Meet the speakers
Adam Williams
The Attention Seekers
Momentum. It’s the fuel for growth… The driver of innovation… The harbinger of prosperity.
For businesses and industries to thrive, they must plan for – and keep pace with – the speed of change. And to achieve that over time, you need sustained momentum.
Adam Williams, founder of The Attention Seekers, will open Pacrim Stainless 2024 with a thought-provoking keynote that highlights where you – the custodians of Australia’s stainless steel industry – can focus your attention to propel the industry to new heights.
Exploring high-impact topics such as future trends, emerging technologies, leadership strategies and more, Adam’s presentation will challenge you to think about your business from new perspectives, providing clarity on how you can 'Sustain The Momentum.'
About Adam
Adam is a professional problem solver and attention architect. He’s studied design thinking, innovation, behavioural economics and more at some of the world’s most respected business schools - Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Kellogg and London Business School. He’s a former Head of Creative and Head of Innovation at one of Australia’s media giants and has consulted with hundreds of clients, including national and global powerhouses.
In 2023 he created The Attention Seekers to focus businesses’ attention on what will achieve their goals faster and get them what they want, sooner.
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Markus Moll
Managing Director, SMR GmbH
Since mid-1994, Markus has been the Managing Director and Senior Market Analyst at SMR - Steel & Metals Market Research, providing market intelligence in the form of single- and multi-client studies to the specialty steel industry in Europe, the USA and Asia. SMR currently employs 19 people and is located in Reutte county of Tyrol - in the "Heart of the Austrian Alps" which is a perfect location to monitor the global specialty steel market!
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Before SMR, Markus spent five years as a market analyst with a German market research firm, emphasising on stainless steel long products and nickel alloys, and four years with PLANSEE (marketing and sales), a world market leader in refractory metals (molybdenum, tungsten).
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Peter Munckton
Chief Economist and Head of Market Strategy, Bank of Queensland (BOQ)
Peter is the Chief Economist and Head of Market Strategy at the Bank of Queensland (BOQ). He has worked at the Federal Treasury in Canberra, as well as in senior economics roles at the Bankers Trust and CBA. He has co-authored reports on the Australian and Chinese financial systems that gained significant domestic and international media attention.
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Geoff Crittenden
Chief Executive Officer, Weld Australia
Geoff is a chartered engineer with over 30 years' experience and a diverse background that includes CEO and senior leadership roles in the not-for-profit, consulting, engineering and healthcare industries.
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He has led multidisciplinary teams in highly technical and complex environments, and has developed and implemented long-term business strategies that have led to strong growth.
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Geoff started his career as an engineer in the British Army, serving over 15 years. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Geoff decided upon a career change and, with his family, immigrated to Australia.
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Geoff's first role in Australia was CEO of the Association of Consulting Engineers, after which he held senior leadership positions with Transfield Worley, Cynergy Group, and the Risk Management Institute. In addition, Geoff has served on the Board of Directors for the Northside Montessori School and the Turramurra Community Bank. Geoff joined the Weld Australia team in 2014 as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director.
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Professional Qualifications
Geoff is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the British Army Staff College. He holds several qualifications including:
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BSc(Hons) Mechanical Engineering
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International Institute of Welding (IIW) International Welding Engineer (IWE)
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Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia
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Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders
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Member Australian Institute of Company Directors
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Ian Dryden
Principal Industrial Designer, City of Melbourne
Ian Dryden has successfully worked as the Principal Industrial Designer in the City Design Studio for the City of Melbourne for the last 36 years. His professional realm covers the design, implementation, and strategy of urban furniture in the cityscape. This dynamic broad base includes street furniture, street lighting, kiosks, public toilets, street decorations, tram stops, pedestrian signage, and temporary site-specific works. Ian strives to create coordinated elements to connect people with their public civic spaces. He has played a significant role in the design of many of the visual components for Melbourne’s landscape and urban design, and these team projects have won over 50 awards through the professional associations of AIA, AILA, IES and International Industrial Design. Ian was recognised for his service to design excellence in micro-architecture with the prestigious Victorian Architecture Joseph Reed Award in 2003. A recent key design leadership and implementation project has been the “The Swanston Street Light” which has also won many accolades.
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​Remy Crick
Associate Director of ESG, Sustainability & Impact, KPMG
IRemy Crick is an Associate Director within KPMG’s ESG, Sustainability and Impact Team. With diverse experience across banking, venture capital and property, Remy is passionate about driving positive change at the intersection of finance and sustainability. Having started her career at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Remy contributed to climate reporting and digital product innovation across the Retail Bank. As a venture capitalist, she focused on making socially impactful investments, and brought the fund Ochre Ventures to market. Remy established an e-commerce business in 2017 and is also the Founder of a not-for-profit focusing on Indigenous economic development, that has been embedded within the Commonwealth Bank’s banking app since 2021. Outside of her current role at KPMG, Remy sits on the Project Investment Committee for the Federal Government’s Food and Beverage Accelerator. At KPMG, she assists companies with their carbon accounting, climate risk modelling and ISSB reporting efforts, to ensure clients are on track to meet their mandatory ESG disclosure commitments.
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David Buchanan
CEO, Australian Steel Association (ASA)
David graduated from Ballarat University with a degree in Metallurgy and is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
David began his early career at Tubemakers Foundry operations for 3 years as a Quality Assistant, before moving to Atlas Steels as a Sales Representative. He has worked at senior levels with international companies for over 30 years including Mitsui and Toyota Tsusho, spending over 14 years as General Manager of Metals Operations, working to support Toyota Motor manufacturing in the international and domestic steel supply chain.
David is the current CEO of the Australian Steel Association. He works with state and federal government stakeholders across the import supply chain lobbying for improvements, increasing stakeholder support from government and banking, increasing member diversification to deliver industry value and an improved member experience.
ASA has 60 member companies representing over $5 billion worth of trade.
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Paul Plater
Director / Principal Metallurgical Engineer, Plater International Consulting
Paul Plater is a Metallurgical Engineer with thirty years’ experience in metallurgical and materials engineering, and Director of Plater International Consulting. Paul graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering. He has a wide range of experience including metallurgical engineering, non-destructive testing, materials engineering / selection, coating system selection / design / application / inspection, welding engineering, forensic failure investigation and metallography, risk assessment and quality surveillance. Paul has worked as a metallurgical engineer in the oil and gas, petrochemical, mining, chemical, pulp and paper, defence, transport, and most recently in the carbon removal industries. Paul is actively involved with industry bodies in Australia and overseas as former President of the Institute of Materials Australia (Materials Australia), a committee position with ASTM Standards Committee G01, and a member in good standing with numerous other professional institutes.
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Jason Fichera
Head of Teaching and Learning, National Drones
Originally from North Queensland, Jason brings 18 years of experience as a high school teacher specialising in math, science, and technology, with a career that spans the USA, UK, Europe, and Australia. After earning his Master's degree, he taught at James Cook University, focusing on technology integration in education. In 2018, he achieved his Commercial Drone Pilot's License and Operators Certificate in Brisbane. By late 2023, Jason combined his passions for technology and education by joining National Drones as Head of Teaching and Learning, overseeing programs and courses across Australia. The National Drones team leads the industry in leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance businesses and deliver cost-saving, innovative aerial solutions.
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