Our Team

Miranda Taylor

CEO

Miranda is a strategic and adaptive leader driving collaboration and innovation to improve productivity performance of the energy resources sector and to decarbonise, diversify and digitise and transform Australia’s economy through the commercialisation of low emissions and smart technology supply chains.

CEO of NERA since its inception in 2016, Miranda brings a deep and broad range of energy and resources industry experience, skills and capabilities. Her leadership of NERA is bringing together the country’s best minds from technology, research and enterprise to achieve NERA’s vision of Australia as a global energy powerhouse, a sought-after destination of investment and leading source of knowledge and solutions.

Polly Whakaari

Commercial Manager & Company Secretary

Polly is responsible for supporting the CEO and General Managers at NERA on commercial, business strategy, business risk and business administration issues. She manages the stakeholder engagement strategy, communications plan, branding and coordinates statutory reporting to the Commonwealth.

Polly has a wealth of experience in corporate strategy development and execution, financial management, program and project management. Prior to NERA, she held a number of senior positions at State Trustees, including Strategy Execution Manager and Acting General Manager of Corporate Operations. She holds a Bachelor in Management Studies, majoring in finance and human resource management from Waikato University, New Zealand.

Tim Duff

Project Portfolio and Business Development Manager

As Project Portfolio and Business Development Manager at NERA, Tim’s role is to ensure the effective delivery of programs and designated projects. This includes managing key stakeholder relationships, promoting project outcomes and identifying opportunities for collaboration in the energy resources sector. Tim holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.

Richard Reilly

Victorian Hydrogen Cluster Network Lead

Richard brings to the role of NERA Victorian Hydrogen Cluster Network Lead experience in stakeholder management and industry development, and will work with Victorian clusters to develop their networks and skills and to progress opportunities in the emerging hydrogen industry.

He recently worked with the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) in the Victorian Government developing several COVID-19 related business assistance programs. He has been chief executive officer of the national industry associations, the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) and the Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers (FAPM). This followed a nine-year career with professional services firm, Deloitte, advising leading Australian and multinational companies on their technology and R&D programs.

Cormac Dawson

Strategy Analyst

Lindsey Macqueen

Communications Advisor