Advisory Board

Formerly a fixture of the energy team at sonnen, Claire held the position of Retail Operations Lead for four years, helping to launch sonnen’s first 1 MW registration in the FCAS demonstration program for NSW, followed by a second MW registration in SA. Claire has also led and influenced multifaceted teams to help tranform sonnen's energy billing and VPP reporting space into digital and automated releases.

Claire is a strong advocate for consumer interest in renewable energy and was invited to present at the Innovations in Climate Resilience 2024 Conference in Washington, DC earlier this year on the topic of Value and Equity in the Electrification of Everything, including small scale prosumer resilience through VPPs.

In her spare time, Claire is working on an integrative start up project focused on community health and engagement in the renewable energy space.

Claire holds a Masters of Management (International Business) from CQU (AU) and international qualifications in Psychology from Middlebury College (USA).

With the experience obtained through various credit-based leadership roles at Coliban Water, Simply Energy, Yarra Valley Water and Telstra, Hannah's comprehensive experience and knowledge within these industries provides a unique insight into the intricacies of these industries. She has driven development of innovative business processes to enhance customer experience and her passion lies with customers, focusing on ensuring they are supported throughout the end-to-end credit cycle and working with them to achieve financial sustainability. Hannah joined recoveriescorp team in 2021 as Operations Manager - Government & Utilities and on return from her parental leave, she was appointed Operations Manager - Hardship & Vulnerability where she was able to develop the recoveriescorp Hardship operations to ensure compliance, client insights, operational effectiveness and empathetic, quality customer interactions. In her current role as Financial Inclusion & Vulnerability Manager, she is able to show the case best practice to clients and industry counterparts whilst researching and implementing a continuous improvement program of work in this space. Hannah also manages the community consultation processes for the organisation.

Sarah was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2023. Sarah joined the commission as Executive Director of Energy in April 2021. Sarah has degrees in law and arts from the University of Adelaide and has extensive experience in economic regulation and the energy sector, including six years with the Victorian Government, a decade at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and experience as a competition lawyer in the private sector.

Lara is a utilities specialist within the electricity sector with 30 years’ experience working in both Distribution in Victoria, Retail and most recently Contestable Metering. Known for building relationships across sectors with a strong focus on Suppliers and Industry bodies. Specialising in contract management, process improvement and introducing outsource models to the business for both back office and field resources. Whilst also mentoring younger generations to drive their careers.

Since joining Yurika in 2020, Lara has played a pivotal role in expanding their presence in the NEM in the small market type 4 metering and large market space. Lara has achieved this through establishing strong relationships with her clients and adding value to their business by emerging herself and sharing her knowledge. Lara played a pivotal role in the smart meter deployment in Victoria and is in a great position to share her experiences in the meter roll out coming in 2025 across the NEM.

Yurika has offered me the opportunity to transform the business through stakeholder engagement, contract reform focussed on the retailers and their needs, including a new price offering to assist the smaller retailers working across the NEM. I show every client that they are important and their needs matter to us.