Keynote Panel: Energy geopolitics | Security in the transition

Ron Gusek has been the CEO of Liberty Energy since January 2025. Before assuming the role of CEO, he served as President of Liberty Energy from 2016–2024. Ron has also served as the VP of Technology and Development from 2014–2016. Over the past 25+ years, Ron has garnered extensive oil and gas experience in North America and extended his knowledge of operations through travels to Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Within Liberty, Ron’s focuses have included new technology and innovation, service quality, efficiency and optimisation. Ron holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta. Ron has also held previous roles at Sanjel Corporation, Zodiac Exploration, and Pinnacle Technologies, with a primary focus on hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs. Outside of work, Ron is a husband to Jodi, father to daughters Abbie and Robyn, runner, cyclist, hiker, skier and occasional adventure racer.

Ms Michiko Miyano is a Japanese career diplomat who is serving as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Canberra. She also leads the Embassy teams on economic affairs as well as communications. At the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has held a number of positions, including Director of UN Planning and Administration Division (2019–21), Director of Press Division (2018–19), and Director of Access to Information and Diplomatic Records Division (2016–18). Prior to that, Ms Miyano worked on a range of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on economic partnerships and global environment as well as Japan’s relations with Europe, Middle East and South Asia. Her professional experience outside the Foreign Ministry includes policy setting/managerial positions at a local government and at the International Peace Cooperation Headquarters, Cabinet Office of Japan, overseeing the GOJ policy on participating in international peace operations. During her posting as Counsellor at the Permanent Mission to the UN (2014–16), she was extensively involved in the negotiations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which laid out the Sustainable Development Goals. As Counsellor at the Mission to the EU (2011–14), her portfolio included political and parliamentary affairs where she worked on the initial phase of the Japan–EU Strategic Partnership Agreement. She also served in New Delhi earlier in her career. Ms Miyano holds LLM from Edinburgh University and LLB from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo.

Sue-Ern Tan is the Head of the International Energy Agency Regional Cooperation Centre based in Singapore. The Centre is the first outside of the IEA’s Paris headquarters in its 50-year history. The Centre focuses on the Southeast Asia region and beyond and provides policy guidance, technical assistance, training and capacity building across areas such as scaling-up the deployment of renewables and other clean energy technologies, increasing cross-border power trade, and improving access to finance for clean energy investment. Prior to joining the IEA, Sue-Ern worked at Shell plc in senior climate and energy roles at Shell’s headquarters in London and The Hague and most recently in Singapore as the Head of Policy and Advocacy. Sue-Ern practiced as a lawyer, worked as Ministerial adviser on energy in the Australian Government and was the Deputy CEO of a minerals trade association in Australia. Sue-Ern graduated from University of New South Wales in Australia with a Commerce and Law Degree and is an Eisenhower Fellow representing Australia in the 2017 International Program.

Cecile Wake became Country Chair and Senior Vice President Integrated Gas of Shell Australia in May 2023. She has more than 25 years of international experience in LNG, oil and gas project development and operations and mergers and acquisitions. Previously Cecile was CEO of Arrow Energy, Shell’s joint venture with PetroChina, which she commenced in 2020. She has also held senior commercial leadership roles at Shell Australia, where she was VP Commercial and New Business Development, and as Growth Director with BG Group, prior to its acquisition by Shell. Before joining Shell and BG Group, Cecile was a corporate partner at the leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills in London for nine years. Her corporate energy practice focused on complex cross-border oil, gas and LNG project development, high-value mergers and acquisition transactions in the energy and mining sectors and long-term sales arrangements for oil, gas and LNG. Cecile is also a Board Director of Australian Energy Producers and a member of the Senate of the University of Queensland, where she serves on the Finance and Campus Infrastructure Committees.

Laura Jayes has been a journalist and broadcaster for almost two decades. She hosts ‘AM Agenda’ on Sky News – the channel’s highest rating daytime program, committed to politics, current affairs and challenging debates. Laura has covered every leadership challenge and election since 2010. She’s covered the biggest breaking news stories in the world – Brexit live from London, the Queensland floods, the war in Afghanistan from Kabul, Kandahar and Tarin Kowt, Donald Trump’s election wins and the death of Queen Elizabeth (to name a few). She is also one of the only journalists to be granted access to Nauru to report on the Australian funded detention centres. In 2016 Laura was the recipient of a team Walkley Award and Logie Award for the 2016 Sky News Federal Election coverage. In 2018, Laura was also part of the Sky News political team that won an AACTA Award for the coverage of the 2018 Liberal leadership spill, in the subscription television award category for best live event production. Laura has a Bachelor of Media and Communications. Laura is mum to Billy and Sophie, whom she absolutely adores.