GEA President
2022-2025
As my time as President of the GEA Board of Directors draws to an end, I reflect with a smile and a hand pump in the air! GEA is well-placed to continue to take the region forward, with capable staff, a strong membership base, and a new Board made up of a mix of returning and new Directors, all of whom have an impressive professional record and a shared passion for the Gladstone region.
The last four years have been jam-packed with a mix of showcasing our region’s capabilities at the Supply Chain Expos; bringing together our amazing Gladstone women and their supporters at the International Women’s Day events; having fun at the Charity Golf Days and hearing from industry, government, researchers and proponents at the annual Major Industry, Energy and Manufacturing Conferences.
The GEA staff continued to impress with the annual conference hitting the mark each year with the topics and speakers making it a must-attend event in the calendar, followed up by the night-of-nights where we celebrate the achievements of our local heroes and businesses.
The authenticity, shared pride and compassion expressed at the Industry Awards night remind us of why we do what we do.
Back-to-back with these events have been the various presentations held by industry and proponents, and workshop and training seminars to ensure our members are connected and have access to the tools and skills to continue to provide high-quality products and services.
GEA stands proud as a member of Team Gladstone. Together, we have navigated some major shifts in markets, the economy, the energy transition and political leadership and, more recently, the uncertainty of global geopolitics. Gladstone has positioned itself as a major player in the export of coal and gas and the production and export of aluminium, chemicals, and other commodities. GEA knows we cannot sit on our hands and assume the future will be as certain as our past.
High energy and labour costs, global competition, the lack of resources and competing needs for products and services, along with increasing regulatory pressures and artificial intelligence (AI) have and will continue to present challenges and opportunities to our local industries and businesses. We need to be aware and agile to survive and embrace change to prosper.
During my tenure as President, GEA has welcomed and supported world-class Australian innovators into our region, including: Alpha HPA with its production of high-purity alumina that is used for tech end users in AI, electronics and electric vehicles, and Grenof’s chlor-alkali plant that will produce critical products that are currently predominantly imported, including caustic soda and chlorine.
We have also witnessed the work by our member, Rio Tinto Gladstone, in its decarbonisation journey, a focus on social performance, and efforts towards increasing local content.
GEA has stood beside our renewable energy members who have been challenged by rapidly changing regulatory processes and anti-renewable development sentiment in some of our rural communities. Finding the right balance for development is something our board is well aware of and will need to continue to promote in our engagement with political leaders and decision makers.
I am especially proud of GEA’s engagement over the last four years with the region’s First Nations People: Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng, Taribelang Bunda (FNBGGGTB). Highlights were the keynote address at our 2023 major industry conference by Matt Cooke from the First Nations Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), our involvement in the FNCCCI conference, and the stories our members heard in the Welcome to Country talks by local Elders. I am thrilled we now welcome a First Nations Director onto the GEA Board, Desanya Stanley, who brings a mix of knowledge and skills. Integration of the deep history and connection of country by our First Nations People with our industrial base will be instrumental in the strength of our region’s future.
The delegation trip to Japan in September last year with Mayor Matt Burnett, GRC’s Manager of Economic Development, People and Strategy, Kristy Marks, and CQU’s Professor Johnathan Love was another highlight in my time as President. The timing of the trip was important, to ensure Gladstone’s relationships with Japan’s businesses that have major investments in our region and the businesses considering future investments was strong and built on mutual respect.
Our delegation team and the GEA Members who took time and invested in the trip, Xtreme Engineering, Walz Group and AllCaps/ Inter-port Global, made for a productive, busy and enjoyable time in Japan. Thanks also to David Nunn from High Risk Solutions who made GEA metal tags that were a hit as gifts for the Japanese people we met with, along with the Mayor’s Grandmother’s recipe for fried rice – which featured in the Taste of the Gladstone Region cookbook.
Lastly, I would like to thank the GEA Members who placed their trust in the Board to look after your interests and ensure the “buy local” flag was waved high, the wonderful people I had the chance to work with at GEA, the previous and current Board of Directors who volunteered their time away from work and their families, and the small team of staff who worked their magic to deliver numerous events and take care of our Members.
I’d also like to personally thank Gladstone Regional Council’s Mayor, Matt Burnett, and the Hon. Glenn Butcher, Member for Gladstone, for your unwavering support for GEA and its Members, and for Mayor Nev Ferrier from Banana Shire Council for attending our events.
A huge thank to you the former GEA leaders, Peter Masters and Alison Murdoch, and more recently our interim CEO, Garry Scanlan, for your commitment, professionalism and passion for GEA and the region. I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside each of you and will treasure our friendships into the future.
It isn’t an ideal time to say farewell in this role, as our previous CEO Alison Murdoch recently moved on to to an important role with Powerlink that will strengthen connections with the local supply chain and community. However GEA’s current constitution only allows for a Director to have a maximum four-year tenure. So, it was time for me to hand over the baton as President at our Board meeting on Friday 13th February, 2026.
You will see me around still with my CQG Consulting hat on as an active and vocal member of GEA to ensure our local businesses are at the forefront of development in this region and beyond.
– Patrice Brown
