Douglas Halley (Chair)
BCom MBA
Essential Energy Term – 25 August to 24 August 2024
Doug is an experienced Chair and director with expertise in corporate strategy, treasury, financial management and business development. He has over 30 years of experience in commercial enterprises and investment banking.
Doug is the Chair of Essential Energy and a member of its Audit Committee. He is a director of MMJ Group Holdings Ltd.
Doug was formerly the Chair of the Australian Enterprise Holdings Ltd Advisory Board, DUET Group Ltd, Foyson Resources Ltd, Mikoh Ltd, Television and Media Services Ltd and Vocation Ltd, and the Finance Director at Fairfax Media Ltd. He was also the CEO of Thomson Publishing in Asia Pacific and the Chief Financial Officer at Goodman Fielder.
John Cleland (Chief Executive Officer)
BEc DipFinMan CA FFin, GAICD
Appointed 18 July 2016
John is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with comprehensive executive and non-executive experience with large and complex organisations in the infrastructure (rail, ports, energy transmission and distribution), resources and logistics sectors.
John is a director of Essential Energy and a member of its Board Regulatory Committee, and a non-executive director of Energy Networks Australia.
John previously held the position of Head of Infrastructure, Coal Division at Anglo American PLC and prior to that he was the CEO of WestNet Infrastructure Group.
Robyn Clubb
BEc CA FFin MAICD
Essential Energy Term – 15 March 2018 to 14 March 2024
Robyn is an experienced director in the rural and financial sectors with extensive senior executive experience in the financial services industry. She is also a Chartered Accountant.
Robyn is a director of Essential Energy, the Chair of its Risk and Cyber Security Committee and a member of its Safety, Human Resources and Environment Committee. She is the Chair of the Australian Wool Exchange and Pro Ten Limited, a director of the Craig Mostyn Group, Elders Limited and a Board member of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Foundation.
Robyn was formerly the Interim Chair at Essential Energy from 20 June 2019 to 19 June 2020 and Acting Chair of Essential Energy from 20 June 2020 to 24 August 2020, Chair of Boyce Chartered Accounting and the NSW Primary Industries Ministerial Advisory Council, and a director of Beef CRC Ltd, Murray Irrigation Limited, the Rice Marketing Board for the State of NSW, Rural Bank Limited and UrbanGrowth NSW (formerly Landcom). Robyn was also a trustee of the Farrer Memorial Trust, and a Councillor of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.
Jennifer Douglas
BSc/LLB LLM MBA GAICD
Essential Energy Term - 15 March 2018 to 14 March 2025
Jennifer is an experienced director with expertise in customer centred transformation and digital technology. She has over twenty five years of experience in the technology and media sector first as a lawyer and then executive including as Executive Director of Telstra’s Customer Office, responsibility for Telstra's $3B Fixed Voice business and start up business Platinum and General Counsel of Sensis.
Jennifer is a director of Essential Energy, the Chair of its Board Regulatory Committee, and a member of its Risk and Cyber Security Committee. She is a director of Crisp Hill Investments Pty Ltd, GUD Holdings Limited, Hansen Technologies Limited, JD Consulting Pty Ltd, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and St Kilda Football Club.
Jennifer was formerly a director of TSM Pty Ltd (Telstra Security & Monitoring), Family Life Inc, Pacific Access Superannuation Fund and Kilvington Grammar School.
John Fletcher
BSc, MBA
Essential Energy Term - 13 October 2016 to 12 October 2022
John has considerable experience in the energy industry, having held several executive positions in AGL, including Chief Financial Officer prior to his retirement in 2003.
John is a director of Essential Energy, the Chair of its Audit Committee and a member of its Risk and Cyber Security Committee.
John was formerly a director of the APA Group, Sydney Water, Alinta Energy, Foodlands Australia, Integral Energy and Australian Pipeline Trust.
The Hon. Duncan Gay
Essential Energy Term – 25 August to 24 August 2023
Duncan is an experienced director and brings extensive parliamentary and government sector experience to the Board. He has held numerous ministerial roles including Minister for Roads and Ports, Minister for Roads and Freight, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight and Minister for the North Coast.
Duncan is a director of Essential Energy and a member of its Board Regulatory Committee and Safety, Human Resources and Environment Committee. He is the Chair of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, a director at the ARC Asia-Pacific RPAS Consortium, Bush Children’s Education Foundation and Sir Earl Page Trust, and an Executive Advisor of the MU Group.
Duncan was formerly a director of the Citrus Group.
Vanessa Sullivan
BEc(Hons), GradDip(AppFin), GAICD
Essential Energy Term – 25 August 2020 to 24 August 2024
Vanessa is an experienced director and executive in the energy, water and sustainability sectors. She has over 20 years’ commercial, financial and strategy experience, working with both government and private sector organisations, including as a Climate Change Leader and Utilities Leader, and undertaking significant market reforms in both energy and water.
Vanessa is a director at Essential Energy, the Chair of its Safety, Human Resources and Environment Committee and a member of its Audit Committee. She is a director at Bircher Capital, Smart Energy Council (peak national industry body), Sunwater, an advisory Board member for Centacare (a Not For Profit disability and family services provider) and a member of Hydrogen Australia’s Expert Reference Panel.
Vanessa was formerly a non-executive director of Energex, an executive director at Lyon, and has held leadership positions at Ernst & Young.
