Speakers

Kitty Prodonovich

Master of Ceremonies

Your MC for the day will be Kitty Prodonovich, CEO of the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (RCCIWA).

Sharon Todd

Kariyarra Elder; Funeral Director, Towards the Dreaming Funeral Services

Sharon, a Kariyarra Noongar woman has made history as Western Australia’s first female Indigenous funeral director & funeral company holder. Sharon’s commitment to her community led her to establish Towards the Dreaming, a funeral service that bridges cultural gaps and honours traditions.

Pippa Hallas

Key Note Speaker

Pippa Hallas is the CEO of iconic skincare empire Ella Baché, the embodiment of female empowerment she works with pure ambition. Combined with progressive thinking, innovation, and mentoring, she is she is also an avid traveller, author, mother of two young sons and a wife.

Peter Carter

Mayor, Town of Port Hedland

Peter Carter was elected as the Mayor of Port Hedland in the October 2020 Local Government Election.

Carl Askew

Chief Executive Officer, Town of Port Hedland

Carl has a long career in Local Government and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Town of Port Hedland in February 2020.

Minister for Emergency Services; Innovation and the Digital Economy; Science; Medical Research; Minister Assisting the Minister for State and Industry Development, Jobs and Trade; Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region

Stephen was born in Dublin and migrated to Australia in 1989 with his family. He has been a Chief of Staff to a number of Government Ministers in Western Australia and Victoria and worked with the Trade Union movement

Member for Pilbara

Kevin was born in Golden Rock, India and completed a diploma in air-conditioning and Refrigeration in Bangalore, India. He completed 2 years of his Degreein Mechanical Engineering before migrating to Melbourne in 1990.

Cindy Dunham

General Manager Port, Western Australia Iron Ore

Cindy Dunham was appointed General Manager at Western Australia Iron Ore in October 2021. Cindy is accountable for BHP’s Port Operations at Port Hedland, including our marine towage business.

Warren Wellbeloved

General Manager Rail, Western Australia Iron Ore

Warren Wellbeloved was appointed General Manager Rail for WA Iron Ore in 2019 and is accountable for BHP’s extensive rail operations and maintenance in the Pilbara region.

Terry Hill AM

Chair of the Pilbara Development Commission Board

Terry is the Commission Chair for the Pilbara Development Commission board, previously holding the position of Chief Executive Officer for over eight years.

David Eaton

Small Business Commissioner, CEO, Small Business Development Corporation

David Eaton is Western Australia’s Small Business Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC). In this dual role, he is responsible for the broad range of services delivered by the SBDC including its dispute resolution and mediation service.

Katie Charuga

General Manager Port and Rail Services, Fortescue Hedland Operations

Katie Charuga has 20 years’ experience in the Mining Industry, working the majority of these years at Fortescue where she is currently General Manager, leading our Port, Rail, Villages and Resource Definition Teams.

Jonathon Mizen

Senior Manager Customer Solutions, Horizon Power

Jon is an energy sector professional, with more than 20 years’ experience in electric power and renewables. He joined Horizon Power in July 2023 to lead their Customer Solutions Group, which is focussed on placing customers and communities at the centre of the energy transition.

Charles Kretzmann

General Manager Major Projects and Engineering, Pilbara Ports Authority

Mr Kretzmann joined Pilbara Ports as in October 2017. He is a civil engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in planning, design, construction, project and program management for public and private sector organisations.

Mark Fernandez

Chief Executive Officer, FranchisingWA

Mark is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and brings over 25 years of senior management experience in franchising and strategic thinking to our team and to your business.

Fidel González

Owner, Mincka Engineering

Fidel González was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. He is a Mechanical Engineer, having graduated in 2006, and holds a Master's Degree in Engineering (2010).

Ryley Heap

Senior Economic Development Officer, Town of Port Hedland

Ryley is an experienced economic developer bringing strong expertise in regional tourism development, marketing and economic diversification.

James Vallis

Project Director, Azzura Investments

Over the past 45 years, James’s career has taken him from being awarded a national scholarship and graduating as Quantity Surveyor, to Chief Estimator for one of Australia’s largest Civil contractors to Executive positions in Australia’s largest Retail Design and Construction company Westfield.

Simon Cooper

Chief Operating Officer, NEXTDC

Simon is the Chief Operating Officer at NEXTDC, and is responsible for leading the company’s strategic direction in data centre design, development, construction, and driving the strategic business operational framework.

Douglas Cooksey

Director, Cooksey Property Group

Douglas Cooksey is the Principal of Cooksey Property Group, and has worked in property development and construction for over 20 years, as a consultant, builder and developer, with projects ranging from shopping centres, large format retail, industrial and mining.

Claire Boyce

Co-Owner, Everything Earth

Claire Boyce is an experience business leader and community advocate. She holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics, from University College Cork and the University of Limerick.

Byron Klein

Director, Hedland Eye Care

Byron is the director and optometrist at Hedland Eye Care. He has extensive experience in optometric care and is passionate about improving the eye health and vision of Australians living in rural and remote regions.

Lee Ross

Pharmacist / Proprietor, Pharmacy 777 Port Hedland

Lee Ross is a devoted community pharmacist and co-owner of Pharmacy 777 Port Hedland and Pharmacy 777 Portside. He is passionate about providing high quality healthcare to Port Hedland, while aiming to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals to seek a career in regional areas like ours.

Dr Kate George

Managing Director of Bugardi Pty Ltd

Dr Kate George is a Putejurra woman from the Murchison-Gascoyne region in Western Australia. She was born on the 494 mile peg of the rabbit proof fence and belongs to the Putejurra people who are part of the Martu of the Western Desert.