Our 2025 National Manufacturing Summit speakers bring deep expertise, bold ideas, and practical insights to drive meaningful industry transformation. From industry pioneers to policy influencers, this year’s Summit speakers represent the forefront of manufacturing in Australia. Explore the voices leading the conversation on growth, innovation, and local capability.
THE HON TIM AYRES MP
Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, Minister for Science
Tim Ayres is the Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science in the Albanese Labor Government. He was previously the Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for a Future Made in Australia.
He was elected as a Senator for New South Wales in the 2019 election. During the 46th Parliament, he was Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration and Member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Standing Committee. He led the work of several Select Inquiries including a Senate report on the capability of the Australian Public Service.
He was appointed as Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing in June 2022, after the election of the Labor Government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Before entering Parliament, Tim spent twenty-four years in the trade union movement, representing the interests of workers across a variety of sectors including manufacturing, defence, food processing, aviation and metal industries.
He held several elected leadership roles in the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union. He has been a long-standing member of the Australian Labor Party’s National Executive.
Senator Ayres grew up on his family’s beef cattle farm on the north coast of NSW and completed high school in Glen Innes. He studied industrial relations at the University of Sydney and lives in Sydney.
THE HON ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG MP
NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, Minister for Corrections
After graduation, Anoulack completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney and later undertook postgraduate studies in economics and public administration at the University of Sydney and the London School of Economics. Before entering Parliament, Anoulack worked as an economist for 13 years and served as a councillor and later as mayor on Campbelltown City Council. After his election as Member for Macquarie Fields in 2015, he served as Shadow Minister for Finance and Shadow Minister for Industry and Trade between 2021 and 2022. Following the election of the Minns Labor Government in March 2023, Anoulack was appointed Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building and Minister for Corrections. Anoulack and his wife Anna live in South-West Sydney with their two children Audrey and Christopher.
TIM BUCKLEY
Founder and Director, Climate Energy Finance
Tim has 35 years financial markets experience, including providing public interest related financial analysis on the energy transition since 2013, studying China, India and Australia. Tim founded Climate Energy Finance Australasia in 2022, having co-founded and worked with the global energy finance thinktank IEEFA over 2013-2021. For 17 years Tim was a Managing Director at Citigroup, Head of Australasian Equity Research. Tim has published over 100 reports on the global energy transition.
GEOFF CRITTENDEN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WELD AUSTRALIA
Geoff is a chartered engineer with over 30 years’ experience and a diverse background that includes CEO and senior leadership roles in the not-for-profit, consulting, engineering and healthcare industries. Geoff started his career as an engineer in the British Army, serving for over 15 years. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Geoff decided upon a career change and, with his family, immigrated to Australia. Geoff’s first role in Australia was CEO of the Association of Consulting Engineers, after which he held senior leadership positions with Transfield Worley, Cynergy Group, and the Risk Management Institute. Geoff joined the Weld Australia team in 2014 as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. Geoff is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the British Army Staff College. Geoff holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and is an IIW International Welding Engineer (IWE).
RICHARD DENNISS
Executive Director, Australia Institute
Executive Director of the Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss is a prominent Australian economist, author and public policy commentator, and has spent the last twenty years moving between policy-focused roles in academia, federal politics and think-tanks. He was also a Lecturer in Economics at the university of Newcastle and former Associate Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU. He is a regular contributor to The Monthly and the author of several books including: Econobabble, Curing Affluenza and Dead Right: How Neoliberalism Ate Itself and What Comes Next?
ELLEN FANNING
HOST, ABC TV’S THE DRUM
Ellen Fanning is the host of ABC TV’s The Drum, a nightly national current affairs program that draws Australians for diverse backgrounds into a discussion about national issues. An award winning journalist, Ellen served as the ABC’s Washington correspondent and has been a reporter for the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes and Sunday programs, and was a columnist on legendary The Bulletin magazine. At 24, Ellen Fanning broke new ground, becoming the first woman to host one of ABC Radio’s national current affairs programs. Two years at the helm of PM were followed by several years anchoring AM on ABC Radio and serving as occasional host of ABC TV’s 7.30 Report.
DOUG LUCIANI
President and CEO, CWB Group
Doug Luciani joined the CWB Group in May 1991 after working for Caterpillar and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CWB Group in September 2006. Doug has served as a member of the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) Board of Directors since June 2022. Doug is also the Vice-Chair of the CWB Welding Foundation Board of Directors.
Doug is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. Doug also holds a Welder/Fitter diploma from Sheridan College. Doug is a Professional Engineer in the Province (P.Eng.) of Ontario. He is also a Professional Associate Member of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) a Member of the American Welding Society (AWS) and holds an ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD).
Doug is currently the Past President of the International Institute of Welding (IIW), an organization comprised of close to 60 countries that is based out of Genoa, Italy.
REBECCA McPHEE
Deputy Secretary, Investment NSW
Rebecca is the Deputy Secretary for Investment NSW. Investment NSW delivers economic and social benefits for the people of NSW by growing our economy. Investment NSW achieves this by boosting research and development, fostering startups and innovation and by attracting investment, talent and growing priority sectors and precincts.
Rebecca was recently responsible for providing leadership and direction for the operational management, future development and planning activities of Sydney Metro – Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure program, developing and delivering a new world-class metro railway system for Sydney. Her focus is on ensuring the delivery of high quality customer outcomes.
Operations is one of the legislative functions of Sydney Metro which includes North West Operations, operating concepts and contracts for Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport and Metro West, and operational readiness activities for City & Southwest. Rebecca’s division was also responsible for outcomes such as planning approvals and environmental compliance, security, sustainability, transport integration, strategy and extensions. Rebecca has held several Executive Director roles at Transport for NSW providing commercial capability to support high value, complex projects and service models; and managing a portfolio of all the bus, light rail and ferry contracts across the State.
Prior to joining TfNSW, Rebecca specialised in rail franchise bidding as Bid Director for Abellio, a European transport company carrying 620m passengers every year. She was previously Director and founding partner of Maddox Consulting.
AMANDA SONNTAG
Executive Director, NSW Department of Education
Amanda began her career in Vocational Education and Training in the hospitality industry, later owning her own business where she mentored apprentices and trainees. She has delivered workplace and TAFE training, actively engaging with industry to support student learning. After completing a Bachelor of Education, Amanda began teaching VET in schools and now works as a VET Curriculum Advisor with the NSW Department of Education. She is passionate about vocational pathways and training, committed to helping young people gain the confidence, skills, and opportunities they need to succeed, and recognises the vital role industry plays in achieving these goals.
JUSTIN SPEDDING
Senior Project Officer, Education and Vocational Training Branch – Corrections Victoria
Justin Spedding is an experienced leader in the Victorian justice sector, currently serving as a Senior Project Officer within the Education and Vocational Training Branch at Corrections Victoria. With over a decade of service across custodial operations, community reintegration, and stakeholder engagement, Justin has built a career focused on improving outcomes for people involved in the justice system through innovative, education-focused initiatives. Justin is overseeing the expansion of welding training across Victoria’s prison system and strengthening the collaboration between Corrections Victoria and Weld Australia to facilitate meaningful work within the prisons and in the industry post release.
Previously the Acting General Manager of Dhurringile Prison, Justin led the facility’s decommissioning with a focus on strategic planning, staff support, and stakeholder collaboration. His diverse experience spans frontline case management, disability advocacy, and program coordination, supported by a suite of specialist accreditations in mental health, rehabilitation, and case management.
Justin is a Justice of the Peace in Victoria and actively contributes to statewide policy development as a member of the Victorian Electoral Commission’s Prisons and Without a Home Advisory Board, where he advocates for inclusive access to democratic processes. Passionate about equity, rehabilitation, and lifelong learning, Justin continues to drive reforms that support reintegration, reduce recidivism, and promote meaningful change.
JIM STANFORD
Industry Professor of Economics, McMaster University, Canada
Jim founded the Centre for Future Work in 2016, after serving for over 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy with Unifor—Canada’s largest private-sector trade union. Jim is the Harold Innis Industry Professor in Economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and Honorary Professor in the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. Jim received his PhD in Economics from the New School for Social Research in New York. He also holds an Master of Philosophy in Economics from Cambridge University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics from the University of Calgary. Jim is the author of Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism (second edition published by Pluto Books in 2015), which has been published in six languages. He has written, edited or co-edited six other books, and dozens of articles and reports in both peer-reviewed and popular outlets.
SIMON TERRY
CEO, Dux Hot Water
Simon Terry is the Chief Executive Officer of Dux Hot Water. He’s worked in the hot water industry at Dux for 20 years. Dux has been making water heaters in Australia for 110 years. It has a state of the art regional manufacturing facility at Moss Vale in the NSW Southern Highlands. Water heaters are one of the last appliances still made in Australia.
JOHN TITCHEN
Director, Goldwind
John Titchen brings a wealth of executive management and senior leadership experience spanning 30 years across renewable energy and energy policy. As Managing Director from 2009 until early 2022, John led Goldwind Australia to become a leading Australian renewable energy business.
Goldwind has installed 2 GW of wind and solar generation in Australia and continues to make a significant contribution to the renewable energy transition.
Prior to Goldwind, John held senior executive positions with Hydro Tasmania and Roaring 40s. John commenced his career with the Electricity Commission of NSW.
PHILLIP TONER
Senior Research Fellow, University of Sydney
Prior to commencing an academic career Phillip worked in labour market and economic research for the federal government including an agency of Federal Treasury. He gained his PhD in Political Economy at the University of Sydney in 1997. The thesis was on the role of manufacturing industry in economic development.
After working for four years in economic consulting he was appointed a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Industry and Innovation Studies, University of Western Sydney in 2002. He was responsible, singly or jointly with other researchers at the Centre, for winning and completing $2.068m in competitive research grants.
In 2012 he moved to the University of Sydney as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Political Economy. His research interests include industrial structure analysis and industry policy; the economics of technical change; national vocational skills formation systems and labour market analysis.