WA | Opportunities in the EU Green Deal

Advising on a broad range of domestic and international corporate transactions, Oliver is experienced across a number of sectors with particular expertise in energy and resources.

Oliver acts on a range of public M&A and equity capital markets transactions (including takeovers and schemes of arrangement), as well as private M&A transactions, equity raisings, ASX listings and other corporate transactions. He is confident in his pragmatic navigation of these transactions, securing certainty whilst maximising leverage for his clients.

Oliver lectures in M&A law-related topics and is the course co-ordinator of the M&A unit for the University of Western Australia (UWA). He is also the co-convenor of the UWA Business School ‘Corporate Control Forum’, a thought leadership event on M&A-related business and legal topics. Oliver is a former Exceed Executive scholarship winner, receiving funding to complete the M&A program at the Wharton Business School in Philadelphia. He has also completed the Melbourne University, Masters of Law unit in Competition Law.

Diane Fauconnier was appointed Sustainable Development Counsellor at the French Embassy in Australia in July 2023. Previously, she has worked in various ministerial directorates at the French Ministry of Ecological and Energy Transition, as a senior bilateral relations adviser following and developing a wide range of institutional cooperation with countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

Within the Regional economic Department, Diane promotes French and European public policies (in particular energy transition and critical minerals policies) and supports French economic interests and companies in the fields of sustainable development.

She has also worked at the French embassy in London providing consular assistance to French nationals.

Diane graduated with Honours in Public International Law from the University of Aix-Marseille. She also studied at University College London, Faculty of Laws, in the UK.

Bruno Piranda is a Doctor of Science for engineering in mechanics and vibro-acoustics. Bruno has extensive experience in the automotive industry gained over more than 25 years in vehicle innovation, materials and design with PSA Group and now STELLANTIS.

Appointed as Vince President in 2011, Bruno Piranda has an international career overseeing the automotive design of vehicle projects on all continents.

In 2020, Bruno was appointed to oversee the merger of the engineering divisions of the two car manufacturers, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and PSA Group, as part of the creation of the automotive giant, STELLANTIS.

Today, Bruno Piranda supervises all STELLANTIS Global Technical skills in raw materials and he intensively steers the materials technical expertise to reach carbon neutrality.

Aleks Henderson joined Export Finance Australia in 2019 as a WA State Director and is the national SME METS Sector Lead. With over 2 decades of experience in commercial and corporate finance, specialising in international trade and working capital, Aleks has worked across number of different industry sectors in WA and QLD. Aleks also worked in the private sector as an Executive Operations Manager assisting delivery of a key infrastructure project in the regional North WA.

Export Finance Australia is the Australian Government’s export credit agency (ECA) and plays an integral part in supporting Australian exports and overseas infrastructure development with flexible finance solutions including loans, bonds, guarantees and, in limited circumstances, equity. Export Finance Australia supports a wide range of industries in the SME, Mid-market, and corporate sector. As at March this year EFA’s expanding mandate now includes a $2 billion Southeast Asia infrastructure investment facility and more local to WA a $4 billion Critical Minerals facility to assist with Australia’s economic growth and net zero transition.

Dr Francis Wedin, Founder and Executive Chair of Vulcan Energy Resources is a battery materials and renewable energy industry executive, focused on developing global scale decarbonisation opportunities. Dr. Wedin founded Vulcan Energy and the Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project in Germany, a dual renewables and lithium chemicals producer and the world's first Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project.

Dr Wedin was previously Executive Director of ASX-listed Exore Resources, where he developed two new lithium resources, on two continents. He is bilingual, has a PhD and BSc (Hons) in geology, an MBA, is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, and a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Ben Kosterich is the moderator for the panel discussion. Ben hosts the popular Market Bull podcast where he interviews CEOs, hedge fund managers, and industry experts, delving into Australian and global markets. Topics covered include company insights, market trends, commodities and business commentary.

With a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia, Ben has spent his working career within investor relations and marketing for ASX listed companies. He is the director of Podwave Studios a leading podcast production studio in West Perth.