Industry talks

Dr. David Lyons is a chemistry expert with a BSc and PhD from Imperial College London. He began his career at BP Chemicals in the UK, holding various roles in development and technical services before moving to Australia in 1995 to manage business development for BP Chemicals Australia and New Zealand.

In 1999, he joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Director in R&D Tax Concession, advising startups and developing consulting products. He later worked at James Hardie as Technical Manager and General Manager of Research and Product Development in the Asia Pacific region.

In 2015, he became Technical Director, Business Development at Lhoist North America. After retiring in May 2024, he returned to Central Coast NSW, where he aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Simon McGrillen is a technical lead with a focus on solving water-related challenges and optimising processes for people, environments, and businesses. With experience at Enviropacific and Nalco Water, he has managed customer relationships, led technical projects, and driven process improvements in various industry settings.

Simon holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from UNSW. He is always eager to connect with others who share his passion for innovative water solutions.

Peter is a UNSW Chemical Engineer graduate and has over 35 years’ experience as a practicing chemical engineer, all of it in the water industry.  Most of that was as a Process Engineer & Manager at Memcor, a leading low pressure membrane manufacturer. 

Peter is now the Engineering Manager at SAS Water Solutions, where he leads a small team that design all kinds of water & wastewater systems and support water treatment plant operations & maintenance. He has hired, managed and mentored many young engineers throughout his career.