Industry Partners Lunch speaker biographies

Find out about our speakers for the Industry Partners Lunch, Value creation through innovation: Leading Queensland into the next decade.

Dr Alexander Budzier, Fellow in Management Practice, Saїd Business School, University of Oxford

Alexander is a Fellow in Management Practice (Associate Professor) at University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. For more than 14 years he has been researching the planning and delivery of major projects. His publications place him in the top 1% of social-science researchers. Before joining Oxford in 2009, Alexander worked on large-scale digital transformations. His research has focussed on identifying practices across all sectors that influence the failure and success of major projects.

He is the associate-leader of the Hong Kong Major Projects Leadership Programme, the academic director of the ASPAC Major Projects Leadership Academy and the UK’s National Grid Major Projects Leadership Academy. He regularly teaches on the UK Major Projects Leadership Academy, Oxford’s MSc in Major Programme Management and other executive education courses for major project leaders for the Canadian Government, the LSE’s Future of Cities Programme, as well as corporate clients in the construction and IT sectors.

Alexander is also the CEO of Oxford Global Projects, a specialist consultancy where he applies the Oxford research with owner/operators and projects in transport infrastructure, engery, and IT, among others. In Hong Kong he has worked with the Development Bureau to create the PSS and introduce Reference Class Forecasting; and worked on flagship projects such as the M+ and XRL, where he helped to re-set the projects so that after re-set they delivered on budget and on time.

His most recent publications include:

• A Case Study of Megaproject Success: The KCI Terminal, published in Complexity and Sustainability in Megaprojects, Springer
• The Empirical Reality of IT Project Cost Overruns: Discovering A Power-Law Distribution, published in Journal of Management Information Systems
• Mind the gap: Towards performance measurement beyond a plan-execute logic, published in the International Journal of Project Management

He is currently working on two books to be published in 2025:

• How to Measure Anything in Project Management, Wiley
• Unlocking Digital Transformations, Wiley

Leah Kelly, Deputy Director-General, Infrastructure and Regional Strategy, Department of State Development and Infrastructure

Leah leads the Infrastructure and Regional Strategy (IRS) group which plays an integral role in leading infrastructure planning and policy to inform government’s investment and delivery of coordinated and resilient infrastructure that supports the department’s outcomes of securing economic prosperity and liveable communities across the State. IRS also leads the State’s planning and delivery of the Brisbane 2032 Infrastructure program and the Queens Wharf Brisbane development.

Throughout her career, Leah has held various leadership roles in the infrastructure industry developing a broad set of skills in areas such as transactions, commercial advisory, infrastructure procurement and delivery, and business case delivery.

She has held senior executive roles in Queensland Treasury, Building Queensland, Aurecon and The University of Queensland, bringing a wealth of public and private sector experience.

As Assistant Under Treasurer at Queensland Treasury Leah led the final Build to Rent Pilot Project and other commercial and financing transactions.

Leah has a Bachelor of Economics, Bachelor of Business Management and Graduate Diploma in Business (Accounting).

Mike is a respected water industry professional with in excess of 35 years experience working across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

He has expertise and executive leadership experience in all facets of business design with a focus on integrated, sustainable water infrastructure delivery including design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of complex water systems.

Mike is an experienced business leader with a commitment to continuous learning and capability enhancement for the teams he leads and develops. Mike also has a particular interest in carbon zero initiatives which achieve commercial return.

Professor Matthew Hornsey, ARC Laureate Fellow and Lead, Net Zero Observatory, UQ Business School

Matthew has published over 200 papers, mostly on how to create change in trust-sensitive, polarised environments. Throughout his career he has worked to develop models equipped to understand the logic behind supposedly “irrational” behaviour, and used them to facilitate attitude and behaviour change. His work has been cited in hundreds of media articles, including in the NY Times, LA Times, and The Guardian.

His most recent work focuses on understanding (and reducing) people’s motivations to reject scientific consensus, including the psychology of climate inaction. Matthew leads the Net Zero Observatory at the University of Queensland, a multi-disciplinary group of academics and practitioners who design strategies to accelerate industry action and community support for rapid decarbonisation.

Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Director MBA and Executive Education & Future of Health Research Hub Lead, UQ Business School

Associate Professor Nicole Hartley is the Director MBA and Executive Education at UQ Business School. Nicole is an internationally recognised research academic in the field of services, digital technology and customer decision making. Nicole's current research agenda focuses upon exploring stakeholder perceptions and uptake of technology and various forms of disruption in the delivery of services, particularly healthcare, and she has an interest in digital responsibility.

Nicole consults and speaks regularly on leadership skills and capability, particularly focusing on leadership qualities that address current business dynamics. Prior to her academic career, Nicole was employed as Marketing Manager/Director for various corporations within the tourism, education and communication industries both in Australia and in the UK.