Jim was appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the UQEI in July 2016 and brings to The University of Queensland a unique and skilled mix of industry and academic experience built from
successful careers in the energy industry and private consulting practice.
He has worked in the energy sector for 35 years, commencing as a Chemical Engineer in the gas production and supply sector with AGL, gaining extensive experience as an engineer, a senior manager in economic regulation, sales, advertising and marketing, and energy market strategy and design. He also worked in merger and acquisition transactions for the AGL Board, in the procurement of major gas portfolios, gas transmission agreements and associated lengthy wholesale price arbitrations, and in negotiating the major industrial and commercial gas sales agreements.
Over a 20-year career Jim has developed and funded a number of very successful energy and water consulting practices across the Asia Pacific region. These businesses largely focused on regulatory economics and market design work but in reality involved a very wide range of topics - from upstream gas to retailing, transmission and distribution systems and regulation generation (grid and remote), renewables, energy forecasting, etc. This work connected him with all the leading energy companies, regulators and government policy groups in the region.
Jim is an Executive Director of Oakley Greenwood Pty Ltd, a leading consulting group in the energy and water sector. Prior to this he was Vice-President and Senior Advisor to Charles River International (Boston) and Executive General Manager Development for Energy Developments Ltd.
He holds an honours degree in Chemical Engineering from Newcastle University, and is a graduate of the Mt. Eliza Management College Advanced Management Program. He has headed the Australian Chemical Engineering College Board, sat on the Institution of Engineers Board and has been a Fellow of IEAust (and IChemE) since 1993.
Jim feels that the energy industry faces a number of major challenges - it is undergoing fundamental change rather than incremental change, yet does not conduct the detailed research work that is required to inform the industry and policy decision making despite there being billions of economic, consumer and industry value at stake. He feels that UQ and the Energy Initiative could address a number of these issues, thereby forcing the industry to confront fact rather than opinion which in turn could improve policy and investment decision making.
Jim can be contacted via uqenergy@uq.edu.au
