Board Of Directors

The Stormwater Industry Association Ltd (Stormwater Australia) is an incorporated body under the National Corporations
Act which is owned by each of the respective State Associations. At the 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM), a revised
SIA National Constitution was adopted which recognises the importance of a skills-based Board and allows representation
of Sustaining Members. At the 2018 AGM minor modifications were made in relation to the number of Directors,
tenure and quorum requirements. 

Cath Thrupp

President & Chair

CEO of CarbonPlanet, a Brisbane-based company creating a new Metaverse and Blockchain platform to connect investors to their
on-ground catchment and sustainability projects. She is an aquatic ecologist and catchment manager, who has over twenty years of experience delivering major water and natural resource projects within the private, public & non-profit sectors. Cath also
undertakes water advisory work, with a focus on water innovation, strategy and digital water solutions.

Having grown up on a farm on the Balonne River floodplain in
western Queensland, Cath has a lifelong interest in rivers and a
deep understanding of how floods, droughts and water security
can impact landholders and local communities. Since then, Cath’s career has spanned from managing environmental aspects of dam operations in central Queensland to wetland and fish monitoring in
the northern Murray-Darling Basin and Coopers Creek, to environmental flow monitoring in north and central Queensland, through to urban water planning and policy in Brisbane. Most
recently, Cath’s focus has been on leveraging the latest technology
to create new business models that can scale catchment and
coastal restoration projects.

In her spare time, Cath is also a Director of Our New Leaders, an advisory company specialising in online mentoring and training for mid-career professionals who want to upskill for the future. Cath is
a big picture thinker and a ‘people’ person, who deeply cares about supporting our catchments, community & industry to prepare for 
the future.

Alison Carmichael

Treasurer & Director

Alison has extensive experience in industry associations as both a director and senior executive, in sectors covering irrigation, energy efficiency, forestry, vocational education, and product stewardship. 

Prior to taking up these positions, Alison was a partner in a consulting business specialising in natural resource management. 

Alison is now a Director and freelance consultant, drawing on her past experiences in industry not-for-profit organisations to provide support in areas such as strategy, stakeholder engagement, communications, governance and accreditation. 

She is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Peter Breen

Director & Board SQIDEP Representative

Dr Peter Breen is a founding director of E2Designlab and Practice Professor in the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities at Monash
University. Peter has a long interest in the integration of science
and practice in the management of rural and urban aquatic ecosystems. He has been a leading researcher and practitioner in
the development of WSUD in Australia.

Peter has over 40 years in the water sector and has held positions
in industry, academia, research and consulting in organizations
such as Monash University, State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, CSIRO, Dandenong Valley Authority, Melbourne
Water, CRC for Freshwater Ecology, Ecological Engineering
(founding Director), EDAW and AECOM, E2Designlab (founding Director). He has over 100 publications on topics including aquatic botany, wetland, stream and lake ecology, stormwater and wastewater treatment, water quality management and restoration ecology.

Peter is involved with the Wellcome Trust/Asian Development
Bank funded Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) program at Monash University where he contributes to the design of interventions to improve the public
and environment health of informal settlements.

Sue Graf

Company Secretary and Director

SSue has a varied professional background and wealth of experience with peak bodies, all levels of government and private industry. She has held a number of CEO roles including Oysters Tasmania, Salmon Tasmania and the NSW Forest Products Association.  Sue originally studied applied science majoring in ecology and natural resources. She started her working career in environmental management working in catchment management and water quality with the NSW Government before working for the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

Rob Graham

Director

Rob is a water resource engineer based in Sydney. For 25 years, he has worked for 12d Solutions as a water modeller specialising in urban drainage, software development and training.  He has a solid technical background and has excellent listening skills.

In his spare time, Rob likes to sail with friends and enjoy the quiet of the wilderness.

Alan Hoban

Immediate Past President & Director

Alan Hoban is a Director of Civil and Water at Bligh Tanner Pty Ltd, based in Brisbane. He is a civil and environmental engineer who
has worked closely with government and industry to establish
policy, planning frameworks and technical standards for better
urban water management.

His expertise includes integrated water management and water sensitive urban design (WSUD), policy and planning advice, infrastructure planning, development applications and approvals advice, waterway management, flood and stormwater studies, civil engineering and climate change strategies. His awards include the Gilbert Vasey Award in Agricultural Engineering, the Queensland Medal for Landscape Architecture (for the ‘Flood of Ideas’
community resilience-building project), and ‘The AILA ‘ for his leadership of the Water by Design program.

Alan also cofounded Victoria’s Flexicar car-share scheme and is a graduate of Social Leadership Australia. He is a Fellow of the
Institute of Engineers, Australia and a sessional
lecturer at various universities.

Leigh Holmes

Director

Leigh graduated from Victoria University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with a water focus.

Currently he is the Integrated Water Business Unit Manager and Executive Director within Spiire. On the board I aim to promote and lead the growth of our organisation through a focus on climate change, digital innovation and diversity whilst maintaining our fantastic culture as a people business.

His core expertise is in water management which includes strategic planning, flood resilience, stormwater harvesting, water and sewer planning, water sensitive urban design, urban drainage, waterway design and erosion management.

Leigh served on the Stormwater Victoria committee for seven years where he was vice-president until he resigned to focus on business and family commitments.

Leigh is keen to help implement the strategy, particularly in the areas of policy and advocacy.

Stefanie Stanley

Director

Stefanie’s goal as Director is to work with the members of Stormwater Australia to achieve positive outcomes for themselves and their communities.

As Commercial Manager for waste and resource recovery, quarry, airport and cemeteries at Lismore City Council, Stefanie is leading the team through natural disaster recovery while delivering an extensive planned capital works program and maintaining existing operations.

A qualified environmental professional with over 15 years’ experience, her skill sets include business management, regulatory compliance, quality assurance and project management. 

Stefanie acknowledges the Bundjalung nation, traditional owners of the land on which she lives and works. 

National Advisory Committee
- Member Representatives

SIA (NSW) - Stormwater New South Wales

SIA (QLD) - Stormwater Queensland

SIA (SA) - Stormwater South Australia

SIA (Vic) - Stormwater Victoria

SIA (WA) - Stormwater Western Australia

Our Constitution

Stormwater Industry Association Ltd (Stormwater Australia) is an incorporated body under the Australian Corporations Act. Stormwater Australia operates as part of a collective of stormwater industry associations, in partnership with five State Associations (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia). 

A copy of the most recent constitution (December 2018) is available below. This constitution
is due for update.

Sustainable Water. Liveable Cities. Engaged Communities.

We are one of the largest stormwater industry associations in Australia, with a national presence and state-based associations in Queensland, NSW, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.