ChemCentre's Board

Dr Bret Mattes, Chair

Dr Mattes is a graduate of the University of Sydney (BSc Hons), McGill University, Canada (MS) and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science – Oceanography and Economics (PhD), USA.

He has previously held several academic positions, including Lecturer in Earth Science McGill University and Lecturer in Palaeontology Concordia University, Montreal (1979-80) and Marine Geology/Oceanography, University of Miami.

His career has also included services to mineral and petroleum exploration including international work for Shell (The Hague, Oman, Italy, The Netherlands, Thailand, USA and Australia), BHP Billiton (most recently as Vice President Australia/Asia Gas & Power). He has previously held the position of Chairman with EcoCarbon Incorporated, an industry partnership which is building capacity in emissions trading and other market-based mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr Mattes is currently Chairman of Star Energy, a renewable energy group that is an alliance of Australian, UK, Indonesian and Singaporean interests. It is also acknowledged as Indonesia’s leading company in any sector of the economy for environmental management and corporate social programmes that are focused on local community development, including health, education and investments in new, sustainable community businesses. The company has recently commissioned a geothermal energy project in West Java. Bret Mattes is the only foreign resident of Indonesia that is at the helm of an Indonesian company of any kind.

Bret's other activities include: Chairman, Australian Energy Alliance, Chairman APGAS Limited, Australian Member Committee of World Energy Council, Director, Research Institute for Sustainable Energy (WA), WA State Library Custodians Board, Deputy Chairman WA Ballet, Chairman Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Member WA Govt Taskforce on Greenhouse (Offsets), Australian industry representative on Clean Fossil Energy Taskforce of Asia/Pacific Partnership on Clean Development & Climate, Director, Berndt Museum, University of Western Australia, and the WA Fulbright Fellowship Committee.

Prof. Linda Kristjanson, Deputy Chair

Professor Kristjanson is Pro-Vice Chancellor Research & Development, Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia.

Between 2000 and 2006 she held the position of The Cancer Council WA Chair of Palliative Care. In this role, she created and led the Western Australian Centre for Cancer & Palliative Care.

Professor Kristjanson has received competitive research funding from local and national organisations in Canada, the USA and Australia. During her research career she has received more than $25m in research grants and has published more than 130 refereed papers and book chapters.

Professor Kristjanson served as a member of the National Health & Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) from 2003 -2006. In 2004 she was appointed by the Minister of Health to the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and holds the position of Deputy Chair of this Institute. She has led the development of a number of productive research centres and science institutes (eg. National Teletesting Facility, Centre of Excellence for Microphotonics, Centre of Excellence in e-Medicine, Australian Institute of Radiochemical Engineering) funded through the Western Australia Office of Science and Innovation and the Major National Research Facility Program.

She is a Board member of a number of CRCs including the CRC for Spatial Information and the CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development. Professor Kristjanson is also a Board Director of the Energy Research Alliance and the John De Laeter Centre of Mass Spectrometry.

Professor Kristjanson's collaborative approach to research and development allow her to create links across discipline groups, resulting in innovative research programs. Her relationships with industry, government, and the non-government organisations are especially strong and she is comfortable moving across sectors to achieve mutual goals. Professor Kristjanson was chosen as the 2002 Australian Telstra Business Woman of the Year for her entrepreneurial work in health and science.

Dr Keith Shilkin, Board Member

Prior to 1995 Keith Shilkin was the Head of the Department of Pathology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He has also held other Pathology appointments in Perth, Singapore, London and New York. From 1995 until 2005 he was the Chief Executive Officer, The Western Australian Centre of Pathology and Medical Research – PathCentre.

This Agency, formed in 1995 has become a highly successful Government trading enterprise. It emerged out of the service unit in Pathology of the University of WA, the Pathology Departments of the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and the State Health Laboratory Service, amalgamating all three into one entity with the brief to act in a commercial manner, be financially successful through a full fee-for-service system, and to compete in the market place.

At the same time PathCentre successfully provided a first class service to the entire WA community and maintained and enhanced its teaching and research capability as a centre of excellence. Its financial success and growth, gaining market share, cutting costs for the public hospitals to which it provided services and the consequent dividend to the State Government, led to the Government’s decision to bring into this system the only three remaining public pathology entities at Royal Perth Hospital, Fremantle Hospital and the Womens & Childrens Hospitals.

Dr Shilkin is currently Chairman, Curtin University Intellectual Property Commercialisation Investment Committee, Consultant Pathologist (part-time) at PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Clinical Professor, School of Surgery and Pathology, University of Western Australia and Honorary Consultant Pathologist, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Author and co-author of a book on 'Malignant Mesothelioma', numerous Chapters in various medical/pathology books (mainly on asbestos related lung disease) and over 80 scientific articles on a range of subjects in medical journals.

Keith is a graduate of the University of Western Australia (M. B., B.S.), a Fellow, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, a Fellow, Royal College of Pathologists (UK), and a Fellow, Hong Kong College of Pathologists.

He has held the following offices: President, International Academy of Pathology, Australasian Division, Chairman, Board of Examiners, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (and on the College Council), Board of Management, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (appointed by the relevant Minister), Trustee, WA Public Hospitals (Medical Officers) Superannuation Scheme (appointed by the relevant Minister), Member, Commonwealth Government Medical Training Review Panel (current), Member, National Pathology Accreditation and Advisory Council (advising the Commonwealth Minister for Health).

Keith is active in many communal activities, mainly regarding the Jewish community and is currently the President, Jewish Community Council of WA which is engaged in interfaith and outreach programs building bridges and breaking down barriers.

Dr Lianne Cretney Barnes, Board Member

Lianne Cretney-Barnes has held senior positions in both private and public sector organisations for over 20 years and has considerable experience in strategic marketing, branding and business development. She has also worked in communications, recruitment, alumni relations, external and government relations and fundraising.

Lianne's marketing strategy won awards from the Australian Marketing Institute National Awards for Marketing Excellence in both 2002 and 2003. The strategy was also used as a case study in The Australian (October 2004).

Lianne has undertaken numerous consulting assignments and presented at conferences both here in Australia and overseas. She holds a Bachelor of Education, a Graduate Diploma in Business and a Doctor of Business Administration. Lianne is also an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Marketing Institute, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr John Farrow, Board Member

Dr John Farrow is currently the site manager of CSIRO Minerals (Waterford); Alumina Theme Leader; Light Metals Flagship, Project Leader; AMIRA P266 Improving Thickener Technology, Member and a member of the Executive Committee, Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions. He received his BSc (1st Class Honours) and PhD (in Physical Chemistry) from the Unjiversity of We4stern Australia, FAusIMM.

During more than 20 years in hydrometallurgy, John has worked on a broad range of collaborative projects, with all key Australian and overseas minerals processing companies, as well as a range of engineering companies, reagent suppliers and equipment manufacturers.

Before joining CSIRO in 1984, John worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Western Australia, researching the mechanism of the iron oxidation stage used in the Becher process for the production of synthetic rutile (from mineral sands).

In various CSIRO roles, his main research interests have been in the areas of surface chemistry and solid-liquid separation - especially flocculation, thickener technology and filtration - with a strong industry focus.

John has been directly involved in negotiating and conducting research projects with more than 50 companies from across all mineral commodities, resulting in industry and other external support of more than $25 million over the last 10 years.

A the manager of CSIRO Minerals’ Waterford site he supervises 75 staff and he is overseeing the creation of the Australian Minerals Research Centre (AMRC) at the Waterford site which will result in the co-location of CRCs and industry groups.

John has played a key role in the Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions, including building the research and commercial case for third-round funding ($20m) for the period 2005 to 2012.

John and the Improving Thickener Technology team were awarded the CSIRO Medal for outstanding research achievements in 1999 and the CSIRO Business Excellence Medal for technology transfer and uptake of research outcomes in 2004. In 2002, John was the joint winner of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy's (AusIMM) Mineral Industry Operating Award for services to the minerals industry, through revolutionising the development and implementation of new thickener technology for mineral processing. In May 2007, John and his Improving Thickener Technology team were presented (through the Parker Centre) with one of two Cooperative Research Centre Association awards for 'Excellence in Research Innovation.'

John has been a Fellow of the AusIMM since 2002, an Adjunct Research Fellow at Curtin University since 1994, and was an Associate/Fellow Royal Australian Chemical Institute from 1984 to 2003.