*The Speaker Profiles include both confirmed and past speakers and are subject to change.
Prime Minister
PNG Government
Hon. James Marape was reelected Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea in the 11th National Parliament in August 2022. Attended Minj Primary School in Jiwaka province and later Kabiufa Secondary School in Eastern Highlands province. Graduated with a Bachelor in Arts Degree in 1993, and a Post Graduate Honors Degree in Environmental Science in 2000, from UPNG. Graduated with a Masters in Business Administration also from UPNG.
Mr. Marape worked as Offi cer in Charge of the PNG Institute of Medical Research at the Tari Branch from 1994 to 1995, then Operations Manager at GDC at the Hides Gas Project from 1996 to 1998. Appointed Acting Assistant Secretary of Policy with the Department of Personal Management.
First elected to the 8th National Parliament for the Tari Open Electorate in the 2007 General Elections as the National Alliance Party Candidate. Appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Works and Transport in August 2007. From December 2008 to August 2011, Mr. Marape served as the Minister for Education. He was re-elected to the 9th National Parliament for the same seat in the 2012 General Elections as a People’s National Congress candidate.
Following the formation of the government, Mr. Marape was appointed Minister for Finance and Leader for Government Business in the O’Neil-Dion government. Then, in the 2017 elections, he was again got re-elected to the 10th National Parliament and got appointed Minister for Finance and Rural Development in the O’NeilAbel cabinet. In May 2019, he was elected Prime Minister and took on additional ministerial portfolios which included Minster for Bougainville Affairs in October 2020, caretake Minister for Defense in June 2021.
President
PNG Chamber of Resources & Energy
Anthony has been the independent President for the PNG Chamber of Resources & Energy (PNG CORE) since late 2021, overseeing it re-organising and its re-branding from PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum to PNG CORE.
Anthony is Executive Chair of wholly-owned private equity firm TrueNorth Capital, actively acquiring and operating businesses in a range of growth sectors in PNG, and investing in venture capital internationally, with a portfolio that includes PNG’s largest security services and technology provider Black Swan, logistics solutions provider Expedient, and estate and precinct developer TrueNorth Developments.
Anthony is presently the non-executive chair of the board of Paradise Foods Limited and is a non-executive director and Investment Committee chair for PNG Sustainable Development Company and a Director for Tisa Community Finance Ltd. Anthony is also Chairman of non-profit Kumul Foundation Inc and founder of the Kumul Game Changers Entrepreneurship Initiative which develops young Papua New Guinean entrepreneurs and startups, and pursuant to that role Anthony is also the official ambassador for the Global Entrepreneurship Network in PNG.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Applied Science (Geology) from the Queensland University of Technology, and has undertaken executive programs in leadership at Harvard, Oxford, Princeton and Cambridge Universities, sustainability at Stanford University, racial equality at University of Virginia and artificial intelligence at HKUST. He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Anthony is a former partner of Allens Arthur Robinson lawyers practicing in Papua New Guinea and Australia and was a senior executive with Barrick Gold in PNG for a number of years. He also served a short stint before his legal career as a petroleum geologist with Santos on exploration work including the Stanley discovery.
Anthony has served as a director and chair of boards of a number of large PNG companies over the last 20 years in a variety of sectors, including as chair of PNG’s largest superannuation fund, Nambawan Super, from 2012 to 2019 overseeing its growth from approximately K3 billion to K9 billion in total assets under management.
In 2010, Queensland University of Technology named Anthony its Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year, and in 2014 the World Economic Forum appointed him as a member of its Forum of Young Global Leaders for a term of 6 years.
Treasury Minister
PNG Government
Hon. Ian Ling-Stuckey was re-elected to the 11th National Parliament in the 2022 National General Election of the Kavieng open seat as a PNGU party candidate.
He was appointed as Minister for Treasury on 24th August 2022 following the formation of the Marape-Rosso cabinet.
He is currently serving his 4th term in Paliament.
He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) – Applied Mathematics & Land Use Planning from Griffith University.
Prior to his Election, he was Chairman of Monian Group of Companies.
Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing
Australian Federal Government
Tim Ayres was elected as a Senator for New South Wales in the 2019 election. During the 46th Parliament, he was Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Defence and Trade Join Standing Committee. he led the work of several Select Inquiries including a Senate report on the capability of the Australian Public Service.
He was appointed as Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing in June 2022, after the election of the Labor Government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Before entering Parliament, Senator Ayres spent twenty-four years in the trade union movement, representing the interests of workers acorss a variety of sectors including manufacturing, defence, food processing, aviation, and metal industries.
He held several elected leadership roles in the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union. He has been a long-standing member of the Australian Labor Party’s National Executive.
KBE, CMG, ISO, MP
Former Minister for Mining
PNG Government
Sir Ano Pala is a lawyer by profession is the current member of Rego oprofession is the current member of Rego Open in the Central province of Papua New Guinea for a third term.
He was clerk of national parliament from 1997 to 2007. In 2001 he was appointed in Imperial Service Order (ISO) for public service then in 2007 knighted the champion of the order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for the service to the National Parliament and to Sport.
In 2020 he was knighted the commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Community and to the Parliament of Papua New Guinea, and in 2021, he was knighted for the services to the Community and Nation.
Former Minister for Petroleum
PNG Government
Completed Tertiary Education at the University Papua New Guinea then Legal Training Institute. Holds a bachelor degree in Law (LLP) from the University Papua New Guinea and Papua New Guinea Legal Training Institute.
Last occupation prior to elections: partner of Posman Kua Aitsi Lawyers and lead firm’s commercial litigation practice.
Appointed Shadow Minister for justice & Attorney General, Police, CIS and Defense in the Pruaith led opposition from August 2017 to May 2019. Serve as caretaker Minister for Labor and Industrial Relations on 16/11/20 to 19/12/20.
Re-elected to the 10th National Parliament for that Sinasina-Yongamulg Open seat in the 2017 General Elections as a Papua National Guinea National Party candidate. Appointed as minister or petroleum on June 2019 to July 2022, 2nd term in this parliament.
Minister for State Enterprises
PNG Government
Parliamentary Services
Current: Re-elected to the 11th National Parliament in the 2022 National General Election for the Hagen Open seat as a United Resource Party candidate. Appointed as Minister for State Enterprises on 24 August 2022 following the formation of the Marape-Rosso Cabinet, 5th term in this Parliament.
Biography
Tertiary Education: Completed tertiary education at the University of Papua New Guinea, then continued to University of Sydney, Australia.
Achievements: Holds a Bachelor of degree in Law (LLB) from the University of Papua New Guinea, and a Masters degree in Law (LLM) from the University of Sydney.
Was made Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) for services to the oil and gas industry.
Last Occupation Prior to Elections: Practised as a barrister and solicitor of the National and Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea. Was a Partner in commercial litigation in Blake Dawson Waldron (now known as Ashurst), Port Moresby until July 2002.
President & CEO, Newmont Corporation
President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Palmer became President and Chief Executive and joined the Board of Directors of Newmont effective October 1,
2019. He served as President since June 2019 and as President and Chief Operating Officer from November 2018 until June 2019.
Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since May 2016. Mr. Palmer was elected Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific in February 2015 after serving as Senior Vice President, Indonesia since March 2014.
Prior to joining Newmont, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Pilbara Mines at Rio Tinto Iron Ore. Over a 20-year career with Rio Tinto, Mr. Palmer worked in a variety of roles across a number of commodities, including General Manager, Technology for the Bauxite and Alumina business; General Manager, Operations at Hail Creek coal mine; and General Manager, Asset Management at Palabora Mining Company in South Africa.
Mr. Palmer brings extensive experience leading teams and delivering production while implementing safety culture programs and improving diversity.
He earned a Master of Engineering Science degree and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Executive Vice President – Eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea, Santos
BEng (Civil), FIEAust Eng Exec
Brett joined Santos in December 2018. Mr Darley previously led the Upstream Gas and Liquids Division as President.
He has over 30 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, both in Australia and overseas, with technical, operational, commercial and management experience across varied assets, onshore and offshore. Before moving to Santos, Brett held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer of Quadrant Energy, Managing Director and Region Vice President for Apache Energy Limited, Vice President of Drilling and Completions at Woodside and Drilling Manager at Santos.
Brett holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the University of Queensland and is a Chartered Engineer.
Chief Executive Officer, Harmony Gold Mining Company
Appointed January 1, 2016
Qualifications BEng (Mining)
Mine Manager’s Certificates Metal Mines
Mine Manager’s Certificates Fiery Mines | CPIR | MDP | BLDP
Peter Steenkamp was appointed chief executive officer and executive director on 1 January 2016. He has some 44 years’ experience in the mining industry, including his last position as Senior Vice President: Mining
of Sasol Mining Proprietary Limited, and executive positions at Harmony, from 2003 to 2007, and at African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Pamodzi Gold. He is a vice-president at the Minerals Council South Africa, a member and past president of the Association of Mine Managers of South Africa, and a member of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the South African Colliery Managers’ Association.
Exploration Manager, LCL Resources Limited
Mark is a geologist with 15 years’ experience, having worked for Barrick Gold for 10 years across various project from grassroots/ greenfield to brownfield and resource drilling pre-feasibility and feasibility studies in PNG, Australia, USA.
Mr Aiyo has been the Exploration Manager of Footprint Resources (a company now owned by LCL Resources Limited (ASX code LCL) since 1st January, 2017. In the 6 years in that role, Mark has been engaged in supervision of geological work and compliance reporting to PNG regulators including MRA, CEPA and IRC along with managing contracts with business partners and the safety and community relations aspects of LCL Footprint’s Projects.
Chief Executive Officer, Theodist
Kumar is an impactful senior executive who has operated in CFO, COO (DGM) and CEO roles partnering effectively with the Board, and the executive leadership team, across multiple geographies and complex businesses, to achieve outstanding business performance. He has experience in the African, New Zealand, and Pacific markets.
Over his career, Kumar has managed sales teams, service delivery teams, and professional services teams to achieve both top and bottom line growth. Kumar has worked in most industries and finds his knowledge and skills easily transferable within industries, as he is highly commercially focussed.
As a high performing CFO, Kumar has had strong experience in the retail, finance, communications, technology, and training industries. His focus as a CFO has been on developing and implementing strategy in organizations that deliver superior bottom line performance, which resulted in his career being progressed as CEO.
Kumar is a proven leader who has extremely strong team building and organizational development skills, and his references can be validated both on this site and verbally.
Specialities: Strategic leadership, Cross marketing, Corporate strategy & Business Development, Business trouble shooting, Business Startups, Business restructuring and turnaround strategies, Cost cutting, Building and motivating high performing teams, Business plan development, Mentoring and leveraging of human capital, Corporate reviews and strategy development, Corporate governance, Acquisition & Divestment decision support & investigations, Financial assessments & applications, Capital expenditure (CAPEX) assessments, Contract negotiations, Supplier negotiations, Change management, Financial management, Cash flow improvement, Productivity improvements, Process re-engineering, Global sales, Operations management, Policy development.
Senior VP Commercial Development, ExxonMobil PNG
Johanna has more than 25 years’ experience with ExxonMobil. In 2020 she became the Senior Vice President for PNG Development and Commercial with responsibility for subsurface, commercial and major projects including Papua and P’nyang.
Johanna has held senior management positions in Australia, Asia Pacific, Russia and the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical).
Managing Director, Steamships
Appointed Chief
Officer on 27th August 2018, Mr Bray was previously Marine Services Director of Singapore based Swire Pacific Offshore Pte Ltd. He was responsible for Swire Pacific Offshore’s subsea, renewables, logistics, seismic,
salvage and oil spill divisions. He was formally Chief Operating Officer of Swire Oilfield Services and held various senior operational and commercial positions in Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd in his earlier career. He holds directorship of various Steamships Trading Company subsidiaries, joint ventures, and associated companies. He sits on a number of charitable advisory boards and a
Advisor, Larus Energy
John Chambers is an energy executive with 38 years of global experience across exploration, development and production activity in technical, commercial and senior management roles. John retired from Santos at end 2022 where he had been Vice
President for Offshore Upstream, Northern Australia and Timor-Leste. Other roles John had variously held in Santos include Vice President and Country Manager Santos PNG, Asia Pacific Exploration Manager, President Santos Bangladesh, Country Manager Santos Vietnam, Country Manager Santos India and Exploration Manager Onshore Australia. John has served on the Council of the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum as well as on the Executive of the Australia-PNG Business Council.
Prior to joining Santos, John worked extensively throughout Western Australia, Southeast Asia and South America for Woodside, LASMO and Venture Production. John has a BSC (Hons) Degree with a Geology major from University of Melbourne and a combined UNISA/ UCL MBA with an energy focus and is a Graduate of AICD. John joined Larus Energy Limited in 2022, as a member of the companies Advisory Board. This is part of his current consultancy work which focuses on assisting developing nations and resources companies navigate the energy transition while optimising benefit sharing.
General Manager, Yandera Mining Company Limited
Nathan Chutas is a professional geologist with over 20 years of experience with a variety of exploration and mining companies, including Teck Cominco, NovaGold, Sandfire Resources America, and Era Resources. He has served in
a spectrum of roles, including senior positions in
management and technical roles focused on exploration of greenfield, brownfield, near-mine resources, and project evaluation. Dr. Chutas has experience on projects throughout North America, South Africa, Mexico, and most recently spent seven years in Papua New Guinea. Nathan holds PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of Washington and is a Certified Professional Geologist with the American Institute of Professional Geologists.
Dip Surv, GradDip Mining, MBA (Finance), MAusIMM, MAICD
Executive General Manager – Operations , Harmony Gold SE Asia
Gary is a qualified surveyor, engineer and MBA graduate with over 30 years’ experience in leadership, operations
management and turnaround projects across mines in Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea.
Gary joined Harmony as the Hidden Valley Mine General Manager in 2015 after a successful 18-year career with AngloGold Ashanti. Gary was a part of the team that successfully transitioned Hidden Valley in 2016 to 100% Harmony ownership, led the project reinvestment and significant improvements in the mine’s safety performance. Following the success of the reinvestment, Harmony has recently been able to further extend the life of the Hidden Valley operations. Since early 2020 Gary has managed Harmony’s Southeast Asia regional operations as Executive General Manager Operations.
Chief Customer Officer, Tasman Environmental Markets
Adrian is Chief Customer Officer at Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM), Asia Pacific’s largest voluntary carbon offset provider. His 16 years’ experience in carbon markets includes roles in carbon project and policy development across Asia Pacific. Prior to joining TEM, Adrian worked with Qantas as
Partnerships Manager, Future Planet Program. He has also held executive positions at various other companies including WWF – Australia and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. Adrian has driven the market delivery of some of the world’s leading and highest-performing carbon-neutral offerings. He holds qualifications in economics and environmental science. Outside of TEM, Adrian is a Member of the QBE Classifications of Social Investments Committee.
Managing Director, Mineral Resources Authority
Jerry Garry was appointed as the Managing Director of the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in November 2018.
Jerry holds a post-graduate Honors degree in Applied Science (geology) from the
University of Ballarat, Australia in 1993.
Jerry possesses over 31 years of technical, consultancy, advisory and management experiences in mineral exploration and development of multi-mineral commodities, principally copper-gold, diamond and iron ore; across Australasia, Asia, Africa, middle east including Afghanistan in positions of responsibilities as General Manager, Acting Vice President and Country Manager.
In addition, to promoting and regulating the mining industry in PNG, Jerry is driving research for deep- seated orebodies within PNG in an effort to replenish the depleting near-surface orebodies.
Governor, Bank of Papua New Guinea
Ms Elizabeth Genia has nearly four decades experience with the Bank of Papua New Guinea. Much of that time has been in senior level roles across a wide range of the Bank’s responsibilities, including positions as Head of Internal Audit Department and
Finance and Accounting Department and the leading supervisory role with the Bank’s strategic planning team.
More recently Ms Genia held the position of Assistant Governor, Corporate Affairs Group, responsible for the critical functions that support the Bank’s overall operation, including strategy and risk management, human resources, corporate services, information and communication technology, facilities and properties management.
Over the course of her career in the Bank Ms Genia has attained broad business experience in finance, auditing, corporate governance, strategic planning, risk management, administration, policy development, all underpinning her deep knowledge of central banking. As a member of the Bank’s Executive Committee for many years, she has been involved in key decision- making affecting the Bank’s day to day operations as well as future development.
Ms Genia has built a strong reputation both within PNG and internationally as a thought-leader in financial technology as well as gender equity issues. She is a sought-after guest speaker on these topics.
Her impressive formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of PNG, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Queensland, Australia and specialised studies sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat in Financial Technology and Innovation at Oxford University, United Kingdom.
With a strong commitment to continuous learning and development, Ms Genia is an active member of several professional bodies, including the PNG Business Coalition for Women, for which she held a board position.
In late January 2023 Ms Elizabeth Genia was appointed to the position of Acting Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea by the PNG National Executive Council.
BS (Petroleum Engineering), (TU USA), MSc (Reservoir Evaluation & Management) (HWU, UK)
General Manager – Subsurface & Geoscience, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited
Alex is GM Subsurface and Geoscience at Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, responsible for managing the subsurface engineering and geoscience aspects of the petroleum licences that
are owned and operated by Kumul Petroleum.
Alex commenced his oil and gas career in the late 1990s. He has work in various roles from petroleum engineering, reservoir engineering, underground gas storage, performance innovation, and technical manager for Department of Petroleum/Energy, Chevron, EnergyAustralia, AGL Energy, Oil Search Ltd, and, Energy & Power Consultants Australia. Alex was leading underground gas storage engineer for EnergyAustralia and AGL Energy from 2005 to 2012
and petroleum engineering advisor to Oil Search from 2013 to 2018.
Chief Operating Officer, Credit Corporation (PNG) Limited
Taumaia Hellesoe is a seasoned Chief Operating Officer with over 10 years of experience in the banking industry specialising in operations, client relationship, stakeholder engagement, project management and, and
risk management and mitigation.
She has held various executive leadership positions in banking institutions within the South Pacific region, bringing a wealth of knowledge to her role at Credit Corporation.
She holds a Master of Valuation and Property Development from the Bond University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Griffith University.
Mrs Hellesoe is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Member of the Australian Institute of Project Management, and a Member of the Australian Property Institute.
Chief Information Security Officer, Digicel Pacific
Tony Hill is the Chief Information Security Officer for Digicel Pacific at Telstra and has over 25 years’ experience in cyber security including technology, security architecture, capability delivery, governance, risk, compliance, and operations.
He has deep experience working with complex local and international stakeholder groups in government and private industry.
As Telstra’s CISO for Digicel, Tony oversees the Cyber Security Operations team that helps keep Digicel Pacific secure, and leads the cyber security integration and transformation project as part of Telstra’s Digicel Pacific acquisition. His team of specialists solve the big security challenges for Digicel Pacific, and he is a valued member of Telstra’s Cyber Security Senior Leadership Team.
Before joining Telstra, Tony worked in the Defence and National Security sectors in Canberra, Australia.
Managing Director, Investment Promotion Authority
Mr Clarence Mala Hoot is the Managing Director of the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) which is the official business promotional arm of government for investment.
Given the role of the IPA in facilitating business interests and admitting foreign investments in the country, Mr. Hoot is prominent within various networks of business, diplomacy and professionals both in the international and domestic
arena.
He joined the IPA in April 2000 after eight years with the Department of Trade and Industry where he was mainly involved in the core areas of trade and investment including policy issues, investment project analysis, industrial projects evaluation and implementation and bilateral, regional and international arrangements.
Mr Hoot is also a serving Board Member of the IPA Board, a member of the National Institute of Standards and Industrial Technology Governing Council, Director of the PNG Institute of Directors, Petroleum Advisory Board member and Member to the Coral Reef and Blue Economy Board.
Mr Hoot holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration with specialization in International Business, a Bachelors Degree of Economics in Business Studies and a Diploma in Economic Policy Analysis.
He is currently serving his second term as Managing Director of the IPA.
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Ok Tedi Mining Limited
Kedi holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the PNG University of Technology, a Diploma in Management (Front Line Supervision) and a Graduate Diploma in Maintenance Management from the Central
Queensland University.
Kedi initially joined OTML through the OTML Graduate Development Scheme in 1995 as a graduate mechanical engineer and after completing his two-year training program, he worked in various roles until his departure in 2004.
He went on to work in various mines (coal, iron ore, zinc, lead, silver, copper) in Australia performing in senior and managerial roles during that time.
Kedi returned to OTML in mid-2015 as Manager Mine Maintenance. He worked in various roles thereafter.
Prior to his current appointment as MD & CEO in 2023, he was the Deputy CEO and General Manager Community & Operations Support, as well as General Manager Asset Manager and General Manager Processing.
While Kedi is passionate about his mining career and more so about successfully leading the only 100% PNG-owned mine to deliver maximum output to its stakeholders, he is also a devout advocate of leaving various positive socio-economic sustainable legacies for the mine’s impact communities and the people of Papua New Guinea as a whole.
Santos Vice President, PNG Operations
Sigurdur joined Santos in 2011 as a seasoned and commercially astute leader with more than 20 years’ global experience in the Oil and Gas industry, ranging from technical subsurface engineering, production operations optimisation to
corporate strategy and business transformation.
He has an exemplary track record in leading cross- functional, geographically dispersed teams to deliver projects – including technology development, field developments, management plans, and leading corporate change management initiatives. Sigurdur holds a Master of Science in Petroleum Geosciences and Engineering from NTNU, Trondheim Norway and a Finance MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.
Managing Director & CEO, Kumul Mineral Holdings Limited
Sarimu is currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited since January 2023. Sarimu also sits on the Board of Ok Tedi Mining Limited and is the current Chairman of New Porgera Limited.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mining from the Western Australia School of Mines and Curtin University of Technology in Australia.
Prior to his current role, Sarimu was the Country Manager for Frieda River Limited, Pan-Aust Limited from March 2022 to December 2022 and for a number of years prior was the Mine General Manager for Ramu Nico Management (MCC) Limited.
Sarimu has a wealth of industry knowledge and experience having worked in various mines in Papua New Guinea such as Ramu Nico Management (MCC) Limited as Registered Mine General Manager and Tolukuma Gold Mine Limited as Mine General Manager and at Ok Tedi Mining Limited as Manager, Supply and Logistics among a few.
He served as a Registered Mine General Manager for Niuminco Limited in Morobe Province from September 2010 to September 2012 and was also the Registered Mine Manager at Bestino, Wau, Morobe Province from October 2009 to July 2010. From 1997 to 2002 Sarimu was Manager Mineral Division for Orogen Minerals Limited overseeing OML’s interests in projects like Porgera, Lihir, Misima Mine and Ramu Nickel Project.
Sarimu’s other professional appointments include being appointed as a Member of the Board of Examiners of Mineral Resources Authority, PNG.
Managing Director, Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KHC)
Prof. David Kavanamur has over 30 years of senior executive work experience and comprehensive achievements in both the private and public sector roles.
He has a PhD is strategic
management that assists in leveraging unique solutions across diverse cultures and
economies in PNG and across the Pacific.
He was appointed as a Director on 13 public and/ or private sector boards organization boards, and as chairman of KCH at one stage.
He was the author of the PNG’s 40 year strategic vision and framework paper ,“Vision 2050”. He specializes in the development and implementation of high-level strategy.
He has achieved several things for the SOEs as the Managing Director for KCH, these include but not limited to the following:
Initiated inaugural Corporate Planning and objective setting for all SOEs and KCH.
Secured funding for strategic infrastructure managed by SOEs such as DataCo and PNG Ports.
Secured the support of multilateral donor agencies towards electrification initiatives and projects in the country.
Initiated reforms into SOEs and other high-level achievements in KCH and the SOE family.
Chief Finance Officer, Trans Wonderland Group
Belinda Kembol is currently the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Trans Wonderland Limited serving as the only female member of the executive team. Belinda has grown with TWL having joined in its early years when the company was only two and a half years old in 2011. Over the twelve years at TWL Belinda has not only witnessed but through her roles of senior accountant, FC, and now CFO been an integral part of the evolution of TWL from a core business unit of trucking to a diverse Group portfolio incorporating logistics, marine, fuel, freight forwarding heavy lifting and now upstream oil and gas exploration and production. Overseeing all financial aspects of the Group, Belinda moved to TWL well equipped to grow with the business having spent six years at Big 4 Accounting Firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (now PwC) as a senior accountant in their Assurance LOS in the Lae and Sydney offices, having joined PwC as a university graduate. Her experience in the audit and internal control advisory of several big companies in PNG and Australia in the RSG (Resources, Services & government) sector has proved beneficial in the growth of TWL. Belinda is also the Company Secretary of TWL Logistics Limited and is a CPA (Certified Practicing Accountant) with CPA PNG and also has a Master in BusinessAdministration(MBA).
Secretary, Mining Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management (DMPGM)
Mr. Kore holds a degree in law from the University of Papua New Guinea.
The legal background with over 24 years of experience in the public sector, particularly in the
mining space, is relevant and instrumental in shaping the legal framework and governance within the mineral sector.
Commenced his career in the Department of Justice and Attorney General, in the Office of the State Solicitor, employed in commercial and general advising, legal drafting, etc.Later joined the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) as the inaugural Principal Legal Officer and Board Secretary of the MRA. Joined the DMPGMin 2009 as Director of the Mineral Policy and Legislation Division.
Appointed as Secretary to DMPGM in 2017 for a four- year term (2017 – 2021). The contract was renewed in 2021 for another four years (2021 – 2025).
The Department plays a pivotal role in the development and governance of Papua New Guinea’s mining industry through the review and development of mineral policies and laws as well as the community obligation on the monitoring and management of risks associated with geohazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami and landslides in PNG and the region.
BCom, MSc, CA
Interim Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, Strategy and Commercial, PanAust Limited
Mr Jonathan Kort is PanAust
Limited’s Interim Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, Strategy and Commercial. He has 20 years of experience in mining and the professional services industry. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Corporate Finance) from the University of Western Australia, a Master of Science (Mineral Economics) from Curtin
University, and is a Chartered Accountant (Australia).
Prior to joining PanAust Limited in August 2022, Jonathan worked for EY, BHP, Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal and Coronado Global Resources.
Jonathan’s previous experience includes various senior financial, commercial and governance roles in large multinational mining companies and professional services firms across several jurisdictions in Africa, Australia and South-East Asia.
Jonathan was appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer of PanAust Limited on 16 October 2022.
Shareholder and Director, O.M. Holdings Limited (Oilmin)
Georgina Leahy is a distinguished speaker and a vital member of the Board of Directors at OM Holdings. Georgina brings a wealth of financial expertise with years of practical experience in the Australian financial landscape.
In her role as a director, Georgina is a key influencer in the realms of financial management, accounting, and corporate governance. Beyond her board responsibilities, she serves as both a Shareholder and Director of OM Holdings, demonstrating her dedication to fortifying and promoting the solid foundation meticulously crafted by OM Holdings over the past three decades. Please join me in welcoming Georgina Leahy, an accomplished professional actively contributing to OM Holdings significant impact in our industry’s landscape.
CEO & Director, K92 Mining Inc.
Mr. Lewins is a Mineral Engineer with over 35 years’ experience in the mining industry. He has previously worked in Africa, Australia, Asia, North America and the former Soviet Union. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and served as Chief Operating Officer from May 2016 to August 2017. Mr. Lewins has successfully managed the development of a number of open pit and underground gold, precious and base metal mines from feasibility study through to profitable operations.
Mr. Lewins has operated extensively at the corporate level in various roles from Executive General Manager to Director and Chief Executive Officer with a number of other mining companies, including MIM Holdings, First Dynasty Mines, Platinum Australia and African Thunder Platinum.
Mr. Lewins received his National Diploma for Technicians (Extractive Metallurgy) from Technikon Witwatersrand, South Africa, a Bachelor of Science degree (Honours) in Mineral Engineering from University of Leeds, England and a Graduate Diploma in Management from University of Queensland.
John Lewins is Chair of the K92 Health and Safety Committee and a member of the Sustainability Committee.
Executive Director & Founder, Tolu Minerals
Graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Mining Engineering from the PNG University of Technology in 1995. Graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering Science with specialisation in Mining Industry Management from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in 2002.
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, MRDC
Mr. Augustine Sanga Mano has been Managing Director and CEO of Mineral Resources Development Company since March 2008. He holds Degrees in Economics and Arts (Environmental Science) from
the University of Papua New Guinea, and a Master of Science Degree in Petroleum Economics from the Dundee University, Scotland.
Mr. Mano serves as Director on the boards of MRDC and its 16 subsidiary companies.
He is also the chairman of Star mountains Plaza Ltd (Hilton), The Pearl Resort & Spa in Fiji, The Taumeasina Resort in Samoa, PNG Air, and Ok Tedi Mining Limited. Until recently, he served on the board of Hevilift PNG, and Dirio Gas and Power Ltd. Mr. Mano currently serves as a member of the State Negotiating Team for both mining and petroleum projects.
General Manager, Black Swan International
Experience: David has over 15 years of experience as a senior operations manager specializing in strategic planning, project management, security and facilities management, onsite life support and logistics across a range of industries in challenging and often austere environments such as China and Kazakhstan. He has experience managing contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of government officials and UN agencies. David also has over 20 years British Army Combined Military Service serving as a Warrant Officer (CSM) and has served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Bosnia. David is a proven operator and leader. His recent appointment as General Manager is a natural progression from his previous role at BSI as Corporate Manager where he was an integral part of the core leadership team. As GM, he is responsible for and provides oversight of all business functions including Finance, Operations, Human Resources, QWHSE, Corporate Services, ICT, Transport, Investigations and Business Support.
Senior Vice President, APC TotalEnergies Exploration and Production, Total Energies E&P PNG Ltd
Member of GRP Management Committee since November 15th, 2020.
Thomas Maurisse is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and of the Ecole des Mines (Paris).
He started his career in 2007 in the French Ministry of Economy, Finance & Industry where he became, in 2011, Chief of Staff of the State Secretary for Consumption, Small Enterprises, Trade & Services and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Minister of Economy, Finance & Industry.
Thomas Maurisse joined TotalEnergies in 2012 in the Refining & Chemicals Branch where he worked successively in Germany as Head of the economic division of the Leuna refinery, then in Belgium as General Manager of the Supply Sales and Optimization activities for the North and East Europe zone.
In 2017, he joined the Exploration & Production Branch as Strategy and Sales Director of Total EP Nigeria.
In 2019, he joined the Gas, Renewables & Power Branch as Senior Vice President LNG.
In September 2023, he is being nominated as Senior Vice President for the Exploration & Production Asia Pacific of TotalEnergies, based in Singapore, and is becoming member of the EP Management Committee.
Chairman, Peak Oil PNG
Brent is the world’s foremost authority on the geological evolution of the New Ireland Basin in Papua New Guinea. He is the Executive Director of the John de Laeter Analytical Centre, a multimillion dollar research laboratory at Curtin University.
Brent is a Professor in Economic Geology and Geochemistry at Curtin University. He has 35 years’ international experience in the geoscience and resources sector including projects with TOTAL, Oil
Search, BHP-Billiton, Chevron, PetroChina, Sinopec, Rio Tinto and Searcher Seismic. His honours include the 2018 Paul G Dunn Award for Research Development, the 2008 CSIRO National Service from Science Award, the 2007 Fulbright Coral Sea Fellowship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, and the 2003 CSIRO Chairman’s Gold Medal for Research Excellence.
Executive General, Manager St. Barbara Simberi Operations
Randy joined St Barbara in 2022 as General Manager Simberi Operations and on 1 July 2023 was appointed Executive General Manager Simberi Operations. Randy has over 30 years of
operating experience in a range of roles including mine engineering, operational leadership roles through to General Manager. International mining experience includes roles in Canada, Australia, Tanzania, India, Mongolia, and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Randy’s previous PNG experience was at the Porgera mine as Underground Manager/Mining Manager.
Previous General Manager experience includes roles with Red River Resources and Nyrstar. Randy has experience in new mine development and mine expansion, with a focus on permitting and community/ employee engagement.
Chief Executive Officer, Sun Engineering
Mark is the current CEO of Sun Engineering and has worked for Sun Engineering for 40 years. Commencing as a Tradesman and working his way through the Business.
Sun Engineering is a Manufacturer and Constructor in the Resource and Infrastructure sectors and in 2022, was awarded the “Queensland Exporter of the Year” award by the Qld
Government in the manufacturing sector.
Sun Engineering delivers projects in Australia, PNG and all throughout the Pacific, with Manufacturing facilities in Australia, PNG and China.
Mark is also passionate about Philanthropic initiatives in Australia, PNG and abroad.
He was appointed as the Executive Director and CEO of Sun Engineering Pty Ltd in 1993. This includes Subsidiary Boards of Sun Engineering PNG Limited and Sun Engineering Fiji Limited. He also served as a Non- Executive Director for Ningbo Zhonglian Steel Structure Co Ltd (China) from 2005-2008 and is currently a Non- Executive Director and Councilor for the PNG Chamber of Resources and Energy since 2014.
Mark is also a Councilor for the Australian Industry Group since 2018 to present and was a Non-Executive Director for Pan Process Pty Ltd from 2014-2020.
He also serves as a Non-Executive Director for OnePoint Software Solutions Pty Ltd and Treasurer of the Ipswich Jets Rugby League Football Club Inc and the President of Present Ice Hockey League in Brisbane.
Head of Geopolitical Risk, Asutralia & New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ)
Cameron Mitchell joined ANZ in March 2021 to manage the bank’s geopolitical risk function. In this role, he advises the senior management and coordinates the production of tailored geopolitical risk assessments of
direct relevance to ANZ interests. He was previously HSBC’s Global Head of Geopolitical Risk.
Cameron is a former Australian public servant, where he worked in the Australian Intelligence Community. He provided strategic-level political risk advice and strategic intelligence assessments to senior Australian government officials. His analysis aided in the development of three Australian Defence White Papers.
A former Australian Defence Force Reserve Officer, Cameron also deployed on military operations to Iraq and Afghanistan. He provided intelligence support to operational-level commanders and supported national- level agencies from within the Middle East Theatre or Operations.
Cameron was born in Surrey, UK and grew up in Nigeria and Brunei before completing secondary school in Australia. He has completed a Master of Studies in International Relations at the University of Cambridge, a Master of Arts by research in Political Science from the University of New South Wales, and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science and History from the University of Sydney.
He is the author of articles and a book about the Russian defence industry, published through the UK International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Australian Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.
Executive VP Exploration, K92 Mining Inc.
Chris Muller is a geologist with over 20 years of experience in open pit and underground mine, near mine, brownfields and greenfields exploration, in Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, China, Ghana, Indonesia and Thailand. He served as the Company’s
Brief work history:
Vice President Exploration for over 5 years and has been with K92 since 2016. Mr. Muller has worked on a range of mineral deposit styles, including porphyry Cu/Au, epithermal and skarn precious and base metal, carbonate – base metal and Archean gold deposits. He has been directly involved in several important mineral finds during his career, including the discovery of additional porphyry deposits that led to the world class status of the Wafi/Golpu project in Papua New Guinea. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree (majoring in geology and geophysics), a degree with first class honours in economic geology and a PhD in plate tectonics in conjunction with molecular dating.
Chief Executive Officer, Dirio Gas & Power Company Limited
James is Chief Executive Officer of Dirio Gas & Power Company Limited, PNG’s first 100% nationally-owned Independent Power Producer, and part of the MRDC Group of Companies.
Prior to Dirio, James held roles with KPMG and PwC in their Corporate Finance advisory teams in Australia and the Middle East where he advised corporates and governments around the world to develop and finance infrastructure projects. In addition, James has held advisory board roles a green start-up in Dubai, and the Griffith Business School in Brisbane, where he is also enrolled as a PhD student researching the economics of a renewable energy transition.
Deputy Chief Migration Officer, PNGICSA
Mr. Parisau holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics which he attained from Oxford University, England. He recently graduated with Masters in Economics which he undertook remotely through Australian National University (ANU).
Mr Clarence Parisau was appointed Deputy Chief Migration Officer in 2021 and is in charge of Visa, Work Permit, Travel Documents and Citizenship. Mr Parisau spent almost seven years managing refugees and asylum seekers under the Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA) on Manus Island.
Mr Parisau represents ICSA on a number of bilateral, multilateral and regional meetings on travel mobility, migration and security.
Managing Director, Newmont Corporation PNG
Alwyn recently re-joined Newmont as Managing Director for Papua New Guinea, with responsibility for Lihir Mine and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture. Previously he was the Regional Senior Vice President of
Newmont’s Africa and South American operations. During his tenure with Newmont.
Alwyn has over 27 years of gold sector experience with significant expertise in underground deep-level gold mining. Before joining Newmont, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Harmony Gold Company Limited, one of South Africa’s leading gold producers.
His experience includes leadership roles at Harmony and ARMgold, where he managed portfolios of up to 10 mines with annual production of 1.3 million ounces of gold.
In these roles, he delivered significant safety, productivity and sustainability improvements, and forged strong stakeholder relationships.
He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering and Mining Engineering from the University of Pretoria. He is a past Chairman of the South African Mines Rescue Services Board.
Executive Chairman, Twinza Oil Limited
Stephen Quantrill
Chairman of the Board in September 2021, having served on the Twinza Board since May 2014. He is a chartered engineer with over 20 years’ of international experience in multifaceted roles in business ownership, company chairmanship, and directorship.
His experience as a business leader, shareholder and advisor has encompassed energy and natural resource companies, financial and engineering services, and the private equity arena. He currently acts as Chairman and Company Director of a range of businesses, including in investment, resources (iron ore, oil and gas), property, bio-technology, agri-industry, advisory and engineering.
Stephen’s roles include Executive Chairman of McRae Investments, the diversified investment holding company established by Harold Clough in 1965, and as a Director of two ASX-listed Companies, namely Tombador Iron (ASX:TI1) and NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:NSB). He holds a Bachelor of Science (Civil Engineering), Bachelor of Commerce, and a Masters of Business Administration, all awarded with first class honours. He is a Fellow of FINSIA, a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Engineering Executive Member of Engineers Australia.
University of PNG Centre of Renewable Energy
HMr Rawali currently runs and manages all of UPNG CoREs projects focused mainly on capacity building and energy advisory in the energy sector. The activities have involved prefeasibility and feasibility studies, due diligence studies, owners engineer tasks, design, owner’s enegineer role ,and capcicty building. Manu has a strong understanding of the dynamics of PNG energy sector and wide- network within the country and the region. Prior to joining UPNG in 2013 as a lecturer, he was employed with the PNG University of Technology (PNGUoT).
Mr Rawali has a BachSc in Applied Physics with Instrumentation and Electronics from PNGUoT, MScTech from UNSW-Sydney, Diploma in Condensed Matter Physics from International Centre of Theoretical Physics-Trieste and currently a PhD candidate at the UNSW-Sydney focusing on sustainable electrification in PNG.
Senior VP and Executive Director, Productions
ExxonMobil PNG
Scott Sandlin started his career with ExxonMobil in 2005 in Houston, Texas. He has held a range of engineering, operations and senior leadership roles within the company in 9 locations, across the Drilling, Production and Joint Venture operated sectors of the business.
After several technical and leadership assignments with ExxonMobil in the United States, Australia, Nigeria, Turkey, Romania, Russia (Sakhalin Island and Moscow) and Newfoundland, Canada, Scott assumed the role of president of Hibernia Management and Development Company, operator of the Hibernia Platform in Newfoundland, Canada.
Scott joined ExxonMobil PNG in 2020 as the General Manager of Operations for PNG LNG, and subsequently assumed the role of Senior VP and Executive Director of Production in 2021. He is accountable for all aspects of the PNG LNG project, including operations, maintenance, logistics, and land and community affairs for all wells, gas and condensate conditioning, pipelines, LNG Plant, and marine/export shipping operations for LNG, condensate and naphtha to international markets, and domestic power and gas sales for local markets.
Scott is blessed to have a wife of 15 years and 3 small children, ages 10, 6 and 5 years old.
B. Eng (Hons); MBA
Chief Operation Officer, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited
Craig is Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the subsurface, engineering, projects and field operations departments of the organisation.
Craig’s oil and gas career commenced in the mid 80’s. He has had wide-ranging roles in engineering, operations, projects and asset management with leading companies including KBR, Santos and BHP. Craig was Santos’ Country Manager PNG between 2011 and 2013 and Santos’ lead representative during the PNG LNG project Execution phase at that time.
Chief Executive Officer, Air Niugini
A respected qualified business management professional with proven experience in strategic planning, restructure and reform; passionate about aviation particularly in Papua New Guinea. Gary has significant experience in designing and undertaking major change management and restructure transition programs to develop increased operating efficiencies and strengthened EBITDA positions. He is an experienced accredited Project Manager with a focus on delivery in both public and private sector environments. Gary has extensive transport industry experience and has gained a unique understanding of the challenges across sea and land transport services. Gary is a strong advocate for tourism growth across the country, and the need to adopt sustainable aviation best practices at Air Niugini’.
General Manager, Pacific & Country Manager, Papua New Guinea at Swire Shipping
Randy Selvaratnam leads Swire Shipping’s strategic and operational activities in Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific region, with a focus on operational excellence, digital transformation, and service portfolio expansion.
Randy joined Swire Shipping in 2003 and has since held various senior management roles across the region, including in New Zealand, Singapore, China and notably 7 years and two postings as Country Manager in Papua New Guinea.
Prior to joining Swire Shipping, Randy has held various senior leadership roles in the shipping and logistics industry, primarily with main line operators across the region.
Randy holds a Master of Business in Supply Chain & Logistics and is currently based in Swire Shipping’s Papua New Guinea head office in Port Moresby.
ANZ Economist, Pacific
He is a highly regarded and accomplished Senior Economist whose macroeconomic expertise and insights results in excellence. A natural communicator, he clarifies complex information and provides trusted advice to drive performance and deliver benefit. He is also commercially astute, fueling strong outcomes with a deep, comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge on economic trends, drivers and outlook.
He has an extensive experience as a senior leader across the private and public sectors. Some highlights of his career include accurately predicting Fiji’s strong post-COVID-19 recovery, providing budgetary advice through the worst of the pandemic which was largely adopted by Fiji’s national government; and producing influential commentary on the banking system that helped calm business anxieties about a credit crunch and currency depreciation. He attained ANZ’s highest readership count for March 2020 for research on the impact of COVID-19 on the Pacific. With a strong sense of integrity and appetite for challenges, he ensures industry-leading outcomes.
Chairperson & Managing Director, ExxonMobil PNG Ltd
Tera Shandro is responsible for ExxonMobil’s exploration, development, and production operations across the country.
Based at its headquarters in Port Moresby, Tera also leads ExxonMobil’s interests as co- venture partner in advancing the Papua LNG Project, in Gulf Province, and the P’nyang LNG Project, in Western Province.
Tera began her career with ExxonMobil in 2003 after graduating from the University of Alberta, Canada, with a Bachelor of Science Chemical Engineering degree.
Since that time, she has held increasingly senior roles in Engineering, Research, Operations, Project Execution and business Planning and Finance across ExxonMobil’s operations globally in both the Upstream and Downstream.
Prior to arriving in Papua New Guinea, Tera stewarded the capital allocation framework for the ExxonMobil Corporation, with an annual average capital spend of ~USD20-USD25 billion per year.
Tera is married to Troy, who is also an ExxonMobil employee, and they have two daughters, Jaylen and Brooke.
Chief Executive Officer, NASFUND
Mr. Sharma is a permanent resident of PNG and has been working in the country for over 20 years, with eight of these being as the Chief Financial Officer at Nasfund.
Mr. Sharma has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector having worked in India, Middle East and PNG. He is a Chartered Accountant, a CPA in both PNG and Australia and holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce (Honours) from the Delhi University in India. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a
professional member of the PNG Institute of Directors.
Managing Director, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd
Mr. Sonk holds a Bachelor in Mining Engineering from the University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea and a Diploma of Business – Business Management from Melbourne Business School, Mt Eliza Centre for Executive Education, Australia.
He was appointed Managing Director of the National Petroleum Company of PNG in January 2013 and the Managing Director of Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited in 2015.
He has occupied numerous leadership roles in the Petroleum Industry of PNG since beginning his career with Chevron Niugini Pty Ltd in 1997.
These roles include:
Director – PNG LNG Project – IPBC (2012);
Chairperson of Society of Petroleum Engineers (PNG Section) (2011);
Technical Manager, Kumul Petroleum – Managing a Multi Skilled Team of Geologist & Engineers (2010 – 2011);
Drilling & Completions Engineer – Oil Search Head Office – Sydney office, Australia (2007 – 2009);
Night Shift Drilling Rig Operations Supervisor (2006 – 2007); and
Field Coordinator, PNG to QLD Gas Pipeline Project FEED Team – Manage Multinational team (2005).
Mr Sonk is also a member of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), Society of Petroleum Engineers (Worldwide), and Institute of Engineers PNG.
Senior Operations Officer – Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island Countries, International Finance Corporation
Aïcha Sow joined the office of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Sydney in September 2022 as a Senior Operations Officer, to support
business development activities in PNG and other countries in the Pacific. She has close to 15 years of experience with IFC, from business development to deal processing in manufacturing, agribusiness and power. Prior to coming to Sydney, Aïcha was with IFC’s Fragile and Conflict Situations (FCS) team in Africa. Her role included growing IFC’s business in these challenging markets, by strengthening relationships with local companies, improving their governance, and helping them attain IFC’s business standards. Prior to joining IFC, she was a Senior Auditor with Deloitte in Washington, DC. Aïcha holds an MBA and a master’s degree in Science from Northeastern University in Boston.
Executive Manager Legal and Compliance, National Energy Authority
Jeklin Talonu has a Bachelor of Law Degree from University of Papua New Guinea (2000) and a Master of Law Degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Law and Policy, specializing in Energy law and Policy from the Denver University, Colorado USA
She is the Executive Manager Legal & Compliance Division with the National Energy Authority. Her role includes oversight over the secretariat on complaints handling process and providing legal advice on licensing, economic regulations, technical regulations and general licensing under the National Energy Authority Act 2021.
She joined the National Energy Authority (NEA) in 2022 from the Office of the State Solicitor, Department of Justice & Attorney General, where she served as a Deputy Sate Solicitor for twelve (12) years responsible for Commercial Matters and prior to that served in various capacities from Legal Officer, Senior Legal Officer, Acting Deputy Registrar and Assistant Director Legal Services at the Department of Petroleum and Energy from 2001 to 2010.
Ms. Talonu brings to NEA a wealth of experience in varying fields of law. She has previously served, amongst others, as the legal support assisting the State Negotiating Teams in the extractive industry, the State Team Leader responsible for legal matters for the PNG-LNG Gas Project. She has also been Team Leader during the 2017 & 2022 National Elections providing legal advice to the National Electoral Commission and the Department of Justice & Attorney General and most recently the Fuel Crisis Emergency Team Leader for the National Energy Authority.
She has been accorded numerous commendations and in 2023 she was amongst a handful of women recognized by Exxon Mobil in its Inaugural Power Play Awards recognizing PNG Women’s Contribution in LNG.
Chief Executive Officer, PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd (PNGSDP)
Lesieli is PNG SDP’s Chief Executive Officer with 25 years of business management and development experience in executive and directorship roles across Energy retail, Banking, Superannuation and is the Founding Chair of the Business Coalition for Women, a not for profit that aims at removing the barriers for women in business.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Technology, an MBA from the Torrens University and attended the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
She was the 2014 Westpac Outstanding Woman of the Year; the 2015 Female Director of the Year and in 2018 was the World LPG Association’s Inaugural Woman of the Year.
She has served as Deputy Chair of Nambawan Super Limited; Director of Nationwide Microbank Ltd (MiBank); Founding Chair of the Business Coalition for Women; and on the Advisory Boards of Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Program and Australian Pacific Training Coalition.
Lesieli was the former President of the Badili Club Network for young aspiring leaders and is a Director of the Institute of National Affairs.
Chairman, Managing Director, Puma Energy PNG Group of Companies
Hulala has a long history in the oil and energy industry, dating back to 1996 with BP Oil Papua NewGuinea and later InterOil in 2004, prior to the change over to Puma Energy PNG.
He has held various managerial roles over the last 27 years in Finance, Human Resource (HR) andhas led the business in the capacity of General Manager and Director. Key roles that have seen himstrategically steer the business to where it is today and proactively manage political issues in PNG.
He also served as Director and Chairman on the NASFUND Board and was Director, NASFUNDSavings & Loans.
After eight years as Country Manager for Puma Energy PNG, Hulala was appointed to CompanyChairman and Managing Director in 2023. He also serves as a Director on a number of in-countryPuma Energy companies.
Outside of work, Hulala is Vice President of the PNG Business Council, is involved in communitysports, serves on a number of school boards and is an avid golfer.
Hulala’s notable achievement is an MBE award from the Queen, for Services to the PetroleumIndustry and Superannuation in PNG (2020).
Chief Executive Officer, NiuPower Ltd
Michael Uiari is Chief Executive Officer of NiuPower and NiuEnergy having been appointed to that role in November 2019.
Michael entered the extractive industry in 2000 as General Counsel and Group Secretary of ASX listed Orogen Minerals (ASX:OML) following a 5 year post admission stint at the PNG practice of Australian law firm, Gadens (now known as Dentons). Michael brings over 23 years of local and international experience in the extractives sector. That experience has been primarily with Oil Search (ASX:OSH, now Santos ASX:STO) in the oil and gas sector across a broad range of disciplines, including upstream operations, corporate governance, legal, compliance, commercial, stakeholder management at all levels including community engagement, procurement and contracting, people and culture, corporate strategy, planning, unincorporated JV management and business development.
Over the last 5 years, Michael was part of a team setting up the power business in Oil Search (now Santos), now enjoying P&L and strategic responsibilities. He is passionate about community investment across NiuPower’s project area communities in the areas of water security, health services, access to electricity, food security, life skills, sanitation, education, sports and faith-based community services. Outside of work, Michael is actively involved in club rugby union administration and the Anglican Church property trust. Beyond that, he is a member of the AICD and non-executive director of Nambawan Superannuation Limited, with circa K9bn in funds under management belonging to mainly public sector employees in Papua New Guinea.
Managing Director, PanAust Limited
Mr Daniel Zheng is PanAust Limited’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He has 20 years of experience in asset management and investment in China and internationally and holds a Master of Commerce (Applied Finance) from the University of Queensland, an MBA from Murdoch University, and a postgraduate diploma from the Queensland University of Technology. Prior to joining PanAust Limited, Daniel worked for Shenzhen Zhongjin Lingnan Nonferrous Metal Co. where he was involved in mergers, acquisitions, and the asset management of international mines.
Daniel’s previous experience includes as an investment approval officer in the Investment Management Committee of the China Ping An Group where he was responsible for the acquisition of global-listed companies and commercial banks, underwriting, investing in corporate bonds, and participating in Moody and Standard & Poor’s credit rating on Ping An Group. He has also been responsible for corporate banking at the China Minsheng Bank, and was an analyst in the energy and nonferrous metal industry at CITIC Futures.
Daniel was appointed an Executive Director of PanAust Limited on 27 August 2018, Chief Financial Officer on 15 January 2019 and Deputy Chief Executive Officer on 23 July 2020. In 2022 Daniel was appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PanAust Limited.
*The Speaker Profiles include both confirmed and past speakers and are subject to change.
