ESIA Board & Exec

Board

Ric Brazzale, President

Ric Brazzale (B Comm, MBA) (immediate ESIA past- and founding Treasurer) is co-founder and chairman of Green Energy Group including Green Energy Trading, Green Energy Markets and National Carbon Bank of Australia. Ric is president of the Renewable Energy Certificates REC Agents Association and was executive director of the Business Council of Sustainable Energy, the forerunner to the Clean Energy Council. He has participated in all state Governments’ initial advisory committees or processes for the development of energy efficiency schemes and has participated in federal advisory committees in relation to energy efficiency. He has more than 30 years of energy sector experience including a range of senior roles within private energy sector and infrastructure companies. Ric was inducted to the Australian Solar Council Hall of Fame in 2016.

Hamish McGovern, Vice President

Hamish McGovern (BE Elec, BSc, MBA) (an ESIA past-President) is Managing Director of Northmore Gordon, a large-volume certificate creator under the VEU program and a consultancy helping large businesses to decarbonise and reduce their energy use. Hamish has worked in energy efficiency since 2011 and regularly participates in energy savings scheme stakeholder engagement initiatives. He has a deep understanding of the VEU, ESS and ERF deemed and Measurement and Verification (M&V) methods as well as the regulations and compliance requirements. Prior to Northmore Gordon, Hamish spent 20 years building enterprise IT & ICT solutions working in software development, IT infrastructure, sales, marketing and product management.

Leigh Simpson, Secretary

Leigh Simpson (BBus) is a Director of Lakin Environmental, which works with service providers, asset owners, and product manufacturers to provide consulting, technology solutions, and explore participation opportunities within energy efficiency programs. Leigh has been involved in the energy sector for more than a decade and is a regular, active contributor to working groups and program consultations with the intention of strengthening certificate programs, creating genuine abatement, and fostering industry engagement. Lakin Environmental is also a member of the Energy Efficiency Council.

Prior to Lakin Environmental, Leigh was a director and general manager of an AP/ACP company focused on supporting large commercial clients through energy-efficient upgrades in both Victoria and NSW. He devotes particular attention to the VEU and ESS programs, especially concerning new activity development, to ensure that new and revised activities provide opportunities for ESIA members, AP/ACPs, energy service companies, and product manufacturers.

Tania Oldaker, Assistant Secretary

Tania Oldaker is the Chief Operations Officer at Ecovantage and is responsible for the organisation’s National Compliance, Human Resource Management, Finance, Information and Technology, Legal and contractual management, Health and Safety, Governance and Risk. With 20+ years’ experience in General Management and C-Suite roles, Tania has specialised in areas of commercial operations, strategic planning and business growth in small, medium and large businesses, private enterprise, and corporate publicly listed organisations. On a day-to-day basis, Tania is primarily involved in the VEU, ESS, PDRS schemes with an understanding of the RET and ERF. Prior to entering the Energy Industry, Tania has performed key roles in vastly different industries such as digital health (technology strategy, design, development, deployment and support) and onshore manufacturing (operations, procurement, importing / exporting, transport, after sales warranty / support and ISO accreditation). Formally a director on the board of the MSIA (Medical Software Industry Association) Tania has served to represent digital health vendors in a heavily regulated industry, underpinned by antiquated standards and proprietary solutions to work with the Australian Digital Health Agency on open standards that supported interoperable solutions, helping to connect the health records of Australians and transmit health information seamlessly. She lead a consortium of four competing secure messaging vendors and three competing patient management systems to design and achieve industry interoperability. Tania's academic achievements include a Bachelor of Applied Management, Advanced Diploma of Applied Management, Diploma's in Legal Practice - Contract Law, Human Resource Management and International Trade, she has a Certificate III in Quality Assurance – Internal Auditor and is certified in OH&S Return to Work Coordination.

Stuart Edgley, Board member

Stuart Edgley is the Managing Director and founder of Emerald Group, including Emerald Planet, Emerald Energy, Emerald Home, Emerald Alarms and Creditex certificate creation services. Stuart and his team have extensive experience and knowledge of all state-based energy efficiency schemes and supply outside of the schemes, enabling him to represent the ESIA with a balanced view of energy efficiency nationally. Since Emerald Group’s inception in 2006, the company has successfully designed, manufactured and distributed energy-efficient products, ensuring quality outcomes for customers and end-users. Stuart and his team have extensive knowledge of Australia's energy-efficiency markets, product installation processes, compliance requirements, and the evolving needs of customers. This has made Emerald Group one of the largest and most successful suppliers of products across national and state-based energy-efficiency schemes in Australia.

Jens Mozer, Board Member

Jens Mozer (B Eng (Mech), MIEAust, CMVP, CEM, CEES) is a Director at EC Focus Pty Ltd trading as Energy Conservation. EC Focus is a trusted provider of energy and waste management services to commercial and industrial sectors in Australia. Jens is a qualified mechanical engineer, licensed air conditioning and refrigeration technician, approved Measurement & Verification Professional (MVP) under the ESS and VEU and an accredited NABERS assessor. Jens graduated from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and worked at Cummins Holland before moving to Australia in 2009 where he worked as an energy consultant from 2010 before joining EC in 2013. As well as being on the EC Focus board, Jens is responsible for advisory and M&V activities and projects, delivering professional services including energy audits, ratings, energy management systems (EnMS) services, and is responsible for compliance of non-lighting activities in NSW. Jens is a member of the Institute of Engineers Australia, the US Association of Energy Engineers, the Efficiency Valuation Organization, and an Associate Auditor IRCA member (ISO 50001:2018 EnMS).

Mahsa Sistani, Board Member

Mahsa Sistani (B Eng Civil, CMVP) is the Chief Operating Officer at Electric Future Sustainability Services, and ARENA-supported Australian startup that supports customers' transition to a low carbon economy. Mahsa previously held senior management positions at Ecovantage, most recently at national compliance and operations manager. As an employee of two ACP/AP ESIA member businesses since 2012, Mahsa has more than 12 years in state-based energy efficiency programs across Australia. Mahsa has a deep knowledge of the ESS, REPS, VEU and SRES. Mahsa works closely with scheme administrators and policy makers representing the needs of our industry. Before her work in Australia, Mahsa spent 10 years in Iran designing hydro power projects as a civil engineer. If elected to the ESIA Board, Mahsa would draw on her years of practical experience and industry needs when considering new and changed activities within the current schemes. Knowledge across the schemes and a deep understanding of the issues that affect ESIA members provide a comparative perspective which is extremely valuable and not very common. Mahsa's open approach to other in the industry, coupled with her commercial acumen will make her a valuable board member.

Non-Board

Ben Henderson, Treasurer

Ben Henderson (B Comm), (immediate past-ESIA Board Member and Secretary) is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Green Guys Group and Director of OptiTech International. For over a decade he has focused on delivering energy efficiency, renewables, power purchasing agreements and micro-grid solutions for The Green Guys. Through the development of unique and vertically integrated solutions, the Group has delivered projects across 8,000 sites nationally. Ben has been involved in energy savings schemes since 2010, participating in many stakeholder engagements for the ESS, VEU and REPS and has engaged in the ERF. Green Guys Solar, a subsidiary, is a member of the Clean Energy Council and OptiTech is a member of the Lighting Council of Australia.

Jessica Lynch, Executive Director

Jessica Lynch (BBusComn, GAICD) is Executive Director of the Energy Savings Industry Association, responsible for general management of the Association. Jessica mobilises advocacy including policy and regulatory affairs, stakeholder engagement, member services and media. Jessica has decades of experience in communications and stakeholder engagement working as part of leadership and multi-disciplinary teams and diverse businesses. Jessica has worked with industry associations, blue chips, governments and authorities, small-to-medium enterprises, not-for-profits and start-up projects. She has worked with the ESIA Board since 2015 after the VEU and ESS were expanded and has worked in energy, energy efficiency and sustainability periodically for more than 25 years. Jessica is the editor of the ESIA Bulletin and ESIA publications. She was founding editor of EcoGeneration Magazine (launched when the RET was legislated) while working with the Australian Cogeneration Association and Australian EcoGeneration Association, forerunners to the Business Council of Sustainable Energy and the Clean Energy Council.