Leadership Team

Our Board

Our board and executive leaders bring diverse expertise to the organisation, bringing national and international capabilities from a range of professional and governance sectors.

They drive GAWB’s strategic direction, provide effective governance and ensure our service is provided in accordance with our company values and as a committed member of the Gladstone community.

Adrienne Ward

MAICD
Chair

Ms Ward was appointed Chair in March 2023. Ms Ward has an extensive background in corporate and government strategy, working across senior level of Government and Business for more than 20 years. Her current roles include Chair of Gladstone Airport Corporation; Non-Executive Director, RACQ Central Qld Helicopter Rescue Service; President, Gladstone Hockey Association; Member of The Public Transport Fares Advisory Panel, Qld; Member of The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Central Qld Committee; Adjudicator, Telstra Best of Business Awards and Ambassador for the Women in Business Awards of Australia. Ms Ward is a passionate advocate and contributor to both Gladstone and Queensland and along with her husband, owns a number of businesses in Gladstone. Ms Ward is a former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year and was also awarded The Centenary Medal in 2003 for distinguished service and achievement in business and commerce.

Suzanne Burow

B.Eng(Civil), B.EnvMan, FIEAust, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE(Aus), RPEQ, MAICD
Director

Ms Burow was appointed Director in March 2023. Ms Burow has more than 25 years experience working as a specialist engineer in the water sector, with a specific emphasis on hydrology and hydraulic modelling studies. Throughout her career, Ms Burow has contributed to regulatory processes and business case investigations related to water planning in Queensland. Ms Burow is a Chartered Engineering Fellow and Deputy Chair on the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.

Peter Masters

Director

Mr Masters was appointed to the Board as a Director on 29 June 2021 for a term of three years. Mr Masters is currently a General Manager for the Gladstone Engineering Alliance. He is a well-known Gladstone Industry figure, having worked for both public and private organisations, in management and purchasing roles. Mr Masters has an extensive history working with and leading community-based not-for-profit organisations and sporting clubs.

Emeritus Professor Poh-Ling Tan

LLB (Hons) U. Malaya; LLB (1st class Hons); QUT; PhD, ANU
Director

Emeritus Professor Tan was appointed a Director on 22 August 2019 and reappointed in December 2021 for a further two-year term until 8 December 2023. She has previously served in several Ministerial appointments including the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Advisory Committee for Social, Economic and Environmental Sciences. She has been serving for many years on Queensland’s Water Referral Panel and has been re-appointed to this role. Her current advisory roles includer service on the Expert group for the Australian Water Partnership. Her research in water governance and policy has led to outcomes on national, state and local scales.

Tina Zawila

CA, GAICD, BBus(Acct) CQU, GradDipFinPlan Kaplan, FIML
Director

Ms Zawila was appointed to the Board as a Director on 9 December 2021 for a term of three years.

Ms Zawila has more than 30 years’ experience practicing as a Chartered Accountant and Director of UHY Haines Norton CQ Pty Ltd in Gladstone, Queensland. She successfully attained a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) with Distinction from Central Queensland University; a Diploma of Financial Planning; is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders.

Ms Zawila holds non-Executive Director roles with the Gladstone Airport Corporation and the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, as well as various voluntary roles for local not-for-profit organisations in the Gladstone region.

Our executive team

Darren Barlow

BCom, MBA (Adv), FCPA, FAICD, Dip Fin Serv, MAIPIO, SA Fin

Chief Executive Officer

Darren joined GAWB as Chief Executive Officer in March 2018. Darren has extensive leadership and executive experience, having held senior roles in commercial, financial, strategic and business transformation areas across the public and private sectors. Darren was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Residential Tenancies Authority and has held a range of senior executive positions at Aurizon, Master Builders Association of Queensland and Ergon Energy.

Hugh Barbour

CPA, BBus (Acct), GAICD

Chief Operating Officer – Gladstone-Fitzroy Pipeline

Hugh has extensive experience in project development, financial management, contract management and negotiation in the mining and energy industries. Hugh has led multi-disciplinary teams in the performance review of significant assets and evaluation of acquisitions and asset improvements. Hugh is responsible for GAWB’s continued operational sustainability as a reliable water provider through the development of the Gladstone to Fitzroy Pipeline project. Hugh previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer at GAWB since March 2016.

Angela Moody

BEcon, BA, MProfEcon, GradDipAppFin, GAICD

Chief Financial Officer

Angela was appointed to the role of Chief Financial Officer on 31 May 2021. Angela has extensive experience in economic regulation, strategy, stakeholder engagement, governance, commercial analysis and institutional reform. Before joining GAWB, Angela was a consultant for 10 years advising private sector and Government clients on a range of issues relating to economic regulation, policy development and strategy development. Angela was previously GAWB’s Regulation and Planning Manager.

Ron Elliott

General Manager – Aquaculture Gladstone

Ron was appointed to the role of General Manager Aquaculture Gladstone in April 2022. Before joining GAWB, Ron held senior project and management roles with a multinational contractor and major manufacturing industry in the Central Queensland region. Ron was previously GAWB’s Special Projects Manager for the construction of the Hatchery Relocation and Pikes Crossing Emergency Muster point projects.

Catherine Byers

BBus (HR)

General Manager – People & Culture

Catherine joined GAWB in June 2018, bringing with her a proven track record and extensive experience in human resource management, industrial relations, and organisational development, applied across both the public sector and Government Owned Corporation environments. Catherine’s pragmatic approach is complimentary to her twenty years of experience working at an operational and strategic level.

Scott Wikman

BBus (HR & Mgmt)

General Manager – Network

Scott was appointed General Manager – Network in July 2022, following 25 years of service with Goulburn-Murray Water in Victoria. Scott is an experience leader, holding senior asset and dam management positions for the last 15 years.

Rachel Miller

BE (Chem) (Hons), LLB (Hons)

General Manager – Hydrogen

Rachel joined GAWB as the General Manager – Hydrogen in January 2023. Rachel has over 15 years of experience managing the strategic planning, procurement and delivery of infrastructure and operational services for public sector clients. Rachel has had significant roles in projects across all stages of project delivery, including development of preliminary assessments and business cases, transaction management and contract administration. Rachel’s project experience has been across a range of sectors including banking, health, education and utilities.

Petrus Botes

BEng (Mech)

General Manager – Capital

Petrus joined GAWB as the General Manager – Capital in July 2023. Petrus has more than 25 years of multi-functional asset, project and operations management experience. Petrus has demonstrated success in driving initiatives for asset and operational improvements that meet best practice safety and engineering standards. Petrus experience has been across mining, minerals processing, large manufacturing, supply chain and utility operations.

57%