Asia Pacific Advisory Board

Catherine leads Shell’s policy and advocacy efforts across Shell’s Downstream businesses in Asia Pacific, working with internal and external stakeholders to create investible policy environments to ensure that Shell meets its ambitions to power progress. Shell’s Downstream business includes energy and chemicals manufacturing, retail service stations, and providing fuels and lubricants to a wide range of customers. It also includes a growing portfolio of EV charging points and low carbon fuels, as Shell transitions its business to meet the needs of customers into the future.

Since commencing her career as a lawyer, Catherine has held a number of roles across business development, corporate relations and mergers & acquisitions. After returning to Shell in 2016 from Viva Energy, where she was the Alternative Fuels Manager (including biofuels and low aromatic fuel), Catherine led Shell Australia’s Energy Transition Program, and then managed the External Brand and Communications team. Catherine has also held a number of non-executive roles, across the finance, fuel and education sectors.

Merryn is an experienced executive with more than 30 years’ experience in electricity infrastructure. Currently the Executive General Manager System Design at Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) where she leads planning of energy systems for the transition to net zero by 2050.

Her previous role was one of five Australian Energy Market Commissioners (AEMC) who are responsible for overseeing development of the rules for the national electricity and gas markets and advising governments on energy market development policy. Prior to joining the AEMC, Merryn worked in the Queensland electricity industry, including eight years as Chief Executive of Queensland’s electricity transmission provider, Powerlink Queensland.

An electrical engineer by profession, Merryn understands many of the physical matters associated with renewable energy while her experience in market and economic regulation matters provides strategic insights. Merryn has long held an interest in the inter-relation and evolution of the broader energy ‘ecosystem’; how collaboration with industry and consumers plays a crucial role in its development; and incorporating technology developments as part of the transition to a lower carbon future.

Ms Duhe is currently the Chief Financial Officer at the Santos, an important Australian domestic gas supplier and LNG supplier in Asia, with a goal to be a global leader in the energy evolution to low-carbon fuels. Prior to this role, Ms Duhe was the Chief Executive Officer at Newcrest Mining. She has had extensive finance and leadership experience across a range of global organisations, including as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President at Woodside Energy. Prior to this, Ms Duhe held a range of senior international roles across the energy and resources sectors, including at Shell Exploration & Production, Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Duke Energy and J.M Huber Corporation.

Sherry is from Louisiana in the United States, where she grew up and attended Louisiana State University majoring in Accounting and Internal Audit. Following graduation, Sherry commenced her career with ExxonMobil, where she worked for 6 years, first as a Financial Analyst at the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, and then as an Internal Auditor covering the Latin America/Caribbean region. Following this role, she then completed an International MBA program at the University of South Carolina and in Paris, France, where she also interned with Citibank. Upon completion of her MBA program, Sherry held the position of Senior Audit Consultant at Duke Energy, followed by Audit and Controller positions at J.M. Huber Corporation. In 2004, Sherry joined Royal Dutch Shell and undertook a range of roles globally, including Plant Finance Manager for the Convent Motiva Refinery (US), Global Finance Manager of Lubricants Baseoils and Waxes (UK), Strategy, Planning and Business Finance Manager (Qatar), Group Senior Strategy and Competitive Intelligence Advisor (Netherlands), and most recently Vice President Finance Unconventionals (US).

Jackie is an Associate Director in Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG). Jackie oversees the full lifecycle of development projects to support the energy transition, including onshore wind and solar, clean fuels and distributed energy. Jackie joined Macquarie in 2014 in New York, where she was responsible for Macquarie Capital’s relationships with the large investors in infrastructure assets, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, superannuation funds and specialist fund managers for North America before relocating to Melbourne, Australia to help grow the GIG team in 2017.

She has deep experience across energy and infrastructure, in both a corporate advisory capacity and as a principal investor. Jackie has worked on the development of just under 2GWs of renewable projects in Australia, including wind, solar and battery. She has also advised clients on approximately A$3bn of renewable energy transactions in Australia and the US.

Lena Parker is an experienced executive bringing behind-the-meter solutions, at scale, to some of the largest commercial and industrial portfolios around Australia and New Zealand. These solutions focus on supply and demand sides of the equation and include virtual power plants, microgrids, storage, EV charging infrastructure and efficiency program that include lighting, heat pumps and other consumption reduction technologies.

Prior to joining Ventia in February 2021, Lena held senior management positions at IBM, Coats plc, Telstra, Downer and Transgrid. While Lena calls Australia home, she has worked a significant portion of her career in London and the US placing her well to lead in a sector facing equal measures of significant growth and complexity.

Lena is passionate about leveraging the growth opportunities presented by the energy transition to bring innovations across the value chain to Australia and New Zealand as well as grow and develop talent.