New national leaders supercharge GHD's investment in Australia's energy transition
GHD has appointed three new national leaders to further enhance our commitment to helping clients navigate and accelerate Australia’s energy transition. Helen Barbour-Bourne has been appointed as Australian Hydropower Leader, Claude Morris as Australian Battery and Energy Storage Systems Leader, and Taraz Saba as the Australian Wind Generation Leader.
Alongside recent appointments Carl Parlongo, Australian Power Transmission & Distribution Leader, and Steve Yeardley, Australian Future Fuels Leader, this new national leader cohort will spearhead critical components of the energy and resources sector while collaborating to drive collective impact, ensuring a cohesive and efficient approach to meet the evolving demands of our clients and the energy transition.
The new appointments come as GHD has seen resounding growth in renewables, and the company looks to double-down and invest in new roles.
GHD recognises that the global energy transition is a complex synergy between power generation and energy storage, whilst connecting it all as a fully integrated system. As the energy transition gains increasing momentum, the need for collaboration is crucial, including streamlined communication, faster response times, and innovative and tailored solutions.
Our newly appointed leaders bring a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of their respective sectors, leveraging lessons learned and potential opportunities gained across Australia from our extensive portfolio of renewable projects. They will work with our GHD clients wherever their projects are, tapping into our global network to keep appraised of developments abroad.
Their insights and focus across Australia will see our clients benefit from the latest innovations in technology and delivery for their specific sector but also address the risks associated with integrating other key elements, such as enabling infrastructure, impacting their project viability."
Helen Barbour-Bourne brings extensive expertise in guiding clients through complex project milestones and de-risking strategies. She plays a pivotal role in the International Hydropower Association’s Global Working Group, and her published works on collaborative strategies in major projects underscore her commitment to fostering industry engagement in effective risk management.
"We need to accelerate the deployment of proven long-term energy storage solutions and unlock the pipeline of pumped hydro projects to meet Australia's net zero obligations. PHES projects currently face challenges in their business cases and development and need to be de-risked alongside stimulation of market investment," Helen says.
Claude Morris is a recognised industry specialist in energy storage and energy systems integration. He has studied and successfully delivered numerous grid-connected and islanded battery and energy storage systems and hybrid projects in Australia, the UK, Jordan, Oman, across the Asia Pacific (Naru, Kiribati) and North America over more than 16 years.
"With record levels of investment and incentives, storage continues to prove itself as the common denominator to any solution for the modern energy trilemma. GHD has an enviable track record in all things battery and energy storage systems, and I’m thrilled to support our clients and partners in meeting their truly diverse needs. Whether it’s supporting the established technologies at increasingly larger capacities or helping emerging longer duration technologies through pilot and scale-up stages, each project has common threads of managing uncertainty," says Claude.
Taraz Saba has over 26 years of experience in wind power projects, covering the full spectrum of projects around the globe from development to delivery, operation and repowering, including offshore wind farm developments in the Asia Pacific region.
"Wind energy, both onshore and offshore, stands as a cornerstone of Australia's energy transition, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing energy security and driving economic growth through sustainable employment and infrastructure. It will contribute significantly towards our efforts in achieving our net zero targets in the next two decades," Taraz says.
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GHD es una empresa líder en servicios profesionales que opera en los mercados mundiales de agua, energía y recursos, medio ambiente, infraestructura y edificaciones, y transporte. Comprometidos con la visión de garantizar que el agua, la energía y las comunidades sean sostenibles para las futuras generaciones, GHD ofrece soluciones en consultoría, servicios digitales, ingeniería, arquitectura, medio ambiente y construcción a clientes del sector público y privado. Fundada en 1928 y propiedad de sus trabajadores, GHD cuenta con una red de más de 12.000 profesionales en más de 160 oficinas en cinco continentes.