Speaker Profiles
DAMON GAMEAU - SPECIAL GUEST
As a director Damon wrote, directed and performed vocals for the 2011 winning Tropfest short film, ANIMAL BEATBOX. THAT SUGAR FILM was Damon’s first feature length film as a director and won Best Documentary at the Australian AACTA awards and became the highest grossing Australian documentary of all time at the cinema. THAT SUGAR BOOK is his first published book and was published in 9 languages.
Damon’s film, 2040, is an innovative feature documentary that explores what the future would look like by the year 2040 if we embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet. It was released in April 2019 and now sits in the top 4 highest grossing documentaries of all time in Australia at the cinema. Regenerating Australia is his most recent project which launched in March 2022, with a national tour of Australia. The film is accompanied with an impact campaign that includes a significant financial fund to develop and scale community solutions
Damon is a sought-after speaker and spoke at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York. Damon has also addressed numerous Governments around the world and spoken at organisations such as GOOGLE, BP, PWC, ANZ, ZURICH, ATLASSIAN, UTAH CLEAN ENERGY, MASTERCARD, CREDIT SUISSE, CBA, HESTA and many more. He was a nomination for NSW for Australian of the Year in 2020.
ANDREW WILLIS
Andrew has 30+ years’ experience within the automotive industry.
Within Toyota Australia, he has held multiple National Manager roles across the business including Export Planning, Government Affairs & Trade Policy, Office of the President, Environment Policy and Risk & Compliance. Mr. Willis has been a member of a broad range of industry associations and their committees. Notably, he was a Director/Board member for the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries representing member interests over a number of years. Andrew has also been an active participant and key industry representative in government working groups relating to topics such as: NVES, End of vehicle life and the local manufacturing industry transition.
Mr. Willis currently manages the Carbon Policy and Hydrogen engagement team within Toyota’s New Business Solutions division and is based out of Victoria’s first operational Hydrogen production and refuelling station at Toyota’s Altona North site.
BEC KAYE
Bec Kaye is the Director of Sustainability and Innovation at the Suburban Land Agency.
Her varied expertise spans sustainable urban development, strategic policy, science communications, and fisheries management, but she's always pursued challenges where using science and innovation can drive sustainable change.
Her favourite thing about her job is working with people who genuinely want to make a difference to the future of Canberra. Every time we build physical infrastructure, or work with our community to support the social infrastructure, we’re working to make Canberra a more sustainable, more welcoming place for our future generations.
Building better, more resilient homes and gardens is a way we can all act in the face of a changing climate, and Bec is passionate about empowering people to make those choices.
CHRIS NOONE
Chris Noone is the CEO of Carly Car Subscription, one of the leading companies driving the transition to sustainable mobility through car subscription and ‘try before you buy’ opportunities for electric vehicles.
Carly is a monthly car subscription service that provides fast and flexible access to new and late models vehicles at short notice. Subscription is the newest way to drive a car when renting, purchasing or financing is not an ideal solution. A car subscription with Carly includes registration, insurance, maintenance and roadside assistance. The minimum subscription period is 30 days and can be cancelled at any time with 30 days notice. Subscribers can also switch to a different car make and model, as their needs and lifestyle changes. Simply book online, pick up the car and drive away.
Under Chris’ leadership, Carly has recently launched Australia’s first EV Trial program, aimed at breaking down barriers to EV adoption by allowing prospective electric vehicle purchasers to trial electric vehicles for a month or more so that they can make an informed decision to buy an EV in the future. . Chris has forged commercial partnerships with leading automotive companies including SG Fleet, Hyundai, Uber and Turners Automotive,
Chris has previously held senior roles in Europe and Australia, spearheading digital innovation for the likes of Vodafone, Hasbro and Microsoft, and has nurtured numerous online startups.
JEFF KNOWLES
Sustainable building and retrofitting have been passions of mine for many years – but they were considerably ‘sharpened’ following the building of my full solar passive home in Queanbeyan during 2002. Constantly upgrading that home with regards to solar generation, batteries, EV and water use has continued to help me keep up-to-date on various retrofitting options in the field.
Since the completion and fine tuning of that residence, I have been an assessor in the Green Loans scheme (Federal Govt 2009); The Sustaining Our Towns initiative (NSW Govt 2010); presently I am employed by the ACT Govt as a Home Energy assessor with a particular focus on Renters; I am a qualified Scorecard assessor and have completed a 100-home trial for the ACT Govt during 2023, and I have a current Cert 4 in “Home Energy Efficiency & Sustainability” obtained from Transformed Pty Ltd - Sept 2023.
I usually say (when I walk into a home) that I have ‘’Three Hats” to assess the home with – Viz: the Building Fabric (windows/walls/floor/ceiling); Fixed Appliances (heating/cooling/hot water and how much energy they consume) & Discretionary Appliances (things you plug in at will and how much energy they consume).
With these three perspectives/dimensions, I can usually gain and overall impression of the situation and what COULD be improved. Additionally, I carry up-to-date information as to the costs of new appliances so I am able to ‘order’ retrofitting possibilities. The home owner then has the benefit of knowing exactly (in their case) what the ‘low-hanging fruit’ could be in any retrofitting situation.
JENNY EDWARDS
Jenny is sole owner and director of Light House ArchiScience, a multi-award-winning business that integrates science and design to deliver highly efficient, all-electric, climate resilient homes — new and renovated — in the Canberra region. She is not an architect or building designer but a scientist with a deep interest in housing and design.
With over 200 architectural projects completed, and provision of advice on hundreds of retrofits, Light House has shown there is growing demand for smaller, smarter, sustainable, gas-free housing.
Despite only doing smaller, smarter sustainable homes, Light House projects have won numerous local and national architecture and housing awards.
Jenny does lots of advocacy and education work about residential energy efficiency. This year she is sponsoring Sustainable House Day for the fourth year and last year she was named Energy Efficiency Champion at the National Energy Efficiency Conference in Sydney.
Jenny was co-admin of the Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home for three years during which time membership increased from less than 3,000 to more than 30,000 and female participation increased from 45% to 56%. More recently she has started a fun project on Instagram called the FixitChicks with her old friend and fellow energy-nerd, Lish Fejer (@jenlishfixitchicks).
JESSICA STEWART
Jessica Stewart is the Head of Sustainability and Community Development at Ginninderry – a 30 year project which will ultimately be home for 30,000 residents in the Capital Region. Ginninderry is Australia’s only cross-border master-planned community – extending across the ACT border into NSW.
Jessica holds tertiary qualifications in Engineering and Science from the Australian National University, majoring in Materials and Mechanics, Renewable Energy Systems, Sustainability Science and Science Communication
Prior to commencing with Riverview Projects to deliver Ginninderry in late 2016, Jessica worked for five years with the ACT Government’s Land Development Agency in their Sustainability and Innovation section and as an Energy Auditor throughout the ACT and regional New South Wales.
Jessica has a passion for building strong, resilient communities and exploring the reasons why people love (and hate) the places that they live, work and play. Through education and energy efficiency, Jess aims to raise the bar for new developments and Ginninderry in particular, by ensuring that residents maximise their assets, reduce their running costs and design smarter homes.
Jessica has been awarded the National Association of Women in Construction ACT Emerging Leader Award and was named the Property Council of Australia’s ACT Future Leader of the Year in 2017. Jessica was also acknowledged as a Green Star Champion by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2020.
LISA LOCKEY
Energy Efficient Homes Manager Lisa Lockey is a seasoned expert in energy-efficient home design with over 12 years of experience. She has worked with Powerhaus for the past two years, managing the rating and optimisation of more than 600 dwellings across Canberra and southern New South Wales. Lisa specialises in combining design with energy performance, ensuring that homes meet high energy efficiency standards while maintaining comfort and aesthetics. Her passion for creating comfortable and well-designed homes was shaped by her own experiences moving frequently due to her husband’s role in the Defence Force, relocating every two years for decades. This personal journey has given her a unique perspective on home design, focusing on comfort and sustainability. Before joining Powerhaus, Lisa worked as an energy efficiency champion for local award-winning designer Adam Hobill. Lisa’s qualifications include a Diploma of Architectural Drafting and the PassivHaus Introductory Course, she is currently furthering her expertise by pursuing a Diploma of Interior Design and a Certificate IV in Home Energy Efficiency.
LISH FEJER (MC)
Lish Fejer is a science and sustainability communicator, ABC presenter, presenter and slightly crazed science experimenter.
She's been banging on about energy efficiency for 25 years, cornering people at parties, running workshops, recording YouTube videos, ranting on radio and social media and occasionally shouting at her teenagers to get out of the shower.
Lish has made it her mission to help people do simple DIY fixes to their homes and habits to reduce bills and boost their comfort.
It all started with her flat-mates in a freezing cold, stinking hot Canberra rental house, then going on to co-present ABC TV's eco home reno show 'Carbon Cops', starting a YouTube channel for DIY energy saving videos GIY Green It Yourself and now, with an old friend and sustainable building guru, Jenny Edwards as the FixItChicks. With almost 40 thousand followers, they might have just found the secret to making energy efficiency something people talk about at parties.
RIC BUTT
Ric Butt is an architect, builder and environmental designer and principal of Strine Environments. He is a former national President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and is committed to raising the public profile of vernacular Australian architecture and promoting environmentally sustainable practice in both design and construction. Ric was one of the first graduates from the School of Environmental Design at the CCAE in 1979. He was the ACT Chapter President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1987-1988 and National President of the RAIA in 1997-1998. He is a Life Fellow of the RAIA.
As well as receiving many housing, building and design awards, including the Sir Zelman Cowan Award Commendation (the first sustainable building award given by the RAIA), Ric has served on three RAIA National Awards juries. He was awarded the American Institute of Architects President’s Medal in 1998 in recognition of his efforts to foster understanding and interaction of architects worldwide and made an Honorary Member of the AIA. His involvement in the formation of the Australian Building Energy Council, the introduction of energy requirements in the Building Code of Australia, and his membership of the RAIA
National Environment Committee and the HIA Environment Planning and Development Committee have given Ric a national profile in environmentally sustainable and low energy buildings.
He has been designing and building in Canberra for the past 40 years using environmental design principles and pioneered high mass construction using insulated precast concrete panels. Ric’s buildings need almost no artificial heating or cooling to achieve a pleasant and comfortable internal environment.
SCOTT NARGAR
Scott has over three decades of experience in the motor industry in technical, media, product planning and technology advocacy roles. At NRMA Scott worked in vehicle inspection, judging and writing on Australia’s Best Cars Awards and as a member of the Technical Working Group with the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
For the last 13 years Scott has been working for Hyundai Motor Company Australia in senior technical management, product planning, environment and Government engagement policy roles. Scott leads the company’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle project and future mobility programs. Scott was the co-founder of the Australian Hydrogen Council and was a Member of the Board of Directors.
As a passionate proponent of vehicle safety, renewable transport and autonomous vehicle technology, Scott has engaged with many levels of Federal and State Government, as well as policy and academic experts and key industry partners around the world.
STEVE JAMES
STEVE LEWIS
TODD EAGLES
Todd Eagles is the Group Manager for Energy Transition Products at ActewAGL, where he leads the design and development of innovative products, strategic partnerships, and programs aimed at advancing home and transport electrification across the ACT and NSW.
With extensive experience in delivering sustainability initiatives, Todd has successfully commercialised a range of scalable energy technologies, including electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, virtual power plants (VPP), vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, energy efficiency upgrade programs, and other distributed energy resource (DER) solutions.
WILLIAM ANTSTEE