People & Partners

Grant has led Tivan Limited as Executive Chairman since December 2022. His 25-year career includes extensive experience in global finance, law, media, technology and government.

Grant previously held senior roles for the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) in London and Singapore. He founded and led Civic Capital, a multi-billion dollar New York based hedge fund, from 2010-18. Grant sits on the Advisory Board of Exante Data, Inc, a macro intelligence and data analytics firm, based in New York. He wrote a popular column for the Australian Financial Review from 2020-22.

Grant holds BComm/LLB (1st) from the Australian National University and MScIPE from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Born and raised in the Northern Territory, Dr Ellin Lede brings extensive (15+ years) northern Australian and international experience (United Kingdom; Europe; Southeast Asia; and Australia).

Prior experience includes leading Fortescue Future Industries’ Office of Northern Australia; serving as Policy Director and Adviser (including for Major Projects and Investment) to the Northern Territory Chief Minister; and serving as a Strategic/Scientific/Project Adviser to the public and private sector (United Kingdom; Europe; and Vietnam).

Ellin holds a PhD from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the United Kingdom and a Master of Science from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Mr Gerrard is a senior director and executive with over 18 years of demonstrated success leading complex, large scale capital projects in the Australian resources and energy sectors, including major developments such as Carrapateena Copper-Gold Mine, and the Pluto, Ichthys and Gorgon LNG Projects. He possesses broad project execution experience under a variety of delivery models, including EPC and EPCM, complemented by a strong track record of stakeholder engagement in remote jurisdictions, a steadfast commitment to safety leadership and extensive global engineering and procurement networks.

In his most recent role as Senior Director, Energy and Resources at Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), Mr Gerrard led the development and execution of KBR’s national growth strategy, driving market expansion in critical minerals and energy transition initiatives in Australia. His project experience at KBR includes the Nolans Rare Earths Project, the Hillside
Copper Project, Pluto LNG Train 1 upgrade and the Yuri Renewable Hydrogen to Ammonia Project. He was also part of the integrated project management team that successfully delivered and commissioned the $1 billion Carrapateena Copper-Gold Mine in South Australia.

Brendon is an experienced process engineer who has worked on projects involving a broad range of minerals and commodities, including vanadium, titanium, high purity alumina, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron ore and gold.

Brendon was previously a consultant at METS Engineering Group where he contributed to various scopes of work, before joining Tivan in December 2019. His prior experience includes process development and metallurgical testwork management for various research and development projects.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical and Process Engineering) and Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) from the University of Western Australia.

After graduating with 1st Class Honours and the University Medal in Industrial Chemistry at UNSW Sydney, Maria Skyllas-Kazacos completed her PhD at the same university in 1979 in the area of High Temperature Molten Salt Electrochemistry under the supervision of Professor Barry Welch.

She then spent a year as a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA where she worked with Adam Heller and Barry Miller on liquid junction solar cells and with John Broadhead on lead-acid batteries.
On returning to Australia, she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue her work on liquid-junction solar cells with Prof Dan Haneman at UNSW Sydney. In 1982, she was appointed to the academic staff in the School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry where she initiated research programs in aluminium electrowinning and began her pioneering work on vanadium flow batteries.

After filing the first patent on the vanadium redox flow battery in 1986, Maria expanded her research team’s efforts into all areas of the vanadium battery technology, from electrolyte production to stack materials, design and manufacture, sensors and control system development, while also completing several field trials. Over the next 30 years, her group’s work led to more than 40 new patents which currently form the basis of the vanadium flow battery technology that is being commercialised around the world.

In addition to these patents, Maria has published over 200 refereed papers in international journals, has written 8 book chapters and has edited or co-edited more than 12 books and conference proceedings. Her pioneering work on the vanadium battery has been recognised through many honours and awards, including the Chemeca, Wiffen, R.K. Murphy and Castner Medals.
In 1999 she was made Member of the Order of Australia and in 2009, was Invested as Grand Lady of the Byzantine Order of St Eugene of Trebizond. Maria is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and of the Institution of Engineers Australia

Stéphane is a Canadian Senior Executive leveraging extensive global operations and functional leadership experience within diverse mining sectors. He is an influential, innovative and safety award winning leader with a track record of delivering transformational change and cultivating HSE and ESG as values.Proven capability to align resources, facilitate cohesion and empower teams to deliver on aggressive targets. Expertise in developing strategic plans to increase business value and able to respond rapidly to business changes in complex context.

Stéphane formerly served as Managing Director, Rio Tinto Iron & Titanium (RTIT) with operational, commercial and marketing responsibility for RTIT. Based in Montreal, Canada, he additionally led a broad range of innovative demonstration plants, most recently including decarbonisation of ilmenite, production of lithium concentrate and recovery of scandium oxides.

Prior to this assignment, he was the Managing Director for Kennecott Utah Copper, as well as Kennecott’s Chief Operating Officer. He also held the role of General Manager at Rio Tinto Alcan’s Sebree smelter in Kentucky. Stéphane worked with Rio Tinto for over 30 years where he held roles in operations management and health, safety and environment, including two years as Global Head of HSE for the Alcan smelter group.
Stéphane attended the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering

Simon is a chartered engineer and project delivery professional specialising in the development and delivery of sustainable solutions for the industrial sector. Simon spent seven years in the United Kingdom advising and delivering ERP projects on large infrastructure developments.

He led an international team for twelve years with a US energy firm ConocoPhillips where he was responsible for delivering strategic programs of projects on onshore and offshore hydrocarbon processing facilities.
Simon is a born and bred Territorian and in his recent role he led the NT Government’s team that was accountable for the direction, design and delivery of land and marine infrastructure and Northern Australia’s first Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct (MASDP). The precinct development delivers a comprehensive road map to support critical minerals, low emissions hydrocarbon processing and hydrogen production facilities.

Simon is currently the Director and Principle of Sustainergy Consulting Pty Ltd, specialising in delivering and improving environmental, social and economic outcomes for resources industry clients. He also holds a Masters of Sustainable Energy Development (MSE) from the University of Queensland and serves as the President of Engineers Australia(EA) Northern Division and EA National Congress.

Jason has more than 20 years’ experience in the areas of corporate finance, commercial management, business strategy and investor relations, with a strong understanding of equity capital markets and ASX company life.

He has specialised in managing, developing and financing emerging companies in the Australian mining industry. His mining industry experience spans from greenfields exploration and project development planning, through to project delivery and operations.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, both from the University of Western Australia.

Michael is a degree-qualified and chartered professional engineer with extensive experience across Northern Australia. For over a decade, he played an integral role at Clough, one of Australia’s leading engineering, construction, and commissioning contractors.

During his tenure, Michael contributed to a wide range of world-class projects across industries including resources, oil & gas, and water & power generation.

In addition to his work with Tivan as a client, Michael has been pivotal in the successful delivery of complex, large-scale projects, consistently demonstrating a proven track record in multidisciplinary environments. Michael holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Western Australia and is a member of Engineers Australia

Major Michael Stone (Retd) is an experienced leader and adviser with expertise in international relations, national security, community development and stakeholder engagement, with a particular focus in Timor-Leste. He is currently Honorary Consul for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste for Queensland, Australia, and is the Founder and Director of the Timor Awakening Program.

The Timor Awakening Program is a joint Australian and Timor-Leste initiative focused on veteran rehabilitation, mental health support, solidarity and community development. He is also a Co-founder and Board member of Veterans Care Association Incorporated Australia. Mr Stone has worked extensively at senior levels within Timor-Leste, including advisory roles to the Office of the President and the Timor-Leste Defence Force, as well as participation in national forums, commissions and international engagements. He has developed deep and enduring networks across government, security institutions, traditional leadership and local communities, underpinned by long-term in-country experience and cultural understanding.

Mr Stone served for 25 years as an officer in the Australian Army, holding a range of command, advisory and training roles, including assignments in Timor-Leste supporting military training, institutional development and international taskforce operations. His experience includes contributions to security sector reform, crisis response and coordination, including peacekeeping deployments in 1999-2002 and key roles during the 2006–2008 Timor-Leste crisis. Mr Stone has significant experience in stakeholder engagement, mediation and conflict resolution, and has led and contributed to a range of community-based and policy initiatives in Timor-Leste, including programs focused on reconciliation, development and social impact.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Management, Geography) from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, together with qualifications in management and personnel administration.

Mr Stone is fluent in Tetun and has basic Portuguese capability. His honours and awards include the Presidential Medal of Merit from the President of Timor-Leste, the Medalha Solidariedade de Timor-Leste and a Chief of Defence Force Commendation for exemplary operational service.

Maddie has experience across northern Australia’s resources, energy and infrastructure sectors. Before joining Tivan, she held senior roles with Industry Capability Network, working with major projects, government and industry on procurement strategy, local participation and supply chain capability.

Based in Darwin, her work spans project facilitation, government and stakeholder engagement, approvals, regional participation and business operations across Tivan’s Australian and Timor-Leste projects.

Maddie holds a Master of Applied Finance and a Master of Business Administration.

Michael is a Senior Geologist with over 10 years of diverse field and mine site experience, having worked with industry leaders like Newmont at the Tanami (Granites) Project and Glencore at Mount Isa Mines. His expertise spans across resource evaluation, exploration, and the strategic application of drilling and geological modelling to optimise mineral resource potential.

A passionate advocate for the untapped resource endowment of northern Australia, Michael brings a unique combination of technical know-how and a business-oriented approach to maximising resource value.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Geology (Honours) from James Cook University and a Graduate Certificate in Geostatistics from Edith Cowan University, along with a Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Queensland.

Stephen is an experienced geologist with extensive exploration and mining experience across a range of critical minerals, including fluorite, lithium, manganese, zinc, and gold.

He has worked extensively in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, playing a key role in critical mineral production with top-tier companies such as Glencore, Mineral Resources, and OM Manganese.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science (Geology) from the University of Newcastle and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).