Michael has held senior positions with IBM Global Services Australia, Digital Equipment Corporation and META Group Asia Pacific, where he led the utility efforts for those organizations in our region.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree (Power) and Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Monash University. He is Chairman of the MMI (Measurements and Metering Innovations) Conference, and past member of the Public Relations Institute Australia and a founding Board Member and past Secretary of the Association for Metering and Customer Services and past Director of GITA Australia/New Zealand Division.

Michael can be contacted on 0419 368 705 or email: mzammit@imsservices.com.au.

Peter Reid, an affiliate consultant, has recently undertaken a review of the VENCorp’s SCADA upgrade to determine any shortcomings in the process and to make recommendations to improve performance and outcomes on future IT projects.

The main focus of the review was to consider:

• The contractual framework for delivering the project
• The project governance (management and reporting structures)
• The project execution (effectiveness of reporting, issue and risk management, escalation of issues, integration with Market Systems)

Peter has an extensive background, spanning some 30 years, in the communications industry as a professional engineer, manager and consultant. His involvement with the utility industry has included the project management of a joint (gas, water and electricity) utilities automatic metering reading trial; management of the design, manufacture and supply of remote metering communications modules to electricity utilities; and the accreditation of a meter service provider with NEMMCO. Peter is currently Chair of the Standards Australia Committee EL-050 Power System Control and Communication and was Chair of Committee TE/18 Customer Metering and Service Interfaces.

Peter last full time position was Engineering Manager at AACE Worldwide were he managed and provided the technical input into the design, develop and prototyping of a software based control system for the aerospace industry, involving a full system safety analysis using functional hazard assessment and fault tree analysis. Other assignments include the provision of technical advice to emergency service organizations on their communications needs for data transfer, internet and voice connections to mobile units in remote locations.

Peter has held senior positions with AACE Worldwide, Oztrak Group, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Ballarat, Melbourne Information Technology and Telstra.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Communications) from RMIT and Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from University of Ballarat. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia and a Member of IEEE and IEE.

Peter can be contacted on 0419 427 769 and pjreid@imsservices.com.au

Dr Geoff White an affiliate consultant, is an engineering/IT professional with almost 40 years experience in IT systems development and management, particularly with operational and market systems for the energy industry. He led the development of the software systems used for central generation scheduling for the Victorian electricity system, and later extended these to incorporate the interconnection with the South Australian network. In the 1990’s he managed the development, implementation and support of the software systems used by the Victorian Power Exchange to mange the various stages of the Victorian wholesale electricity spot market until the establishment of the National Electricity Market in 1998.

Recently he was with VENCorp, the independent system operator in the Victorian gas industry, as Executive Manger IT. In this role he has been responsible for supporting the real-time SCADA system and implementing and supporting the systems for the wholesale and retail gas market within Victoria. He has also had a detailed involvement in business continuity, risk management and IT outsourcing.

Geoff can be contacted on 0419 347 956 or email gdwhite@imsservices.com.au.

IMS Consulting has undertaken a number of varied projects ranging from business consulting and project management to IT consulting:

• Project Managing a response by a utility to develop a gas spot market capability;
• Review of an electricity Network business IT systems focusing on GIS, Works and Asset Management and other systems;
• Developing a business plan for an IT company that seeks to improve its performance in the utilities sector;
• Developed business visions for utilities and small IT companies;
• Developed Business and Market plans for utilities services companies and IT providers;
• Performed due diligence for a utility seeking to purchase an IT services company;
• Made comparisons of policies related to customer funded project work in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT;
• Performance benchmarking (design of benchmarking programs, soliciting participants, analysis and evaluation of results and presentation of results);
• Shared Services benchmarking.

CURRENT AND RECENT PROJECTS

• SCADA Implementation Audit
• Tender Procedures Review
• Organisation Process Flow Charting
• Outworking Risk Management Programs

CURRENT NEWS

MMI 2010 Conference

Hilton Brisbane Hotel 190 Elizabeth St Brisbane, Australia Mon 17th May - Wed 19th May 2010