Chairperson:

Frank Peach has served as a public servant for many years in Queensland, including in the positions of Director General of Education, Director General of Corrective Services, Director General of Families, and Director General of Housing. He now operates a consultancy company specialising in organisational development, executive coaching, education strategies, and strategic reviews and investigations. Frank resides in Queensland.

Members of the Panel

Catherine Cooper has senior management experience with large companies including Elders Ltd, Futuris Corporation and Fosters Brewing Group and has been involved in a number of industries including finance/banking/insurance, agribusiness, legal and commercial, and health and education. Catherine is  the Chairperson of a number of organisations including the Dairy Authority of South Australia,  and the Fisheries Council of SA. She also holds directorships in a range of organisations including  SA Water, Repatriation General Hospital ,  the Harness Racing Association of SA , the  national Agri-foods Skills Council and the Quarantine Export Advisory Council. Catherine is the principal of CooperConsult which provides business advisory services to  a wide variety of clients. Catherine resides in South Australia.

Professor Bill Russell is Managing Director of E W Russell and Associates, management consultants. He was the inaugural chair of the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre.  Bill is a professor at the University of Melbourne , and was previously a Director-General in the Victorian Public Service, a Commissioner of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria and a Member of the Victorian Solar Energy Council. Bill resides in Victoria.

Bruce Connery was a senior manager with the Australian Gas Light Company between 1977 and 1990 and again between 1992 and 2002 in the areas of corporate planning and regulatory affairs. He retired from AGL in 2002. He has extensive experience in the natural gas and electricity industries in management and regulatory roles. He was involved in the establishment of the Natural Gas Pipeline Access Code and represented the Australian Pipeline Industry Association on the Natural Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee. Bruce resides in New South Wales.

Karen Chalmers-Scott has extensive experience as a senior executive within regulatory, commercial, dispute resolution and not-for-profit environments—including three years as General Manager Customer Affairs for the Office of the Regulator-General Victoria (now the Essential Services Commission), focusing on the energy and water industries. A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Karen resides in regional Queensland and works as an independent public affairs practitioner. She is the Chair of the Advisory Council to the Energy Ombudsman Queensland .

Staff

The Panel's Executive Director is Ms Kerry Connors, who came to the Panel after advocating for consumers in Victoria where she served as the inaugural Executive Officer of the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre (CUAC). Prior to her CUAC appointment Ms Connors established a consultancy offering counsel to Australian businesses on corporate social responsibility, building on her career experience with the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which included a posting to the Australian Embassy in Korea. She is a member of the Executive of the Consumers Federation of Australia.