Kitty is the CEO of the Regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry of WA. Kitty has previously held the positions of Presidents of both the RCCIWA (2005 – 2010) and the Kalgoorlie-Boulder CCI (2003-2005) and has owned two small businesses in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the first one at the age of 21. Kitty’s involvement with a regional Chamber of Commerce began in 1991, and she is a strong and driven advocate for regional business communities. Kitty is a past Chair of the board of the Small Business Development Corporation and currently sits on the General Council of CCIWA.

Tim Day is the Asset President of Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO). Prior to this appointment, Tim held a global role as VP for the Resource Centre of Excellence and Legacy Assets, based in Perth. Tim has an extensive understanding of the resources industry with 25 years of experience in iron ore and coal operations, mine planning and technical, resource engineering, maintenance, new mine design, construction, and site commissioning. A major focus of his working career has been integrating technology into operations to improve safety and productivity. Tim has held multiple Vice President and General Manager roles within BHP and has started two mine sites within the iron ore sector. He is passionate about creating strong, high performance work cultures with demonstrated delivery of results and a bias towards excellence in productivity. Tim was born in Queensland and graduated from the University of Queensland in 2000 with a Bachelor of Engineering, Mining Honours.

Bernie began her career with Rio Tinto in 2005 and has held a variety of roles across Procurement and Communities. Since 2020, she has been a key contributor to the Winu Project, where she leads negotiations for Land Use Agreements with Traditional Owner Groups. As Manager of the Communities and Social Performance team, Bernie plays a central role in fostering strong partnerships and driving regional economic development through community engagement and sustainable outcomes.

Mayor Jacinta Behrend has lifelong involvement across local arts, sport, education and health, and was awarded the Town of Port Hedland Active Community Citizen Award in 2025. Jacinta is Chairperson of the Hedland Well Women's Centre, bringing strong governance, accountability and community leadership. She holds qualifications in law and business studies and is an AICD accredited board professional. Jacinta is guided by purpose, integrity, and accountability, and believes good leadership starts with listening and follows through with action.

Dale Stewart has more than 40 years’ local government experience serving diverse and complex communities across Western Australia. He has led four local governments as CEO and held senior executive and consultancy roles across the sector, bringing exceptional capability in governance, financial management, strategic planning, and organisational development. Mr Stewart is recognised for delivering major capital works programs, long-term financial plans, award winning community initiatives and robust organisational reforms. He joined the Town of Port Hedland from Shire of Narrogin, where he was CEO for the past seven years.

Lee Furness has decades of experience in Government and non-Government organisations developing and implementing strategic planning initiatives. Project planning, governance and project management are her key areas of expertise. Her strengths are in developing innovative strategies to deliver quality outcomes and a commitment to collaboration to achieve strong results. Lee has been the Town of Port Hedland’s Director of Infrastructure since December 2019. With substantial experience in project planning, governance and project management, Lee drives the Town’s delivery of key strategic infrastructure projects. Lee’s team has successfully completed infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions and is now planning for the next phase of growth with substantial capital investment planned over the next 15 years.

Neil has more than 38 years’ experience in the planning, design, construction and project management of major private and public sector assets. His career spans building and social infrastructure - including schools and law courts - as well as main roads, land subdivision, underground rail, mine development, mineral-processing facilities for gold, copper, iron ore and vanadium, marine works, remote Aboriginal housing, and renewable energy projects. He is currently CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Hub Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The project will develop a vast portfolio of wind and solar generation assets to deliver up to 26 GW of renewable energy and produce green hydrogen.

Dean Smith has been a Liberal Senator for Western Australia since May 2012. In February 2026 he was appointed to the Coalition’s Economic Leadership Team as Shadow Assistant Minister to the Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Assistant Minister for the Cost of Living. He has previously served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction; Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. From 2019 to 2022 he was the Chief Government Whip in the Senate. A proud Western Australian originally from the Pilbara, Dean has been a strong and effective advocate for Western Australia, particularly for regional communities across the State’s far north. Senator Smith was one of the earliest and strongest voices calling for GST reform and part of WA’s Federal Liberal Team that secured a fairer GST deal for WA in 2017. He continues to be an effective advocate for WA’s mining, energy and export industries, recognising their critical role in the State’s future prosperity and the Australian national economy. Over the last year his policy advocacy has focussed on the potential of FBT reforms to deliver significant social and economic dividends to communities across the Pilbara and Kimberely regions. His parliamentary committee work includes the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Northern Australia and serving as Deputy Chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. In 2018, Dean was awarded the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership by a panel of eminent Australians, including former Prime Ministers John Howard and Julia Gillard. Before entering the Senate, Dean worked as a Policy Adviser to Western Australian Premier Richard Court and Prime Minister John Howard and held senior executive positions with Insurance Australia Group and SingTel Optus.

Krystal Skinner is the CEO of Horizon Power, leading a team of 600+ staff to deliver power to approximately 47,000 customer accounts across regional and remote Western Australia. She has extensive experience in WA’s energy sector, including in executive roles leading electrification and distributed energy initiatives, and delivering priority asset programs for some of the State’s most remote Aboriginal communities in support of Closing the Gap.