WECP Speakers
Ben Harvey has worked as a journalist since 1998. His early career at The West Australian included stretches of crime reporting and political journalism.
He worked in London for regional and national titles before returning to WA in 2006. Since then he has held the positions of The West Australian's Chief of Staff, State Political Editor and Business Editor. His current role as Chief Reporter sees him write across a range of issues.
Since 2020 his nightly online news bulletin “Up Late With Ben Harvey” takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the issues of the day.
Rajiv is Executive Director and Asia-Pacific Chief Economist for S&P Global Market Intelligence. He previously worked as Director, South-East Asia for The Economist Group and for UBS as Executive Director, Asia-Pacific Country Risk. He also worked for an international organization, the Commonwealth Secretariat, as a senior economist, and as a consultant for the United Nations.
Rajiv is a graduate of the London School of Economics and received his M.Sc. and D.I.C. from Imperial College, London University. Rajiv has written three books, “Future Asia” (2013), “Asian Megatrends” (2016) and “Emerging Markets Megatrends” (2018), all published by Palgrave Macmillan. He frequently appears on international TV, including for the BBC, CNBC and CNN.
Joy is the Head of Offshore Wind Development for Copenhagen Energy in Australia. She is a Marine Scientist with over 20 years’ experience in coastal and marine developments in Western Australia and across the globe. Joy is based in Perth and for the past 3 years has been developing the four Western Australian offshore wind projects for Copenhagen Energy. Copenhagen Energy is a Danish renewable and Energy Trading company committed to accelerating global carbon reduction through offshore and onshore wind and solar developments. Copenhagen Energy’s global portfolio includes projects in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Philippines and Australia.
Mark Hatfield is the managing director of Chevron Australia and head of the Australasia business unit located in Perth, Western Australia.
Mark is responsible for Chevron's upstream interests and activities in Australia. This includes leading the development and operations of the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas projects; participating interests in the North West Shelf Venture; oil production operation on Barrow Island; and exploration and appraisal activities offshore Australia.
Most recently responsible for Chevron’s deepwater exploration and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico, Mark brings more than three decades of experience to Australia, including roles as general manager of Strategy and Planning for Chevron’s global upstream business and general manager of Strategy and Planning for Chevron North America Exploration and Production.
Mark joined Chevron in 1982 as a production engineer in New Orleans after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. In 1992, he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of New Orleans.
The Hon. Madeleine King was sworn in as Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia on 1 June 2022 following election of the Albanese Government.
She was first elected to Parliament in 2016, representing the seat of Brand on the outskirts of Perth, where she was born and grew up.
She was promoted to the shadow ministry in 2018 and has served as Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs and Small Business, Shadow Minister for Trade and Shadow Minister for Resources.
Before entering parliament, Minister King worked as an adviser to former minister Gary Gray. She has a law degree from the University of Western Australia in Perth and is a keen hockey enthusiast.
Professor Peter Klinken is a leading Western Australian medical research scientist. Professor Klinken has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role of Chief Scientist of WA, providing independent expert advice to the State Government. His has supported the Government in growing the State’s science industries to achieve future prosperity for Western Australians, as well as assisting with changes to legislation.
Professor Klinken was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2017. He was Western Australian Citizen of the Year (Professions) in 2008, and made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2015) and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2016). Professor Klinken began his tenure on 10 June 2014, and is WA’s third Chief Scientist. He has since been reappointed four times, with his tenure continuing to June 2025. Learn more about WA’s Chief Scientist.
Nicole is Chair of the Malka Foundation and Infrastructure WA. Full biography will be available soon.
Rohan is the Director of Commercialisation with responsibility for commercialisation and startup programs at Curtin University. He has 30+ years of experience in commercialisation of new technologies, including establishment and operation of numerous technology based companies.
Rohan has worked in both startups and large organisations. Before Curtin he was Chief Operating Officer for a listed biotechnology company. Qualifications include a Bachelor of Science, an MBA from the AGSM and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Other activities include cofounding a number of innovation community events including West Tech Fest.
Meg O’Neill has 28 years’ experience in the global oil and gas industry, with positions and responsibilities extending across North America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Since being appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Woodside Energy in 2021, Meg has overseen a merger that has transformed Woodside into the largest energy company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Prior to joining Woodside, Meg worked for ExxonMobil in a variety of technical, operational and leadership roles based in Houston, Indonesia, Canada and Norway, which included responsibility for major projects in Angola, Nigeria, Tanzania and Mozambique.
Meg is originally from Boulder, Colorado, and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with degrees in Ocean and Chemical Engineering.
Mr Surendran is a highly experienced senior executive with over 20 years of finance, business development, strategy, project management and commercial leadership experience in Australia. He held senior finance positions with Aurizon, Wesfarmers, BGC Australia and DUET Group (Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline) before joining Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana operation in 2019 as General Manager Finance.
In September 2021, Mr Surendran was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the newly formed TLEA joint venture. As COO, he led the Kwinana team through many milestone accomplishments including the achievement of first battery-grade lithium, in May 2022. Mr Surendran has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Australia.
Toby has over twenty years experience across the telecommunications, information technology and energy sectors. Beginning his career in the television industry in Sydney, Toby worked on both large-scale transmission infrastructure upgrades and digital product development projects. He then spent time living and working in the Asia-Pacific Region, including two years in Japan and a stint in Vanuatu delivering Ausaid backed technology infrastructure projects.
Upon returning to Western Australia, Toby spent two years in the energy policy space followed by time spent managing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. He then spent seven years as an investment analyst for a Perth-based family office. Toby is currently CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation, a not-for-profit which helps founders to commercialise high-knowledge, high-value ideas.
Max van Someren is an energy systems analyst, R&D team leader, and former ship designer. He's held leadership roles at KBR, AEMO, Austal Ships, and Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
Max's passion lies in the energy transition. He's a Director and Co-founder of Causal Dynamics, a startup using AI, data analytics, and engineering to improve future energy systems. Max leads decarbonisation pathway developments for Arafura Rare Earths through KBR and founded the Net Zero Network (NZN), a nonprofit aiding members in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
With 18+ years' experience in engineering, technology, and innovation, Max advises the sustainable energy, maritime, resources, and defense sectors in Australia and worldwide.
