Professor Aaron Marshall is Chief Science Officer at Ternary Kinetics, a deep-tech startup developing a new class of liquid-phase hydrogen carriers for heavy transport. He is also the co-founder of Zincovery, which is commercialising low-emission zinc recycling. Both companies are scaling rapidly from lab prototypes to commercial deployment, backed by private equity investment. Aaron brings a strong track record of translating research into real-world clean technology solutions.

As the Ternary Professor of Electrochemical Engineering at the University of Canterbury and a Principal Investigator in the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, he leads a research group focused on hydrogen production, large-scale batteries, CO₂ conversion, and sustainable metal processing. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers, secured more than $25 million in research funding, and supervised over 20 postgraduate students. He earned his PhD from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and maintains active collaborations across academia, industry, and government to accelerate the clean energy transition through electrochemical innovation.

Angus Blair is a General Partner at Outset Ventures, New Zealand’s leading early-stage deep technology fund and incubator. Outset operates a 50,000 sq ft facility that has nurtured some of the country’s most iconic science-based ventures, including Rocket Lab ($RKLB) and LanzaTech ($LNZA).

Angus has initiated and led dozens of investments across climate, clean energy, advanced materials, and sustainability-driven innovation. He currently serves on the boards of OpenStar, Kwetta, and EnergyBank, supporting the next generation of founders tackling global challenges.

With a background in product design, artificial intelligence, and venture creation, Angus combines technical expertise with entrepreneurial insight to help scale transformative technologies. Passionate about fostering a low-carbon and resilient future, he is committed to connecting deep science with the capital and networks needed to create lasting impact for people and planet.

Dan Hikuroa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Whanaunga, Pākehā) is a father, husband, surfer and gardener. He is Associate Professor in Māori Studies, Waipapa Taumata Rau-University of Auckland, UNESCO New Zealand Commissioner for Culture and world expert on weaving indigenous knowledge and science to realise the dreams and solve the challenges of the communities he works with. Formerly on the AGU Council, he is a Principal Investigator at Te Pūnaha Matatini, member of Ngā Ara Whetū, Te Pūtahi o Pūtaiao and Te Ao Mārama, Research Centres at Waipapa Taumata Rau-University of Auckland.

Duncan Stewart is a New Zealand clean-technology entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years’ experience at the intersection of technology, engineering and science. He is the founder of CS-VUE, New Zealand’s leading environmental compliance platform, used by major infrastructure, government and agribusiness organisations to manage and automate their environmental obligations.

Through Greenhouse Capital, Duncan partners with founders of high-impact technology ventures to raise capital, accelerate growth and expand internationally. His portfolio includes Nurox Hydrothermal, a deep-tech company pioneering hydrothermal processing to neutralise hazardous waste and eliminate ‘forever chemicals’.

Having delivered more than $1 billion of public and private infrastructure projects, Duncan combines commercial strategy with technical understanding to scale solutions that drive environmental performance and economic value. He is recognised as one of New Zealand’s experts in clean technology and green economic growth, and is committed to helping position Aotearoa as a global leader in sustainable innovation.

Dr. Florian Graichen is a global leader in sustainable innovation and General Manager for biomanufacturing and biotechnology portfolios within the newly formed Bioeconomy Science Institute, New Zealand’s unified science organisation driving the transition to a high-value, climate-resilient bioeconomy. Florian leads portfolios that accelerate pioneering work in circular manufacturing, biorefineries, and bio-based products, transforming sustainable resources into sustainable solutions for packaging, energy, and advanced materials. This work directly supports the Blue and Green Tech Conference’s mission to accelerate clean technologies and circular systems for a resilient future.

The Bioeconomy Science Institute brings together over 2,000 researchers, enabling cross-sector innovation in agriculture, aquaculture, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and environmental science. Florian is passionate about cross sectorial and cross-institutional collaboration to translate science into real-world impact. He advises government ministries, sits on multiple industry boards, and was appointed Honorary Professor at the University of Waikato in 2022. A passionate systems thinker and communicator, Florian enjoys to inspire audiences to reimagine our material world – where nature, technology, and culture converge to shape a sustainable future.

Professor Gillian Dobbie is from the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland with over 20 years experience in Artificial Intelligence. Although she has a broad understanding of computer science, her passion is in getting the most out of data, which includes how data can be processed efficiently, and the insights we can gain from data. She says she is “keen to work with people who have a tricky problem they would like to solve using machine learning.” She has extensive experience in the application of technology in healthcare, environmental science and horticulture.

Professor Dobbie is the Chair of the Marsden Fund Council. She also co-directs the Centre of Machine Learning for Social Good (MS4SG) and the Natural, Artificial, and Organisation Intelligence Institute (NAOInstitute). Gillian is an elected Fellow of the New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Holly Beals is an Innovation Specialist and Programme Director of Aurora Climate Lab at Creative HQ. A designer by degree, she has a diverse career working with innovation and impact focussed startups. As a graduate, Holly cut her teeth in business with her own furniture design studio and later held the Strategic Projects Director and CEO role at Goodnature.

Holly excels working with founders and guiding startups through complexity. Her expertise in technology development methodologies brings method to the madness for teams navigating complex scientific discoveries to meet real market needs.

“I believe innovation is our most powerful lever in tackling climate change, addressing complex systems challenges with practical, scalable solutions that work for people and drive lasting planetary impact.”

Aurora Climate Lab is a 12-week programme designed to help climate tech startups refine and validate their proposition and strengthen their commercialisation approach. Teams from across New Zealand are selected to receive coaching, mentorship, access to investment, tools and resources to help them advance at each stage of their growth.

Through her work in Aurora, Holly sets out to deliver a depth of technical and entrepreneurial support to meet the unique needs of Climate Tech Founders in New Zealand. Ultimately Aurora’s objectives are to develop the ecosystem around a startup and structured pathways for founders; increasing the number of climate tech companies in New Zealand and increasing funding into the sector.

At the Blue and Green Technology Conference, Holly will share insights on the intersection of design thinking, innovation, and impactful entrepreneurship, drawing on her extensive experience mentoring startups and leading accelerator initiatives.

Heni is a connector, a connector of worlds, a connector of oceans and a connector of people. Her work is driven by those things that enrich and sustain her life, her awa, moana, maunga, ngahere and whānau. Holding tohu in Te Reo Māori, Chemistry, Marine Science and Environmental Science she interweaves different knowledge systems into her work to achieve equitable outcomes for our future. As the new director of FOMA Innovation she connects FOMA members to the science sector opening spaces to resolve issues and create new innovation and research that is aligned to the values of each Ahu Whenua. Her current research within her main position at Cawthron Institute focuses on aquaculture technologies, ecotoxicology and climate change. She is working towards securing accessible pathways for our rangatahi in the science sector, developing research that centres on marae-based aquaculture and research ‘kia whakahoki te mauri ki te Ao Turoa’ reciprocating that which has been taken.

Jessica is the CEO and Co-Founder of Factor, a climate-tech company building digital infrastructure for the new energy economy. Factor’s retail forecasting and pricing engine enables energy producers, distributors, and sellers to translate complex market signals into actionable, customer-ready products — accelerating the shift to low-carbon, resilient energy systems.

For more than a decade Jessica has been driving energy innovation across Aotearoa, Australia, and Europe, including as a co-founder of Flick Electric Co. and as CX and Growth leader at Flux Federation. She has built companies at the bleeding edge of energy transformation and brings expertise in scaling technology solutions that bridge commercial, regulatory, and customer needs.

Through Factor, she works alongside partners and clients in ANZ and Europe to position digital technology as a critical enabler of climate resilience and equitable energy transitions worldwide.

Prof JR Rowland is the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global & Graduate Research at the University of Auckland. She leads the School of Graduate Studies to enhance and grow the University’s graduate research offerings and advises on strategic international research collaborations to expand research partnerships. She currently chairs the inaugural Applied Doctorate Scheme Governance Group which is enabling top doctoral talent to bring science, tech, and innovation into the heart of Kiwi industry.

JR is a structural geologist whose research focuses on tectonic-magmatic-hydrologic interactions, particularly in rift settings. This sort of research is relevant to resources and energy, to understanding geohazards, and to understanding fundamental tectonic processes.

Committed to supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s just transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future, JR plays a crucial role in training and mentoring future leaders to think critically and ethically about resources, energy and Earth systems.

John is Managing Director and CEO of sustainable mineral recovery business Geo40, a position he has held since 2019.  John has led the scale-up of the Company’s now-mature silica recovery technology that is aimed at the geothermal power generation sector.  He has also championed the development and deployment of the Company’s new technology to sustainably recover lithium from a range of global underground fluids, targeting the EV battery sector.  John’s team is currently showcasing this technology on lithium brine resources across the planet and the Company plans to deploy its new semi-mobile pre-commercial direct lithium extraction plant offshore with an oil and gas major in 2026. 

John has worked extensively in energy across geothermal, wind, wave and solar disciplines, most recently as CEO of an NZX-listed independent wind generator.  He holds bachelors and masters degrees in engineering and management and has undertaken post-graduate and executive studies at Oxford, Harvard and Auckland.  He is a Chartered Engineer, contributes to a number of boards, and in his spare time coaches junior rugby, swims and surfs and is an occasional surf lifeguard.

Lucy is a Principal Consultant at Cleantech Group and leads the innovation ecosystem advisory practice.  She supports clients globally on interpretation of ecosystem and market evolutions, and identification of opportunities to build or strengthen cleantech ecosystems for climate impact, resilience and economic growth. At Cleantech Group Lucy has led ecosystem development and innovation engagement programmes for public entities, development agencies, foundations, banks, conglomerates and industrial groups in Europe, Asia Pacific and North and Latin America, and the launch of advocacy programmes Cleantech for UK and Cleantech for Iberia, which bring the voice of cleantech innovation closer to policymakers. Lucy holds a BSc. in Mathematics from the University of Bristol, UK and a bilingual MBA from IESE Business School in Spain.

Lachlan Nixon is the Founding Partner of Motion Capital, a kiwi venture capital fund backing technologies that make it cheaper to save the world than to destroy it. Motion invests in early-stage climate-tech companies tackling emissions in energy, industry, and agriculture, including Aspiring Materials, Zincovery, Supa Energy, and Apleny.

He has built Motion Capital into one of the country’s most active climate investors, attracting capital from KiwiSaver funds, family offices, and international partners. Along with CreativeHQ and Fractal Climate, Motion Capital has also co-founded the Aurora Climate Lab, New Zealand’s leading climate-tech accelerator.

Prior to founding Motion Capital, Lachlan has worked in venture capital in New Zealand since 2014. A regular speaker on climate investment and start-ups, he brings a pragmatic, founder-focused lens to decarbonisation – bridging capital, science, and industry to accelerate the low-carbon transition.

Millan Ruka is the sole owner and director of Mana Wairua Energy 1999 Ltd, a New Zealand-based marine energy company developing renewable solutions for Indigenous and off-grid communities across the Pasifika and Southeast Asia regions. His work is grounded in environmental stewardship and Māori-developed Te Mana o te Wai principles, which prioritise the health and integrity of water systems.

Millan is a recipient of the Queen’s Service Medal for services to the environment, recognising his long-standing commitment to protecting waterways and empowering communities.

His current innovation, the Hydro Energy Conveyor Apparatus (HECA), is in prototype development. HECA’s elongated energy capture design offers a distinct alternative to conventional radial propeller technologies. A New Zealand provisional patent has been secured, with international filings underway.

Millan brings a principled, visionary approach to marine energy as a public good—focused not on academic expertise, but on practical, community-led innovation. His work spans site feasibility, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning, with a commitment to restoring ecosystems and enabling energy sovereignty.

At the Blue and Green Technology Conference, he will present pathways to scale marine energy through cross-sector collaboration, ethical technology, and inclusive deployment.

Sally is co-leader of the German-NZ green hydrogen centre / He Honoka Hauwai, which has participants across NZ-DE, including iwi and industry partners, who are active across all aspects of green hydrogen (including production, storage, uses, modelling, community engagement). She is also a principal investigator with the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Some of her research team are making molecular complexes and testing them as homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for green hydrogen production from water and for the selective reduction of carbon dioxide to valuable commodity chemicals. Sally and her team have published over 230 papers in strong international journals (h=52).

She has received numerous awards, including a Queens Birthday Honour for services to science (MNZM), the Hector Medal (Royal Society of NZ) for outstanding work involving chemical, physical, and mathematical and information sciences, and the Burrows Award (Royal Australian Chemical Institute). At Otago University, Sally was named one of seven Inaugural Sesquicentennial Distinguished Professors in 2019 and the 8th Mellor Professor in 2025.

Saeid Baroutian is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Executive Director of the Circular Innovations (CIRCUIT) Research Centre at the University of Auckland. A sustainability advocate and cleantech entrepreneur, his work focuses on waste minimisation and advancing the circular economy. Saeid is the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Nurox Hydrothermal, and co-founder and Chief Technology & Operating Officer of Gaiatech – two cleantech start-ups commercialising cutting-edge technologies for the safe and sustainable treatment of complex healthcare and hospital waste streams.

Dr Sean Simpson is a pioneering technology entrepreneur and biochemical engineer whose work lies at the intersection of sustainable manufacturing, green chemistry, and industrial biotechnology. He co-founded LanzaTech in 2005 in New Zealand, and from 2010 to 2022 served as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, guiding the development, scaling, and commercialization of a novel gas-fermentation platform that converts industrial waste gases into fuels, chemicals, and materials. In 2020, the company spun off LanzaJet to focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and diesel production and publicly listed on the NASDAQ in early 2023. Dr Simpson is currently a key part of the Ternary Kinetics leadership team. They are developing a sustainable liquid energy source that can be stored, pumped, and shipped.

An accomplished researcher and inventor, Dr Simpson has published more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds over 200 patents across the fields of gas fermentation, biochemical process engineering, microbial systems, and downstream catalytic conversion. He also serves on the board of several start-up ventures in the sustainable manufacturing field, contributing his deep technical and strategic expertise to the next generation of innovation.

Dr. Simpson’s work has been widely recognized: in 2015 he received the U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Award, among other international honours.

Growing up on a commercial fishing boat in Southern California, Stephanie developed a lifelong connection to the ocean that established her career. Her first professional chapter focused on ocean resource conservation and management, culminating in Washington, D.C., as Chief of the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program, where she directed policies and management for 13 Congressionally designated marine protected areas.

After a three-year sabbatical in London, Stephanie transitioned into the emerging ocean energy sector, building over 17 years of international experience. She began as Executive Director of the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, a public–private partnership established to catalyse the State’s emerging ocean energy industry.

In 2018, she co-founded the Australian Ocean Energy Group (AOEG), Australia’s first industry-led ocean energy cluster where she served as Australia’s Alternate-delegate to Australia’s new membership in the International Energy Agency-Ocean Energy Systems and also secured inaugural membership in International Marine Energy Standards Committee and Standards Australia.

As Manager of AOEG, Stephanie championed the industry’s shift from “technology push” to “market pull” and led a landmark wave-powered microgrid project for an aquaculture company in Victoria, Australia, to demonstrate this. Today, as General Manager of Azura Wave Power, she continues to advance wave energy microgrid solutions as well as at-sea desalination.

Dr. Thomas Dowling specializes in remote sensing, earth observation, and environmental applications of spatial data. He co-leads the Earth Observation Laboratory Aotearoa, an open, cross-sector initiative designed to democratize access to environmental and geospatial data across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tom studied Physical Geography at Durham University and Environmental Science at Cambridge before completing his PhD in Glaciology at Lund University, Sweden. His career spans academia, applied research, and the private sector, including roles at King’s College London and the UK National Centre for Earth Observation, where he worked on land surface temperature validation, thermal remote sensing, and maritime geospatial intelligence.

At the University of Auckland, Tom’s research integrates sensor development, field calibration, and downstream data use to address pressing climate, biodiversity, coastal, and maritime challenges. He also contributes to international discussions on space sustainability, offering a New Zealand perspective on orbital pollution and the responsible use of outer space.

Passionate about collaboration, Tom is committed to ensuring that Earth observation tools and insights are accessible to iwi, communities, and industries, helping translate data into practical solutions for a resilient, sustainable future.