Engineering School of Chemical Engineering

Industry Advisory Board

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Business People at a Conference Event

Our Industry Advisory Board (IAB) meets twice a year and includes 9 committee members from prominent employer groups and diverse professional fields.

The primary function of the IAB is to provide expert advice to the School on how industry perspectives can shape our undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as influence our research agendas. The board plays a critical role in bridging the gap between academic developments and industry needs, ensuring that our educational and research initiatives are both relevant and forward-thinking.

In addition to their advisory role, the IAB members are tasked with identifying and bringing forward specific issues of importance to the industry that may benefit from academic investigation or intervention. They submit these topics along with their insights and recommendations, helping to guide the School's research focus towards practical and impactful outcomes. This proactive approach not only enhances the relevance of our programs but also fosters a productive dialogue between academia and industry. 

Director - Research & Development at Harvest B, Sydney Australia

Qualifications and Memberships:

Bachelor of Industrial Chemistry - University of New South Wales

Areas of Expertise:

  • Strategic Leadership
  • Technical Project Leadership
  • Innovation
  • Product Development

Biography:

Daniel Mullette has 25 years’ experience in commercial Research and Development and currently serves as the Director of Research and Technology Development at Australian startup Harvest B.

Joining the company in 2023, Daniel leads the research program focusing on protein research for cereal & pulse proteins as a complement to animal proteins in an evolving food system. This strategic approach addresses the increasing importance of nutrition and sustainability alongside cost and taste considerations.

Prior to his role at Harvest B, Daniel held the position of Head of Research and Development for The Arnott’s Group. In this capacity, he was accountable for driving technology, innovation, and supply chain support by establishing culinary, product, process, packaging, regulatory, and nutrition teams. Daniel spearheaded successful research initiatives across various categories at Arnott’s, delivering short and long-term capability roadmaps for Savoury, Chocolate, and Better for You segments.

Before his tenure at Arnott’s, Daniel spent eight years at Unilever in diverse product commercialization roles. His responsibilities ranged from process engineering to technical project leadership and management, supporting product development, factory scale-up, and marketing activation across Hair, Skin & Deodorant categories in Unilever Australasia.

Before Unilever, Daniel spent six years at Memcor Australia (now Evoqua Water Technologies) as a development chemist. There, he conducted research on membrane materials, manufacturing processes, and post-treatment techniques, leading to the filing of seven patents covering three new materials and four processes.

Chief Process Engineer BlueScope Steel – Australian Steel Products

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) – University of New South Wales
  • Chief Process Engineer (Engineers Australia)

Areas of Expertise:

  • Steel production processes and coating technologies
  • Gas and liquid distribution networks
  • Combustion systems and equipment
  • Thermal energy recovery
  • Process safety
  • Process Control
  • Industrial wastewater treatment

Biography:

Shannon Ballard has over 30 years’ experience the chemical engineering industry, currently holding the position of Chief Product Engineer at BlueScope Steel.  Throughout his career he has held number of pivotal roles such as, Senior Process Engineer for BlueScope Steel, Principal Process Engineer (consultant), Engineering Manager at Ovivo Water and Process Engineer for BHP Steel.  Shannon has specialised in a broad range of areas including steel production, steel coating, water treatment, gas distribution process design and specification, Project FEED, contract management, equipment evaluation, root cause analysis, operational support and training.

Chief Advisor Processing & Technology at Rio Tinto

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Chemical Engineering – University of New South Wales
  • Doctor of Philosophy - University of Queensland
  • Fellow, Chartered Engineer & Executive Engineer of Engineers Australia (FIEAust CPEng ExecEng)
  • Fellow & Chartered Professional of AusIMM (FAusIMM(CP)
  • Registered Professional Engineer Qld with BPEQ (RPEQ)

Areas of Expertise:

  • Technical Leadership & Strategic Leadership
  • Bayer (alumina) processing
  • Processing plant decarbonisation
  • Hydrometallurgy

Biography:

Anthony has over 25 years of professional experience as a Chemical Engineer in technical & leadership roles in mining processing primarily with bauxite, alumina, magnesium, and copper.  His early career roles were focussed on developing new biohydrometallurgy and magnesium process technology.

He later joined Rio Tinto where he has worked over the last 20 years in operations, engineering design, technical consultancy, and management roles.  The technical teams that he has led include plant process engineers, processing subject matter experts and a hydrometallurgy processing R&D laboratory.

Anthony currently leads a global team of processing professionals that implement processing productivity improvement tools across Rio Tinto, assist the rollout of global processing systems and perform internal technical reviews. He is an internationally recognised expert in alumina and has represented Rio Tinto on numerous industry advisory boards including the Alumina Quality Workshop (Chair 2016-19) Inc., the Australian Aluminium Council (AAC) Bauxite & Alumina Panel, the Alumina Technical Panel (ATP) and the Heavy-Industry Low-Carbon Transition (HILT) CRC. 

Anthony is passionate about support and development of the next generation of chemical engineers by strategically collaborating across university and industry bodies, working on internal processing capability, and actively mentoring early/mid-career engineers.

Senior Director Emerging Capabilities within the Global Technical, Innovation and Supply Chain Capabilities team at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, USA

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Food Science & Technology - University of New South Wales
  • Master of Nutrition & Dietetics - University of Sydney        
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration - Macquarie Graduate School of Management
  • Graduate Certificate in International Food Law - Michigan State University, USA
  • Member of the Australian Institute of Food Science
  • Member of Technology and the Dietitians Australia

Areas of Expertise:

  • Technical and Strategic leadership
  • People Development
  • Global Innovation
  • Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science
  • Food Law

Biography:

Coral Colyer is a distinguished senior regulatory professional with nearly three decades of experience in the food and beverage industry and public health sector. Coral's current role as Senior Director Emerging Capabilities within the Global Technical, Innovation and Supply Chain Capabilities team at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, USA, showcases her extensive expertise and leadership skills.

Throughout her career, Coral has demonstrated an in-depth understanding of nutrition, dietetics, food science, leadership, the food regulations impacting Australia, New Zealand, and the ASEAN region as well as globally with Codex.

Her experience encompasses both private and public sectors, having worked with Goodman Fielder and Coca-Cola to lead the scientific regulatory affairs agenda, as well as the National Heart Foundation of Australia to improve the food supply within retail and foodservice. Coral is also a respected member of professional organisations such as the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Dietitians Australia and recently retired as a member of the Australian Food & Grocery Council's Nutrition & Regulatory Affairs Committee, a position she held for just under ten years.

Coral's dedication to people development is evident in her current role, where she focuses on cultivating talent and fostering a culture of growth. She plays an instrumental role in developing the capabilities strategy for emerging markets, ensuring that the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindsets are built and delivered sustainably. Coral's passion for her work and her commitment to excellence make her a valuable asset to the food industry.

CEO, Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology; FAIFST; Principal, FJ Fleming Food Consulting

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Masters in Nutrition and Management, Food and Nutrition – University of Wollongong
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Technology) – Queensland Agricultural College

Areas of Expertise:

  • Communication and Corporate Affairs
  • Food Policy and Regulation
  • Product Recall and Crisis Management
  • Issues Management
  • Food Safety and Quality
  • Allergen Management and Labelling

Biography:

Fiona is a Director of FJ Fleming Food Consulting Pty Ltd and CEO of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). She is an experienced Corporate and Regulatory Affairs professional who has been involved in leading and facilitating change and developing management strategies across a portfolio of food policy and regulation matters in global FMCG and NGO environments.

Fiona has 40 years’ experience in the food industry in the areas of dairy, seafood, cereal-based foods, smallgoods, tea, simmer sauces and pastes, ingredients, and infant formula. Fiona has previously worked for a large FMCG company in the role of Group Quality and Corporate Affairs Manager.  In this role she was responsible for providing leadership across Australia and New Zealand in the areas of food policy and regulation; consumer affairs and communication; issues and crisis management and food quality and safety.

Fiona is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Fiona is a member of Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia and the Allergen Bureau.

Fiona holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Technology) from the University of Queensland and a Masters of Nutrition Management from the University of Wollongong.

Business Development Manager, Powerfuels including Hydrogen Network
NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Master's degree in Sustainable Energy from the University of Queensland
  • Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales with First Class Honors
  • Diploma in Leadership and Management with AIM

Areas of Expertise:

  • Policy
  • Renewable and Clean Energy
  • Innovation and Grants/Project Management
  • Business Development

Biography:

Thomas Gao is a dynamic professional currently serving as the Manager of Policy and Strategic Programs at the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer Office. He has undertaken a secondment role as the Business Development Manager at the NSW Powerfuel Including Hydrogen Network within NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub. With a rich and diverse background, Thomas is a chemical engineer, a certified RegPM project manager, and a seasoned policy expert with a decade of experience spanning industry, government, and research, all centered around the clean economy and cutting-edge technology.

Thomas has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of state clean economy policy and initiatives. His leadership has been instrumental in the development of a range of groundbreaking programs, including the NSW Power-to-X initiatives, the Decarbonisation Innovation Program, the NSW 20-Year R&D Roadmap and Program, the NSW Small Business Innovation Program, and the Coal Innovation R&D Program.

Thomas Gao's passion, expertise, and remarkable track record make him a driving force in the realm of clean economy and technology, positioning him as a key player in shaping a sustainable future.

Project Manager - Beca

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) - University of New South Wales
  • Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) in Chemical Engineering, Project Management and Leadership & Management.
  • Office Bearer for Engineers Australia Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (JCEC) Queensland
  • Member of Queensland Women in Engineering
  • Office Bearer for Engineers Australia Women in Engineering Queensland

Areas of Expertise:

  • Hygienic Food & Beverage processing equipment
  • Design Management
  • Contracts Management
  • Project Management

Biography:

Kylie Lim is a Project Manager with process engineering background that has been built upon by managing a variety of Food & Beverage projects across sites in Australia.

Her main area of expertise ranges from early business case stages through to project execution and handover. Kylie has experience in multidisciplinary design management, coordinating and managing onsite installation and commissioning works in the Food & Beverage sectors. Kylie is an advocate for STEM and diversity in engineering. Kylie is an Office Bearer for Engineer’s Australia Queensland Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (JCEC) and Queensland Women in Engineering.

Kylie was a Year in Industry student at ANSTO Minerals, where she worked on rare earth extraction pilot plant projects. She managed a couple of rare earth (light and heavy) projects, where she procured, fabricated, installed, tested and commissioned, operated and decommissioned the systems. This experience cemented her interest in engineering consulting, deliver projects from the start to end, and having the variety of projects.

During her time at ME Engineering, Kylie worked as a process/project engineer. She was completing hygienic process design, mostly on dairy and beverage projects while onsite. These projects evolved into project management.

Kylie currently holds the position of Project Manager at Beca, which sits within the Industrial Food and Life Sciences business line. She is currently working on a large greenfield beverage manufacturing site in Queensland, involving all aspects of project management, including feasibility, equipment design and contract management throughout the construction phase.

Research and Development Manager at Era Polymers

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Science (Industrial Chemistry) - University of New South Wales
  • Masters of Business Administration (MBA) - AGSM (University of New South Wales and University of Sydney)

Areas of Expertise:

  • Research and Development
  • Polyurethane elastomers
  • Quality Control
  • Compliance

Biography:

Terry Petkovic has over 30 years of experience in research and development operations across multiple sites, including Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and USA. This includes ensuring Research Labs and Quality Control (QC) labs are equipped with skilled professionals and laboratory equipment to uphold the highest standards of excellence.  Customer demands and emerging technologies shape their research activities across multiple industries to develop new products.

Director, General Manager – Photon Energy Group

Qualifications and Memberships:

  • Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical Engineering (Hons), University of New South Wales
  • Board Member: Balmoral Beach Club
  • Qualified Cave Diver, Cave Diving Association of Australia

Areas of Expertise:

  • Renewable energy
  • Remediation
  • Hazardous liquid waste management solutions
  • Specialty Chemicals, water and wastewater treatment
  • General Operations and Supply Chain management
  • Joint Venture operations (Japan)
  • Technical Sales leadership

Biography:

Ian Phillipps has over 25 years of experience in management, sales and operations leadership roles. He has achieved results across both Australia and Asia in technical sales and sales management, supply chain operations, joint ventures, manufacturing, and multi-division business operations. He has worked in industries including mining, energy, manufacturing, food & beverage, industrial, paper and resource management. Primarily with respect to water, wastewater, and liquid waste management. Ian also has experience in the renewable energy sector, and groundwater remediation.

Having held roles in geographically diverse locations, he has an appreciation for working within matrix businesses and functional structures and has led organizational restructures in Asia and Australia.