Catherine Peppler is currently the Head of Safety, Health and Environment at Aurizon and a Director on the TrackSAFE Board. In her role, Catherine leads a national team responsible for the provision of safety, health, environment, town planning and cultural heritage services across Aurizon. Catherine lead the development of Aurizon’s Climate Strategy and Action plan which includes a commitment to decarbonise Aurizon’s operational emissions by harnessing renewable energy for the locomotive fleet and electrified rail export infrastructure. By creating sustainable “green” supply chains for Australia’s agricultural, manufacturing and resource sectors we support a strong national economy and the continued competitiveness of Australian exports.

Jody Finsen is a sustainability leader with over 25 years of experience driving sustainability outcomes in major building and infrastructure projects across Australia. An environmental engineer, Jody has secured ratings under both the Infrastructure Sustainability and Green Star systems for iconic projects such as Aura – the largest master planned community in Australia, and for Inland Rail. Jody is highly skilled at engaging project delivery teams around achieving sustainability targets through innovation and industry best practice. Her technical knowledge of sustainability implementation across design, construction and operation have made her a sought-out advisor. Jody is the Sustainability Manager on Inland Rail – a $14.5 billion heavy freight rail infrastructure program transforming how goods are moved around Australia. The program is only in early stages of construction and Jody has already achieved significant milestones including the first Infrastructure Sustainability rating, technical guidelines such as the Inland Rail Climate change risk and adaptation framework, Inland Rail BAU Assumptions Framework and facilitating outcomes in material recycling and emissions reduction.

Caitlin started her career in construction in New Zealand working on large scale infrastructure projects. She crossed the Tasman in 2019 to work in Australia and has since shifted her focus from building infrastructure to operating and maintaining infrastructure. Caitlin is currently the Environment and Sustainability Advisor for the Rail and Transit Systems business unit for Downer. She has a keen interest in ensuring Downer is delivering sustainable opportunities for our clients including opportunities in decarbonisation.

Michael is a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience. His experience encompasses Engineering Safety, Systems Engineering, Systems Assurance, RAMS, Operations Safety, Project Management and Risk Management experience, gained at senior levels of major organisations within major rolling stock and infrastructure rail projects, or as an independent consultant. He also has abundant experience in operations management for major rail operators, the management of technically complex issues such as Safety Integrity of safety-related software, and the development of working arrangements for the operation of systems where railways interface. His areas of expertise include Engineering Safety Management, developing and implementing RAMS programs, Systems Safety, Project Management, Quality Management, Incident Investigation, Audit and Review, and Safety Change Management. At Ricardo Rail Australia, Michael is the Technical Assurance Director, as well as Safety and Systems Assurance Lead; he has contributed to the successful delivery of numerous major TfNSW Projects in developing and implementing engineering safety and systems assurance programs.