2026 Speakers
2026 Distinguished Speakers
Prof. Jingbo Wang
Professor, Founder and Director
Research Centre for Quantum Information, Simulation and Algorithms, The University of Western Australia
Ravi Menon
Ambassador (Climate Action), Singapore, Former Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)
Nils Hay
Chief Executive Officer
Mid West Development Commission
Nils Hay is the CEO of the Mid West Development Commission and Chair of the WA Regional Development Alliance. Based in Geraldton, Western Australia, he is passionate about regional development, and has spent the last decade working in senior State and Local Government roles in regional Australia. In 2024 he completed a Churchill Fellowship examining on the impacts of large-scale renewable and low-carbon energy projects in regional communities.
With the Mid West emerging as a key contributor to Australia’s energy transition, Nils’ work is increasingly focused on the intersection between major project development, infrastructure delivery, investment, and the pivotal role of the regions where these projects are taking place.
Speaking at
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1:30–2:45pmTue 24 MarPublic-Private RoundtablesUniClub - Roundtable Room 2Open
Securing the Future
[Roundtable] Wiring the Indo-Pacific - Why Western Australia is the Place for Green Compute Infrastructure at Scale
Public-Private RoundtablesUniClub - Roundtable Room 2Open
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Angela TrevithickExecutive Director, Manufacturing & Supply Chains DevelopmentDepartment of Energy & Economic Diversification
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Brett LooneyPrincipal Solutions ArchitectAWS
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Prof. Kate BrooksHead, School of Electrical Engineering, Computing and Mathematical SciencesCurtin University
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Margarita KongawoinSenior Vice President of Software & HPCDUG Technology
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Matthew MeszarosFounder and Chief Executive OfficerProject Ohm
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Nils HayChief Executive OfficerMid West Development Commission
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Jason McFarlaneDirectorWestern Australian GreenTech Innovation HubModerator
About this session
Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainty, the Indo-Pacific’s fast-growing digital economies are looking for infrastructure that can deliver both cost efficiency and ESG-aligned resilience.
In this context, Western Australia is drawing increasing interest for the foundations that matter: clean and reliable energy, critical minerals for high-performance chips, global connectivity, secure and scalable compute, lower operating costs for business, and a stable, trusted operating environment.
This session will explore how WA can convert these advantages into long-term strategic value for the state and international markets: offering internationally competitive services while supporting local industries and SMEs, creating future jobs, attracting investment, strengthening sustainable development, and positioning the state as a trusted hub in the region for next-generation digital infrastructure. It will also examine how public and private sectors and academia can work together to unlock this opportunity and ensure the benefits build a stronger regional economy.
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