The Oakley Greenwood Team

Lance Hoch (Executive Director and Chairman)

Lance has over 25 years of experience in policy, regulation and business strategy as it applies to electricity and gas distribution and retail businesses. He most recently served as Vice President with CRA International. In Australia he has advised policy makers, regulatory authorities and deregulated electricity and gas businesses in a number of areas including regulatory strategy, tariff design, improving the commercial basis on which internal utility operations are undertaken, demand management and energy efficiency for improved financial and technical operation, business strategy development and implementation, and customer interactions.

Lance also advises corporate clients on asset acquisition investment decisions involving the electricity and natural gas markets in the Asia Pacific region. In this role, he has developed considerable expertise in conducting energy retail asset valuations, feasibility studies, competition analyses, and customer segmentation studies.
Lance has significant experience in the wider Asia Pacific region, having led major project assignments in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the People’s Republic of China, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
Most of his work in these countries has focussed on energy efficiency and integrated resource planning as means for ensuring the reliability and adequacy of supply, and reducing customer’s costs for electricity while also reducing costs for the utility company. He has also been part of major assignments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates focussed on the reorganisation of those countries’ national utilities and improving their commercial operations.

Lance can be reached at Contact Us and by phone on +61 (0) 411 721 386.

Link to detailed CV

Jim Snow (Executive Director)

Jim spent 12 years in the Natural Gas Industry (AGL) holding several senior executive positions involved with the technical end use of energy, regulations and tariffs, contract pricing, analysis of energy projects investment, strategy, mergers and acquisitions and the promotion and marketing of energy.

Jim has senior executive experience running a major Development and Construction business for listed entity Energy Developments Ltd. This encompassed power station developments and CNG and LNG facility developments in Australia. Jim has also been the CEO of a major electrical power systems contracting company specialising in the design and construction of overhead power lines and electrical contracting.

Jim also has some 16 years experience in consulting to the energy industry, industrial energy consumers and the water industry in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. This has involved him in the development of consulting businesses including the founding of two leading practices (Energetics and CRA International) and several smaller undertakings in that time (including Snowshill Consulting Pty Ltd).

Areas of expertise cover full senior management and leadership capability, advising on and implementing utility strategy and restructuring internationally, corporate management and governance, detailed economic regulation, greenhouse gas mitigation and policy, regulatory undertakings and regulatory affairs, detailed contractual matters, market development, and JV development and management.

Jim can be reached at Contact Us and by phone on +61 (0) 417 775 893 or +61 7 3263 7612.

Link to detailed CV

Greg Thorpe (Executive Director)

Greg has 35 years experience in the electricity sector and also in gas.

He has worked with businesses and market authorities operating under a range of different industry structures and market designs used in Australia and internationally. He is trained in engineering, business and Arbitration & Mediation and has led multi disciplinary teams providing expert advice on a wide range economic, technical and governance questions the utility energy sector.

He has particular expertise in wholesale energy market and transmission design and analysis, asset valuations, governance and dispute resolution in electricity and gas. He has provided expert statements and sat on Panels hearing disputes under market rules in electricity and gas.

He was previously head of CRA International’s energy practice in Australia and New Zealand. He has also worked in industry and regulatory positions. He was an Associate Director at the previous National Electricity Code Administrator and also Manager Codes and Rules for the Victorian state electricity market prior to launch of the national market: his responsibilities have included as executive officer to the Reliability Panel for the Australian electricity market, establishing the initial monitoring and surveillance regime for the electricity market and managing and developing rule amendments and he continues to provide consulting advice on these and other areas. He came to market and sector reform with 15 years experience as a power system engineer working in system operations, generation and fuel management, interstate energy transactions and transmission network design and regularly applies the experience learnt there in advising clients.

Greg can be reached at Contact Us and by phone on +61 (0) 419 347 955

Link to detailed CV

Alan Rattray (Director)

Alan has 25 years of experience at a senior management and Board level in the energy sector. He has led generation companies, as Managing Director of Alliant Energy Australia and as Chairman of Southern Hydro. He has been Director of a number of companies including United Energy Marketing, Energy Risk Management, the Alliant group of Australian companies and Energy Brix, a co-generator in Victoria. He was Director, Energy Group for the investment bank, Morrison & Co which provided corporate advisory services to the energy sector.

 Rohan Harris (Principal Consultant)

Prior to working at Oakley Greenwood, Rohan worked at SP AusNet, a large electricity and gas business. There, Rohan’s primary role was to lead the development of a  number of key aspects of SP AusNet’s 2011-2015 Electricity Distribution Pricing Submission, including its operating expenditure forecasts, cost pass through provisions, energy and demand forecasts, and tariff design (including Time of Use tariffs for residential customers and Critical Peak Demand tariffs for large customers).

Prior to joining SP AusNet, Rohan worked for 3 years at consulting firm SAHA International. At SAHA, Rohan provided regulatory, commercial, policy, strategic and risk management advice to a range of customers from the Water, Electricity, and Gas industries. Before joining SAHA, Rohan worked at South East Water for 7 years, including as Manager, Economic Regulation. Here, Rohan led both the strategic development, writing and modelling of South East Water’s Pricing Submission (‘Water Plan’). Furthermore, Rohan provided economic and strategic advice to management and Board on a range of issues, including third party access, tariff reform, demand management and forecasting, bulk water entitlements, and policy development.

Link to detailed CV

 Jeff Thong (Principal Consultant)

Jeff Thong’s expertise is in both upstream and downstream gas and electricity markets, mining and resources sectors. Jeff has defined and delivered business strategy for market penetration, growth, competitive advantage and recession management in energy services for the mining, utility and resources sectors across Australia and South East Asia. Jeff lived and worked in Singapore and Brunei between 1992 and 2003 including project and business development in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. His 20 years of experience sees Jeff known for his technical and commercial ability, and strong business development skills.

Jeff has developed market exclusivity, business cases and board papers to secure gas rights for gas commercialisation from underground coal mines, municipal landfill operators, coal seam gas proponents and natural gas companies for conversion to electricity, CNG and LNG. He conceptualised and developed a market disruptive solution for energy security in NT and QLD and developed alternative energy solutions ahead of conventional grid electrical supply to enable advanced mineral production and supply.He has also performed research and reporting for a gas industry association on matters relating to hydrofracturing, activist funding, access rights and compensation in overseas jurisdiction, beneficial economic worth of gas industry.

Link to detailked CV

 Angus Rich (Principal Consultant)

Angus offers a wealth of technical expertise balanced with commercial experience within the resources and energy industry with particular focus on the gas and power sectors. His expertise lies in project development and engineering management across a range of development and operating projects covering power generation, gas supply, gasification and mechanical services.

Prior to joining the Oakley Greenwood team, Angus was Business Development Manager for Energy Developments Limited. In this role he was responsible for early bidding and client engagement strategies to the formation and involvement of Power Purchase Agreements, Development Agreements, and EPC Agreements. He has extensive and on-going experience dealing with clients, consultants, contractors and diesel and gas generator OEMs who operate in the remote and grid power spaces.

Angus has held senior consulting roles with Parsons Brinckerhoff, Balanced Resources and Engineering Management positions with Energy Developments Limited.
 

Link to detailed CV

Tim White (Associate Consulting Principal)

Tim White is a public policy specialist and economist who has worked in the water and consulting industries for more than 10 years. Tim has experience in the areas of public policy design and reform; governance; regulatory strategy and analysis; tariff design; economic analysis; water supply and demand forecasting; and risk identification and quantification.

Prior to working at Oakley Greenwood, Tim worked as a Senior Policy Advisor within the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, responsible to the Minister for Water. There, Tim's primary role was to lead the Department's input into the third Water Plan price review process, lead the integration of desalination issues and act as a senior member of the secretariat advising the Living Melbourne, Living Victoria Ministerial Advisory Council's investigation of the metropolitan water sector. These roles required detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of various policy options, in conjunction with extensive stakeholder management and consultation across all levels of the water sector, to support the provision of advice regarding pricing, regulation, governance, planning, investment and market-based reform.

Prior to joining DSE, Tim worked for 3 years at consulting firm SAHA International. At SAHA, Tim provided regulatory, commercial, policy, strategic and risk management advice to a range of customers in the water, electricity, and gas industries. Before joining SAHA, Tim worked at South East Water for 4 years, helping to construct their first two Water Plans, through the provision of expenditure and revenue modelling, demand forecasting, customer impact analysis and policy development. Tim was also a member of the Bulk Entitlement Management Committee and the Long Run Marginal Cost industry working group.

Link to detailed CV

Don Anderson (Senior Consultant)

Don Anderson has worked in the Australian Retail Energy Industry for the past 16 years. During this time he has held senior executive level positions in Sales, Marketing and Customer Operations with AGL, EnergyAustralia and TRUenergy. At AGL, Don headed the marketing function that prepared AGL for the initial phases of retail energy competition, and then was the inaugural head of Retail during the initial phases of the openly competitive energy markets in NSW and Victoria. At EnergyAustralia Don initially prepared and launched the company into the gas sector, followed by leading the Retail Sales and Customer Operations areas. Then for 6 years he led EnergyAustralia’s Shared Services Division, which delivered a range of services to both EnergyAustralia’s Retail and Network businesses (including metering, call centre, customer and network billing, GIS data management and IT operations).

Following the acquisition of EnergyAustralia (Retail) by TRUenergy, Don consulted to TRUenergy for 12 months in order to assist them with their customer service improvement programs and prepare for the integration of the EnergyAustralia retail business. During his time with AGL, EnergyAustralia and TRUenergy Don has also gained significant experience in planning and delivering major transformational IT projects, as well as the outsourcing and offshoring of retail services.

During his time in the energy industry, Don has also participated extensively in industry forums, including board level positions with EWON (NSW Ombudsman) and the NSW GMC (initial NSW gas market operator). Don is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Link to detailed CV

 Andrew Shelley (Senior Consultant - NZ)

Andrew is a regulatory economist with over 13 years experience analysing complex economic and regulatory issues for energy-intensive, network and infrastructure industries. Andrew has worked on a number of leading regulatory projects in Australia, New Zealand and Asia and is an expert in regulatory model development. His recent work focuses on analysing responses to regulation, including the impact of New Zealand’s proposed emissions trading scheme on energy-intensive and emissions-intensive firms, and the impact of formal price control on utility revenues, cash flows, and investment.

Andrew has particular expertise in the electricity and telecommunications industries. He has advised on electricity transmission and distribution regulatory issues such as asset valuation, cost of capital, revenue requirements, pricing structure, and cash flow modelling. In addition to providing regulatory advice he has appeared as an expert witness in commercial arbitrations relating to New Zealand’s electricity market, and developed expert evidence for a number of court cases. He has also advised firms in industries such as gas transmission and distribution, forestry, postal services, and rail networks. Prior to commencing his consulting career in 1999, Andrew held the positions of Costing & Economics Manager at Telecom New Zealand Ltd, and Strategic Analyst at Transpower New Zealand Ltd.

Andrew can be reached at Contact Us and by phone on +64 (0) 21 549 045.

Link to detailed CV here.

 Jim McDonald (Senior Consultant)

Jim was the CEO and Managing Director of Australian Pipeline Limited (responsible entity for Australian Pipeline Trust), a position he held from IPO of the Trust in June 2000 until his retirement in July 2005. Prior to that, he was General Manager Pipeline Division of Australian Gas Light Company from 1996 to 2000. Jim's previous experience also includes 15 years with ESSO Australia Ltd in oil and gas production in Bass Strait.

Jim's industry experience includes board membership of the Australian Gas Association, the Australian Council for Infrastructure Development and the Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA), where he also served as President and Treasurer and has been awarded Life Membership of APIA.

Jim has major board experience as Chairman of Vortex Pipes Limited, and as a Director of PearlStreet Limited and Hastings Funds Management Limited. Jim is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jim can be reached at Contact Us

 John Wallace (Senior Consultant)

John Wallace has had more than 40 years of experience in the design, construction, operation, maintenance and executive management of electricity networks. He previously held the General Manager Engineering Performance at Integral Energy and as a member of the Executive reporting to the CEO, he was responsible for: Network Planning; Network Control; Network Connections, Network Income and Tariff Policy; Engineering Policy; Engineering Standards; Metering Policy, Standards and Meter Reading; External Contracts, such as Vegetation Management and Pole Inspection; Network Safety; Network Demand and Energy Forecasting; Network Maintenance Policy and maintenance program management and Network Communication Policy and SCADA. John had seven direct reports with a total of approximately 550 staff, including the majority of the professional engineers in the organization. John also had a substantial input to two Network Regulatory submissions to IPART, including presentations to IPART.

Network Planning included formulation of the annual, five year and ten year Strategic Network Management Plans, including major capital projects, Network Refurbishment and Maintenance Expenditures. Network connections included Capital Contribution Policy together with management of the Contestable Works processes, together with all major customer and generation connections to the Network.

During this period, John was Integral’s representative on the Industry Safety Steering Committee; Energy Networks Association, as well as Co-Chairman of the Wollongong University’s Network Reliability and Quality of Supply Centre, member of Wollongong University’s visiting committee for education of Electrical Engineers and Integral Energy’s representative to CIGRE.

John can be reached at Contact Us

Link to detailed CV