the board of directors

Hepburn Wind is managed by a voluntary board of seven Directors. Following the AGM on 23 March 2013 the Directors are:

Dan Cass, Director
John Edgoose, Director
Tony Gill, Director
Simon Holmes a Court
Daniel Magasanik, Director
David Perry, Director
Mitch Watson

 

Dan CassDan Cass, Director

Dan Cass has been a passionate and effective green advocate for 20 years. He has an honours degree in science history and was science curator at Museum Victoria. Dan is a political consultant for the renewable energy sector, with clients such as solar PV companies Spark Solar Australia and Sungevity, Inc (USA). He has advised Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown, the University of Melbourne Energy Research Institute and the Australian PV Association.

Dan was communications manager at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Dan is a media commentator and writes a blog. He lives in Melbourne.

John EdgooseJohn Edgoose, Director

John currently runs an energy consultancy specialising in medium-scale renewable energy solutions for businesses and community groups. Previously, for 14 years he managed a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for the Victorian Government.

Prior to working in the sustainable energy sector John worked for 15 years in the education sector teaching physics, energy and environmental studies including four years as Deputy Director and Director of the remote MLC Marshmead campus near Mallacoota.

John holds qualifications in science, education and management, including a Masters of Science in Renewable Energy. He has significant experience undertaking project, financial analysis, due diligence and risk analysis.

Tony GillTony Gill, Director

Tony Gill has lived on a small farm in the Daylesford area for over 20 years. He is a passionate supporter of renewable energy as a means to reduce reliance on carbon based energy sources.

Over the past 30 years, Tony has worked for various community organisations, state government agencies and co-operative industry associations, and currently manages Co-operative Development Services Ltd, which specialises in developing new co-operatives. Tony has facilitated the formation of over 100 co-operatives in Victoria, including three Daylesford based co-ops and provided advice for forming the Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative Ltd in 2006.

Tony also has extensive experience as a board member, as a director of 15 co-operatives and 3 companies. He is currently a director of four co-operatives, including BRACE Education, Employment and Training Ltd in Ballarat.

Simon Holmes a CourtSimon Holmes a Court, Founding Chair

Simon Holmes a Court has a strong connection to the Daylesford/Hepburn region and a long-standing interest in renewable energy. He understands that environmentally sustainable technologies also need to be financially sustainable. Simon headed a project researching alternate energy solutions for remote cattle stations in the Northern Territory, and his farm, located between Daylesford and Leonards Hill, is powered by a solar-hybrid system.

Simon has qualifications in Cognitive and Computer Science and Applied Finance and Investment from US and Australian institutions. He has a broad range of commercial experience, ranging from ‘dot com’ businesses in Silicon Valley to remote cattle stations in the Northern Territory.

Simon has previously been director of Heytesbury Pty Ltd, one of Australia’s largest private companies, and is the Chairman of Melbourne based Observant Pty Ltd, which designs and manufactures highly-scalable infrastructure monitoring and automation solutions for urban and remote areas.

Daniel MagasanikDaniel Magasanik, Director

Daniel was a founding director of the Energy Research and Development Corporation, funded by the Australian Government. It invested in projects with industry participants. The focus was on energy efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. He was also the co-founder of McLennan Magasanik Associates, one of Australia’s leading consultancies specialising in the energy industries. Daniel now works part-time with the firm. His main interest is the sustainability of human activities, particularly the extraction and conversion of energy. Generation of electricity from wind and geothermal sources are two examples.

Daniel holds degrees in chemical engineering from McGill University in Montreal and the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The Magasanik family has a longstanding connection with the Daylesford area through having participated in orienteering on the many detailed maps that were made and used for this purpose. The present connection is through a block of land bordering on the Wombat State Forest near Korweinguboora.

David PerryDavid Perry, Director

David holds degrees in electrical engineering and neuroscience from The University of Melbourne. He is currently completing a PhD at the Bionics Institute examining how stimulation from a cochlear implant is represented in the brain.

David works part-time with the Bionic Vision Australia pre-clinical team, and volunteers for Beyond Zero Emissions, contributing to technical research, and giving public presentations detailing a transition to a 100% renewable energy system in Australia. David and his partner live in the Macedon Ranges region.

 

 

Mitch WatsonMitch Watson, Director

Mitch is a permanent Daylesford resident and local business-owner, with tertiary studies in Applied Science and business management.

Mitch operates two businesses Daylesford Heirloom Farms grows and markets rare and old vegetable seedlings and vegetables, and fruit direct to food service and food retail. As a director of Daylesford and Hepburn Mineral Springs Co provides Victorians and Australians with a local alternative to imported bottled mineral water, with a focus on sustainability and minimised environmental impact.