 Speakers' Bios
Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP
The Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP was elected to the South Australian Parliament at the age of 26 making him one of the youngest MPs ever elected in South Australia’s history.
He is currently the longest serving MP in the State Parliament having been re-elected by his community for over 24 years in the seat of West Torrens.
Tom is currently Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining and the Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly.
Tom entered Parliament to make a difference for working people, people who need the voice and advocacy of a Labor Government. Jobs, green energy and manufacturing are his passions.
Con Michalakis, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Hostplus
Con Michalakis is Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Hostplus, following the merger with Statewide Super in April 2022, where he was Chief Investment Officer.
Hostplus is one of Australia’s largest industry superannuation funds, with total aum of AUD 90 billion, Con leads portfolio construction in public and private markets.
Con has worked for asset managers in New York, Sydney and London and was the first investment practice leader for Watson Wyatt in Australia. Con has a B.Sc. in Maths from the University of Adelaide and a M.Sc. from the University of London.
David Moffatt, Chairman, Ventia
David has held the role of Chairman since the formation of Ventia in 2015.
David has over 30 years’ experience in executive leadership, including as CEO, CFO and as a Director for companies in the Telecommunications, Financial Services, Infrastructure Services and Media Industries. He has lived and worked in Australia, US, Europe and Asia.
David’s previous roles include Chairman of Asurion Asia Pacific and CEO of Lebara Group. He was Chief Financial Officer and Group MD Finance for Telstra Corporation Limited & Group MD Telstra Consumer, serving on the boards of the Telstra-affiliated businesses Foxtel, CSL (Hong Kong) and Reach (Hong Kong). David was also CEO GE & GE Capital Australia & New Zealand.
David’s community and charitable activities include being a founding director of Giant Steps, a school for autistic children and a director for The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-Profit Studies (QUT).
David holds a Bachelor Business from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate at QUT
Rebecca Pickering, CEO, Civil Contractors Federation SA
Rebecca Pickering has worked in the civil, commercial building and construction industries for over 22 years, and for the last decade she has operated her own consultancy company and held various executive and Board roles in private construction and not-for-profit entities. She is renown predominantly for successfully assessing, modelling and delivering critical strategic business projects through her own consultancy company, and working directly with industry.
Whilst consulting Rebecca was engaged by Civil Contractors Federation SA to complete financial modelling to support the potential establishment of a fully focused Civil Group Training Organisation (GTO). The CCF SA Board committed to the GTO venture, and further engaged Rebecca to establish the independent GTO entity Civil Apprenticeships and Careers Ltd (CACL), on behalf of CCF SA. She was later appointed as Director of CACL by the CCF SA Board.
Mid December 2020 Rebecca successfully took on the role of Chief Executive Officer for the Civil Contractors Federation SA, whilst still leading the Civil Apprenticeships and Careers Ltd (CACL). A dynamic leader, Rebecca is also a Certified Compliance Professional and holds a number of recognised qualifications in the areas of business, risk management, compliance and auditing.
A single mother of Harrison 12, Shelby 10 and Busta the dog, Rebecca loves talking to young people from all walks of life, parents, community and schools about the amazing career and life changing opportunities the Civil Industry can provide. Her life, her family and her career are a testament to it.
Doug Schmidt, Executive General Manager Network Management, SA Power Networks
Doug has 30 years' experience in the electricity industry and also has experience in senior management roles in Local Government, in particular operational management, asset management and management of major engineering projects in the public realm. In his current role, Doug is responsible for network planning and engineering, network control and asset management for the SA electricity distribution network.
Doug's current role also includes the implementation of SA Power Networks' Future Network Strategy, in particular how the 'network of the future' will accommodate new technologies such as renewable generation sources and new customer equipment such as in-home battery storage and electric vehicles.
Doug holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Adelaide University.
MODERATOR: Belinda Heggen, Founder, FLUENT Media
Founder of FLUENT Media, Belinda Heggen is one of Australia’s most experienced and well-respected corporate media and presentation trainers, drawing her expert insights from more than 25 years as a journalist and presenter across TV, radio and print, and as a media strategist and advisor to senior politicians.
A trusted and effective coach, her clients include national industry leaders in education, finance, health, law, property and construction, real estate, travel, tourism and government. She is also an in-demand corporate moderator and facilitator, and an experienced event MC.
Prior to founding FLUENT Media, Belinda was a senior media advisor in the Office of the Premier of South Australia.
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