In 2023 Waste Expo Australia has put together a select group of industry leaders with the aim of providing advice on creating an event that will meet the waste industry needs. The intent of the advisory board is to share knowledge and experience, and to support the team in delivering an event that will bring together the waste community, educate them, and inspire then. The Waste Expo Australia team is extremely honoured to be working with this incredible array of waste professionals.
ADVISORY BOARD
AMAL JUGDEO
BDM
Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia
Amal Jugdeo has served in lead engineering and project management roles for more than 20 years in large-scale industrial processing facilities across all phases of project development from front-end engineering, detail design, start-up and operation. Today, Amal is responsible for leading the development of various waste-to-energy projects in the Oceania market for the local subsidiary of Hitachi Zosen Inova, a Swiss cleantech company providing waste-to-energy and renewable gas solutions.
BEN MORGAN
General Manager
Victoria Operations at Bingo
After studying for an honours degree in Environmental Science, Ben Morgan became fascinated with industrial-scale waste and resource management projects. His career has seen him work across major industrial operations such as oil refineries, wastewater treatment facilities, landfills, industrial-scale composting sites and recycling facilities. He joined BINGO Industries five years ago, heading up their Safety Environment & Quality department in Victoria before transitioning into overseeing the Victorian operational responsibilities for the transport, bulk haulage and recycling departments. Throughout his time with BINGO, he has seen rapid growth in Melbourne, and he is really excited about where the recycling industry is heading. At BINGO, he has a vision of Zero Waste in landfills and he is passionate about seeing what innovative circular economy solutions we can deliver in this market moving forward.
DAVID COCKS
Director of Growth
MRA Consulting
David is MRA’s Director of Growth with over 13 years’ experience in the waste management and resource recovery. He has led strategy development supporting the circular economy and feasibility studies for introduction of new services and infrastructure, for local government. He has developed procurement packages for waste and recycling services as well as the design, construction and operation of organics processing facilities, transfer stations and landfills. He has undertaken market analysis for proponents of waste to energy facilities, anaerobic digestion facilities and landfill operators as well as advised commercial sector procurements in particular the national waste service contracts for national retail brands.
David has long pursued a passion for sustainability, previously working with Sustainability Victoria as Manager of Waste Infrastructure and with regional councils in North East Victoria as Executive Officer for the North East Regional Waste Management Group. David possesses a broad range of skills and experience, as an electrical engineer working with communications systems and power semiconductors, management of both public and private sector organisations, and an in-depth understanding of the waste management and resource recovery industry.
DR KATE RINGVALL
Technical Director Circular Economy
GHD
Dr Kate is a ‘Solutionary’ and is motivated by compassion and justice to address the underlying causes of the entrenched and interconnected problems that face the planet.
She has a Masters in Public Policy and a PhD in Planning. Her areas of expertise and interest are in the Circular Economy, Sustainability in Business, Sustainability Branding, Sustainable Urban Planning, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Transport, Transit Orientated Development, and Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment. Dr Kate’s sustainability journey started young and has traversed sustainability and now circular economy in all its facets.
Dr Kate has worked for governments at all levels, across large corporations and Universities implementing and integrating sustainability principles and practices. She is a Co-founder and Governing Fellow of the Galactic Cooperative in Western Australia and has also Co-founded the Circular Economy consultancy - Ringvall Circularity. She now leads the Circular Economy topic for GHD, a global consulting firm.
DR SARAH KING
Technical Director - Circular Economy & Resource Recovery
GHD
Dr Sarah King has 20+ years of experience in circular economy (CE), recycling, innovation, policy development, corporate sustainability management, and sustainable industry transition. Sarah invented ‘ASPIRE’, Australia’s first CE matchmaking marketplace, and delivered Australia’s first national CE roadmap.
Prior to joining GHD, Sarah established CSIRO’s (Australia’s National Science Agency) Ending Plastic Waste Mission as Work Package Leader for Waste Innovation. Sarah has delivered research and projects on; advanced (chemical) recycling of plastics, lithium battery recycling opportunities, supply chain options for remote recycling of problematic waste streams. Sarah has expertise in business model innovation and designing CE pilots including Australia’s first trial of recycling disposable nappies using anaerobic digestion. Sarah is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with Swinburne University of Technology.
MICHELLE MANDL-KEATING
General Manager, Communications, Customer & Engagement
TOMRA Cleanaway
Michelle is an experienced waste, resource recovery, and sustainability executive with 20+ years of expertise across municipal and state government and commercial services industries where she has been responsible for engagement programs that deliver behaviour change at scale.
Commencing early in her career as a teacher and environmental educator, Michelle’s environmental passions led her to an Australian Government and European Union joint scholarship in Denmark and Wales to study a Master of Environmental Management, majoring in organic agriculture, sustainability and resource management. Hooked on ‘waste’ in the early 2000’s, Michelle has been passionate about resource management and Australia’s journey towards more sustainable practices since.
Today Michelle is known for creating an empowered team within a lean organisation and has demonstrated executive-level representation throughout her tenure. Michelle’s national-level responsibilities ensure TOMRA Cleanaway is recognized as a premier network operator of container deposit scheme services.
MIKE RITCHIE
Managing Director
MRA Consulting
Mike is one of Australia’s leading waste experts. With 25 years’ experience in the environmental and waste sector, Mike combines complex technical expertise and business knowledge. As a former senior executive for Visy, SUEZ and WSN, Mike has become one of the sector’s most recognised strategic thinkers, advising governments and business on waste and recycling.
As MRA’s Managing Director, Mike provides extensive insight into the economics, policy constraints, issues and challenges of Australia’s waste and recycling sector, whilst working toward economically sensible environmental reforms. Mike's goal is to help make waste management economically rational and environmentally sustainable.
SUZANNE TOUMBOUROU
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Council of Recycling
Suzanne Toumbourou is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) the peak body for resource recovery, recycling and remanufacturing, committed to leading the transition to a circular economy through the recycling supply chain.
Suzanne is an organisation leader with deep experience in public affairs, executive management, stakeholder relations, governance strategy of not-for-profits, with a strong reputation as a sustainability, recycling and circular economy subject matter expert.
At ACOR, Suzanne has forged a renewed strategy and federal agenda for a thriving recycling sector, with core priorities of an aligned and supportive regulatory environment, strong markets and an integrated supply chain, outcome-driven product stewardship and consumers who know how to recycle right.
Prior to this, Suzanne was the longstanding Executive Director of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council, where she delivered impactful policy outcomes for building sustainability, including advancing the energy performance provisions in Australia’s Building Code and informing the priorities of the COAG Energy Council’s Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings.
Suzanne has broad experience encompassing Federal and State Governments, industry and non-profit organisations. She is passionate about leading positive change for people, industry and the planet.