Panel discussion

Emma Alberici is the presenter of ABC1’s Lateline Program. Prior to taking up her latest role, Emma spent four years as the Europe Correspondent for the ABC, based in the UK.

She arrived in London just as Lehmann Bros was collapsing and as the world began questioning every accepted orthodoxy attaching to global financial markets. For someone who had spent most of the previous two decades as a business and finance journalist, it was a case of right place, right time.

Emma worked at the Nine Network and did her cadetship at News Limited’s Herald Sun Newspaper.

The daughter of a greengrocer, born and raised in Melbourne by migrant Italian parents, Emma has been a finalist three times in the Walkley Awards for journalistic excellence.

She is the author of three editions of The Small Business Book. Emma is sought after by corporate Australia for her business, economics and finance expertise. She is an outstanding interviewer, facilitator and MC and is in high demand for corporate videos.

Seiya Ito arrived in Australia in November 2008 to assume the role of Managing Director Perth Office and INPEX Corporation Company Representative in Australia. His promotion to President Director, Australia followed in October 2010.

Seiya joined Indonesia Petroleum Ltd (INPEX) in 1977 following graduation from Waseda University’s Faculties of Law and Foreign Studies. He has remained with INPEX since this time, undertaking roles in various divisions including as Director/General Manager Corporate Planning & Management, Director/Assistant COO Corporate Strategy & Planning Unit, and Director/Deputy COO Oceania & Americas Business Division.

Following the restructure of INPEX Corporation in 2008, Seiya assumed leadership of the then newly-established Ichthys Project Division at INPEX Tokyo’s head office. He retains this position during his tenure in Australia.

In addition to his Australian and Ichthys Project roles, Seiya is a Director, Managing Executive Officer for INPEX Corporation.

In his current role, David Standfield is responsible for project execution for various ExxonMobil upstream projects in Australia and Papua New Guinea, and is Senior Project Manager for the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant Project.

David’s early career was spent in engineering and project management consulting with roles in industrial, commercial and communication projects. He joined Esso Australia in 1994 and has held a series of engineering and project management positions supporting production operations in Gippsland, Victoria. In 2006 he moved to Hong Kong in a management role for a proposed LNG project. David relocated to Houston in 2008, initially in a strategic planning role for ExxonMobil Development Company, and later becoming Project Manager for the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant Project. David returned to Australia in 2013 and commenced his current position where he is responsible for planning, development and execution of all aspects of projects.

David has Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Economics degrees from Monash University, Victoria.

Richard Cottee’s first involvement with the oil and gas industry was working for Crusader Oil in the negotiation of the Cooper Basin Liquids Scheme, following which he joined Santos as a Senior Marketing Officer for LPG. Following the Jackson Oil field discovery, he moved to Brisbane on the opening of its Queensland office as Commercial Manager. In 2002 he became Managing Director of QGC, a company that then had nine employees and a market capitalisation of $30 million. In 2009 QGC was taken over by BG for $5.75 billion. At QGC, he was instrumental in creating a gas market in Queensland and the formation of the LNG export industry. He has also been a CEO of CS Energy, a government-owned electricity generator, and in its three years doubled its profits and tripled its generating capacity. In his working life he has been involved in creating around 10,000 permanent jobs, primarily in Queensland.

Peter Meurs is currently the Director Development for Fortescue Metals Group. His responsibilities span from exploration through studies and project development to the delivery of major capital expansion projects. He had direct responsibility for the delivery of Fortescue’s $9 billion iron ore expansion project to triple production to 155 million tonnes per annum. This set of projects was completed and opened in March 2014.

Prior to Peter commencing with Fortescue Metals Group in May 2010, he was one of the founders of WorleyParsons. Starting in Perth in 1988, Peter contributed to the growth of Worley from a small team to an international project management organisation of more than 30,000 people.

Peter started his career working on development projects in Bass Strait for Esso Australia.

With a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Peter is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter is also an Executive Director on the Fortescue Metals Board.

David Pryke is an Executive General Manager at Siemens in Australia, responsible for the divisions of Power and Gas, Power Generation Services, and Wind Power and Renewables. He oversees a portfolio of innovative products and solutions across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region.

David has more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry. His introduction to the field of power generation came in 1981, when he was involved in the construction of large coal-fired power plants in New South Wales, as well as the major half-life refits of existing power plants. In 1990, David was responsible for constructing and managing Australia’s largest maintenance facility for a steam turbine generator plant. Shortly thereafter, he was responsible for the acquisition of large hydro generator maintenance facilities in Hobart as part of a government privatisation process.

David joined Siemens in 1999, as the Head of Power Generation. The business quickly became a leader in the service segment of the market. A leading position as a supplier of new equipment and turnkey solutions was also subsequently established within the segments of wind power, fossil power generation, and oil and gas. Continual expansion of Siemens through acquisition and organic growth has resulted in an ever-expanding range of high-quality offerings to the local market.

David has a degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in project management.