Plenary Speakers

Dr Ian Dagley, FTSE, FRACI, MAICD
Dr Ian Dagley is the Chief Executive Officer of the recently funded Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre (SPW CRC). Prior to this appointment he was Chief of the Science Partnerships and Engagement Division of the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST), and had been the CEO of the CRC for Polymers for 21 years.
Ian has a PhD from the University of Melbourne, an MBA from RMIT, and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).

Lara Olsen
Managing Director, South East Water
Lara was appointed Managing Director of South East Water in 2020, leading the delivery of water, sewerage and recycled water services to 1.8 million people. Lara is also a director of Iota, a wholly-owned subsidiary of South East Water, a director of Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) and a director on the Frankston Revitalisation Board.
Lara has extensive experience in the utility sector, focused on customer experience and innovation. Before joining South East Water, Lara was the Global Head of Business Development and Industrial Products at Tesla Energy based in the USA and also led the Business Development and Industrial Products team for Tesla Australia. Previous roles include Head of Strategy for CitiPower PowerCor and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Project Leader with the Boston Consulting Group and co-founding Billcap, an energy platform that helps customers and retailers manage their usage and bills.