Grant Behrendorff

Chairman, Ekistica Board

Grant is a dynamic and innovative leader and entrepreneur in the renewable energy sector in Australia.  He is an accomplished and respected business owner, developer and manager with over 30 years experience working in a range of technical and senior managerial roles across the utility, NGO and private sectors. He has a passion for leadership and change, and is a sucker for a challenge.

Grant has a proven ability to recognise opportunity, formulate and share a vision, and assemble and lead the resources required to realise it. These skills have been demonstrated in numerous successful roles and projects in the energy sector in Australia, India, North America, and the Pacific Islands.

In 2011 Grant co-founded AC Solar Warehouse which has grown rapidly to become the largest specialist AC Solar wholesale business in the Asia Pacific region.

LYNDON FREARSON

Managing Director & Principal Consultant

Lyndon is a leader in the field of remote and regional infrastructure development and deployment, policy and financing. A chartered electrical engineer, Lyndon’s experience includes seven years in heavy industry and automotive manufacturing as a production manager, design engineer and project manager, and over a decade in the energy sector, with a focus on renewables. As Ekistica’s Managing Director and Principal Consultant, Lyndon has overseen its development as regional and remote Australia’s leading advisory and technical consultancy firm. In this role, he is and continued to be one of Australia’s thought-leaders in the energy sector.

Olivia Coldrey

Lead Finance Specialist, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)

Olivia is a lawyer with 15+ years energy sector experience. Before taking up her role at SEforALL, she focused on the effective deployment of climate finance for clean energy projects at Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), leveraging her experience of financing renewable energy technologies through the innovation cycle from R&D through commercial deployment and of advising governments, DFIs and investors on energy policy and regulation. From 2009-2012 Olivia was Investment Director of the Australian Solar Institute, the Australian Government's lead solar energy agency. Previously she held legal and strategy roles with Australia's export credit agency, Efic, and as a lawyer in private practice has worked with Baker & McKenzie and Latham & Watkins. Olivia is Australia's Alternate Representative on the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency's PV Power Systems Programme and undertakes several board and advisory roles. She is based in Vienna, Austria.

Peter Reneham

Chairman, Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd.

Peter, of Central Arrernte heritage, is Board Chair of the Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd, Ekistica’s parent company. Peter has a strong community engagement approach and practical knowledge of interacting and working with Aboriginal people and is committed to assisting Aboriginal people work through complex arrangements so they can interact and engage within educational and economic systems for a sustainable future.

Peter brings strong Governance capability and integrity through longstanding Board appointments to both NFP’s, Trusts and Commercial Companies.  This is balanced with a practical commitment to developing solutions for minimising impacts to the environment particularly around Aboriginal sites of significance.  

Dr Steve Rogers

Public Officer & Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd. CEO

Dr. Steve Rogers is the CEO of the Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd, Ekistica’s parent company. Prior to this he was Science and Industry leader at the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Perth. He has also been the CEO and Managing Director of two Co-operative Research Centre’s and Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Land and Water. He is an experienced company director with a strong vision for the Centre for Appropriate Technology Ltd and Ekistica, as effective and innovative organisations working to deliver infrastructure and technical services to support and stimulate economic development across remote and regional Australia and beyond.