Advisory Board

A committed and active Interim Advisory Board meets regularly and helps shape the strategic directions of the Barbara Hardy Institute. The Board includes Members who are external to UniSA in addition to internal members.

Board Members: External

Martin Thomas, AM FTSE HonFIEAust FAIE

Martin Thomas has had a lifetime career in energy consulting, concluding as a Principal of Sinclair Knight Merz. Later he became founding Managing Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE). He currently serves as Chairman of Dulhunty Power Limited (ASX:DUL) and Chairman of Dulhunty Poles Pty Limited.

Former roles include Chairmanships of the energy industry association Austenergy, the NSW Electricity Council and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Energy Panel. He has also served as Deputy Chairman of Australian Inland Energy, Chairman of the Asia Pacific International College (APIC) and non-executive Director of the Tyree Group and EnviroMission Ltd (ASX:EVM). In 2006 he served as a member of then Prime Minister Howard's Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review (UMPNER) taskforce. He is a past President of the Institution of Engineers Australia (EA) and of the Australian Institute of Energy (AIE) and a past Vice-President of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). He was appointed inaugural chair of the ATSE Energy Forum in 2007.

In 2008 he was awarded the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, the highest award of Engineers Australia. In 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of services to energy and to engineering. In 2003 he received an Australian Centenary Medal.

 

Dick Thomson

Mr Dick Thomson obtained an Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide in 1964. He subsequently studied Operations Research and Business Studies at Imperial College, London, leading to a Master of Science degree from that university. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has held a number of public company directorships and has been a director and chairman of government business enterprises.

Initially Dick joined CSR Ltd and was involved in engineering and commercial aspects of raw sugar milling, petrochemicals and oil and gas production and development. Subsequently, Dick established a number of private companies including Australian Energy Advisors Pty Ltd which provided consultant services and advice to the oil and gas industry. In 1999 Dick acquired Beasley Industries, South Australian based manufacturer of solar hot water systems and recently sold the business to Rinnai Corporation. He retains his interest in solar thermal developments as a consulting engineer and remains active as a company director.

 

Alan Branch

Alan is a partner at Global Franchise Partners, Sydney, and is an experienced Australian business advisor, commercial lawyer and franchise expert recognised for his skill in negotiating and completing business set up and expansion projects. He has wide commercial expertise working with clients in all aspects of commercial and business activity and fund raising both in Australia and overseas across sectors from retail and service industries to wine, commercial leasing, IP commercialisation, export, e-commerce and sustainability projects.

Alan while franchise team leader at Donaldson Walsh Lawyers, achieved the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) Excellence in Franchising Supplier of the Year Award in 2009 and 2010 and the international Corporate INTL Award for Franchising Law Firm of the Year in 2010 and finalist in 2011. Alan was a director on the board of the FCA from 2003 to 2009 and is the National chair of the Ethics Committee for the FCA.

Alan is a recognised International speaker and publisher on franchising. He has spoken at both the 2011 Brazil ABF Franchise Expo and 2007 India Franchise Summit on international franchising and has been a speaker at the FCA National Franchise Conferences in Australia in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.  At the 2011 Conference Alan was acknowledged with an award for Outstanding Contributions to Franchising. See a recent interview with Alan on YouTube... click here.

 

Barry Brook

Professor Barry Brook, a leading environmental scientist and modeller, is Director of Climate Science at the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute. He has published three books, over 170 refereed scientific papers and regularly writes popular articles for the media. Professor Brook has received a number of distinguished awards for his research excellence and public outreach, including the 2006 Australian Academy of Science Fenner Medal and the 2010 Community Science Educator of the Year. His research interests are climate change impacts, simulation modelling, energy systems analysis (with a focus on nuclear power), and synergistic human impacts on the biosphere. He runs a popular climate science and energy options blog at http://bravenewclimate.com

 

Mark Goldsmith

Mr Mark Goldsmith is State Manager (Financial Markets) at BankSA. He was born and educated in Adelaide, South Australia. In the 70's he worked in mining and commercially in wholesale/retailing ancillary automotive products. In the 80's Mark started a precious metals Bullion business that progressed to a Commodity Futures brokerage based in Adelaide. He entered Merchant banking with Standard Chartered Australia and later relocated to their Institutional Banking Treasury in Sydney. Mark has remained in the banking industry since that time, and in the early 90's returned to Adelaide, firstly with State Bank in Private banking returning to Treasury with the reformed BankSA. He then became Head of Financial Markets SA for Commonwealth Bank, a position he held for 10 years. In 2003 he accepted employment with BankSA, now a division of St George Bank, being appointed State Manager Financial Markets. He is currently a director of K&A Engineering, Howard Vineyard and The Sporting Car Club of SA (NFP). He is an Accredited Dealer with AFMA, a Fellow of The Finance & Treasury Association and was on that Board for two years. He is married to Trish with two children.

Board Members: Internal

Professor Andrew Parfitt

Pro-Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment (ITEE)

 

Professor Jill Slay

Dean of Research: Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment (ITEE)

 

Professor Chris Daniels

Director, Barbara Hardy Institute