Advisory Board

Founder and CEO, STEM Matters

CEO, serial entrepreneur and co-founder, publisher and science journalist, Kylie Ahern has transformed how non-academic Australians read about, understand, and interact with evidence, and significantly lifted the bar for public communication of research.

She has also materially increased the communications capabilities and public profile of a great many researchers and opened opportunities for many millions of dollars in research funding across the breadth of Australian research.

Kylie was previously founder and CEO of Cosmos Media, which launched Australia's most popular science magazine, Cosmos, and the country's top-selling green lifestyle magazine.

Partner-in-Charge Brisbane, Jones Day Lawyers

John Cooper has worked on many of Australia's largest projects in the transport, energy and resources, defense, and social infrastructure sectors. He has represented owners, major contractors, and consultants in complex disputes on major procurement projects in Australia and overseas.

John has been the lead lawyer on teams that acted on the operation and maintenance agreement for the regional rail network in New South Wales (NSW), major defense acquisition and sustainment contracts, and mine infrastructure and contract mining agreements for iron ore mines in South Australia, coal mines in NSW and Queensland, and many other mining projects in Australia and overseas. Prior to joining Jones Day, John worked on the program alliance for RailCorp's signaling work and the successful Transcity joint venture bid for Legacy Way, the Gateway Upgrade Project (the largest bridge and road project in Queensland's history).

John has acted in major Supreme Court actions in relation to defects in the pavements at Port Botany and the Port of Brisbane and is currently representing major international contractors on disputes in connection with a number of the recently completed gas projects in Queensland. He also has represented clients in arbitrations, expert determinations, and statutory adjudications.

John is a member of the Construction and Infrastructure Law Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, a member of the Resolution Institute, and a member of the Centre for Professional Legal Education Advisory Board. He also has held leadership roles with many other organizations, including the Professional Engineers Disciplinary Panel of Queensland. He has delivered many papers on dispute resolution, construction, procurement, and contract law topics.

Australian Institute of Company Directors

Tonianne Dwyer is an independent non-executive director based in Brisbane.

She currently sits on the Boards of DEXUS Property Group, Metcash Limited, ALS Limited and the Queensland Treasury Corporation.

After a career in investment banking and real estate in the United Kingdom, Ms Dwyer moved to Brisbane in 2010.

She has a longstanding interest in the university sector having established one of the UK’s leading independent student housing businesses and launched a science park fund to invest in R&D facilities alongside universities.

Ms Dwyer is a graduate of the University of Western Australia having been awarded BJuris (Hons) and LLB (Hons). She is a graduate of AICD and a member of Chief Executive Women.  

Commissioner, NRL

Kate Jones has more than 20 years experience in senior government and leadership positions. Kate served as a Minister in the Queensland Government for more than eight years in a range of portfolios including State Development, Education, Tourism and Major Events and Innovation and Climate Change.

Kate was also the Minister for the Commonwealth Games working closely with key industry partners and all levels of government to successfully deliver Queensland’s largest ever event, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Throughout 2020, Kate was instrumental in working with many national sporting codes to ensure they could continue to operate safely during the COVID-19 pandemic and she led the government’s economic response for the tourism and events industries.

Kate is a Director on the Board of Paralympics Australia having been appointed in July 2022.

Kate has also served as a member of the Cabinet Budget Review Committee developing and implementing Queensland’s state budget and overarching economic strategy for the state. Kate has a Masters in Environmental Law (ANU) and a Bachelor of Arts, Journalism Major (QUT).

Throughout her career Kate has also served on a number of government and non-government boards at both a state and national level. Kate has strong skills in strategy development and partnerships, crisis management, media relations and communications.

Chief Executive Officer at AMTIL
BA (PR), PDM (Mktg), GAICD, MBA

Lorraine leads the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), the peak national body that represents the interests of manufacturing technology suppliers and users within the advanced manufacturing and precision engineering sector.

Prior to joining AMTIL as CEO, Lorraine was Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Ausbiotech, where she worked closely with public policy impacting the life sciences sector at state and federal levels, including economic development, tax incentives, patent protection, medical research and its commercialisation.

Lorraine previously held the roles of Deputy CEO, Chief Industry Affairs Officer and National Communications and Media Manager at AusBiotech.

Prior to joining AusBiotech, Lorraine worked in corporate and public affairs roles for a multinational biopharmaceutical company, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the University of Melbourne and for a (mental) health consumer organisation as an advocate.

Lorraine has an undergraduate degree in public relations, majoring in journalism, a postgraduate diploma in marketing management, an MBA and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She is Chair of the CSIRO Manufacturing Business Unit Advisory Committee and a member of the NSW Government Trade and Industry Advisory Committee; she sits on the International Council of Biotechnology Associations, the Federal Government’s Clinical Trials Collaborative Forum, the Therapeutic Goods Administration Consultative Committee and the Global Talent Scheme (GTS) Start-up Advisory Panel. Lorraine is one of 120 Club Melbourne Ambassadors, who work to promote economic growth of Victoria via business events.

Managing Director and Co-founder, Hamilton12

Richard’s experience in financial markets spans more than 20 years having held advisory and executive roles with banking and investment firms both domestically and abroad.

Prior to co-founding Hamilton12, Richard was a Director at the Westpac Group where his insight and experience helped its Private Bank clients make informed investment decisions.

Before joining Westpac, Richard was the Queensland State Manager for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and was responsible for establishing its wealth management presence in Queensland following the global acquisition of Smith Barney from Citigroup.

Prior to Morgan Stanley, Richard was a Director of UBS Wealth Management, a Swiss global financial services company and the Australian General Manager for Currencies Direct, a UK based foreign exchange broker and international payment provider.

Richard holds a Bachelor of Laws and Commerce from Bond University and a Master of Business Administration (Hons) from The University of Queensland.