General Manager, Air Liquide Western Australia (ALWA), where he successfully developed the west coast business of the Company and led the integration of ALWA with ALA. Prior to that he was the Regional Manager – South Australia for Air Liquide Australia.

Sajimon has industrial gas business experience in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. In 2002 he relocated from Egypt to Sydney where he took the role of Business Development Manager – Bulk, Floxal and Services with Air Liquide Australia, relocating to Melbourne in 2004 and taking the role of National Product Manager – ASU and On Site.

Prior to joining Air Liquide group, Sajimon served in the Indian Navy as a Commissioned Offer for 7 years and was awarded Commendation by the Chief of Naval Staff for his exceptional leadership qualities.

Sajimon holds a Bachelor Degree in Engineering (Mechanical), a Post Graduate Diploma in Marine Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Leeds University UK.

Sajimon is actively involved in many Multicultural organisations in Australia namely he is a Member of JLF Adelaide Executive Advocacy Group which is part of the OzAsia Festival, former President- Malayalee Association of Victoria and former President of the Knanaya Catholic Congress of Oceania.

Joanna Kay is a highly respected voice in the renewable hydrogen landscape, holding the position of General Manager at the Smart Energy Council and leading Zero Carbon Hydrogen Australia. In this pivotal role, Joanna plays a crucial part in advocating for and advancing renewable hydrogen as a sustainable fuel source, both on a national and international scale.

At the forefront of Zero Carbon Hydrogen Australia, a peak industry body within the renewable hydrogen sector, Joanna actively champions the development and adoption of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives. Her leadership extends to spearheading the Zero Carbon Hydrogen Scheme, an industry-led initiative focused on promoting the uptake and distribution of renewable hydrogen products within Australia and globally.

In addition to her instrumental role in the renewable hydrogen sector, Joanna spearheads various initiatives, including the Smart Energy Gender Action Plan. This underscores her commitment to fostering a cultural shift that embeds a gender lens in business decision-making. Her dedication extends beyond industry capacity, actively contributing to the economic empowerment of women through quality employment outcomes in new jobs and industries that are both meaningful and locally impactful.

With a diverse background spanning both private and public sectors across Australia, China, and India, Joanna brings a wealth of experience to the table. Notably, she has served as the Australian
Government Specialist Advisor to the International Solar Alliance, showcasing her dedication to advancing sustainable energy solutions on a global scale.

Joanna's influence is further underscored by her strategic roles on the Advisory Board of the CRC Scaling Green Hydrogen Bid and the Australian Government National Hydrogen Strategy. In recognition of her expertise, Joanna has recently been appointed as a board member of the University of Adelaide's Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Resources.

In her multifaceted role, Joanna Kay emerges as a trusted and influential figure, actively shaping the discourse on renewable hydrogen and contributing to global efforts in decarbonisation.

Briony has over 25 years’ energy sector experience in engineering, operations, and project management. She has strong leadership skills in operational and project environments, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and change management. Briony also has extensive interface management experience in complex project environments and is an experienced carbon and sustainability practitioner.

As manager of the Hydrogen and Future Fuels industries at GPA, her focus is on decarbonisation and sustainable industry, with a particular interest in the hydrogen economy and broader transition to future fuels. Briony sits on the International Association for Hydrogen Safety Scientific Committee, is an industry advisor to the Future Fuels CRC.

In 2022, she undertook a Churchill Fellowship, travelling to UK, France, and Germany to learn how those countries are overcoming barriers to the introduction of hydrogen into their gas networks.