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Executive Insights 2025
Explore the power sector's strategic challenges and opportunities, and the methods, mindset and skills needed for taking action, across four main topics:
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What do leading executives in the power sector identify as the key challenges and opportunities facing the power sector, and how do they approach these issues as a leader?
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What insights can current and emerging mid-career leaders in the power sector share on actions we can all take to address the challenges and seize the opportunities?
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What connections are there between these issues and actions, and our strategic workforce planning?
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What skills and knowledge should early career professionals be developing so they too can contribute to the issues?
A national community exploring the strategic issues for the sector
The API's annual Executive Insights online program is a unique opportunity to explore these topics, featuring 10x CEOs and senior executives from the API’s member organisations sharing high level insights on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and the methods and mindset to use when developing solutions (and lessons from their own experiences).
The Executive Insights program links a community of 100+ power professionals from 3 generations – the executives, mid-career emerging leaders, and the next generation (graduates, PhDs and some undergraduates) – all focused on exploring the key challenges and opportunities in the power sector. Participants include direct enrolments and participants in the API Summer School, Powerful Women Leadership Program, API’s Summer School Retreat programs, and Engineers Australia/API Graduate Learning Program.
What do you gain from the Executive Insights program?
An exclusive program for industry by industry experts and leaders
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Learn about the key challenges the industry is facing from power sector CEOs and leaders over ten 45 minute online 'fireside chat' sessions, with the chance to ask questions
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Hear from CEOs and executives on their personal career journeys and their thoughts on leadership development, and recommendations for the next generation
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Gain insights from 40+ current & emerging mid-career leaders on practical solutions to the challenges, and what you can do to develop yourself to be part of the solution with live webinar presentations from the API Summer School, and linked written reports.
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Q&A session with the mid-career teams on their and presentations
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Support to self-assess your skills linked to key challenges and recommendations for action, and to create a personal development plan so you can be part of the solution
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Access to an exclusive community of 100+ others all focused on the 2025 Executive Insights
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Join the live sessions online via Zoom (10x Exec sessions, 1x webinar, 1x Q&A session)
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Miss a session or want to watch again? Access the recordings on your phone through the API Online Academy modules (online learning platform)
Who is it for
An exclusive program for the Australian power sector, by industry experts and leaders
The API's Executive Insights Program is for anyone interested in gaining a deep understanding of the key challenges and opportunities facing the power sector from the perspective of industry leaders - from undergraduates to experienced professionals.
Each year, the program features different CEOs and executives who highlight current issues, and different mid-career professionals who offer practical insights on the actions needed to address these challenges. Both sets of speakers share their insights on the knowledge and skills essential for the next generation to contribute effectively to the sector's evolving needs. The program is ideal for anyone looking to understand the future direction of the industry and how to be part of the solution (including to train themselves or their team).
How to enrol in the Executive Insights course
Register directly or join as part of an API program
Registrations can be purchased directly for the Executive Insights 2025 course.
Note that participants in the following programs are automatically enrolled in the Executive Insights course:
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Summer School+ for professionals (7+ years experience)
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Summer School Career Development (4-6 yrs experience)
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Summer School Career Starter (0-3 yrs experience)
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Undergraduate Powerful Women Leadership Program
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API/Engineers Australia Graduate Development Program - Power and Energy
Complimentary and discounted registrations are also available for API member organisations, alumni of the API Summer School, and PhD candidates.
Our 2025 Speakers
Speakers will be announced in December 2024
Past speakers include:
Stephanie Unwin
Chief Executive Officer
Horizon Power
Dr Bill Lilley
Chief Executive Officer
RACE for 2030 CRC
Paul Simshauser
Chief Executive Officer
Powerlink
Jennifer Hughes
Head of network operations
Transgrid
Kelly Wood
Group Executive
Ausgrid
Stewart Bell
EMG Network & Business Development
Powerlink Queensland
Gair Landsborough
Executive Manager Asset Management
Western Power
Fiona Orton
General Manager Innovation and Energy Transmission
Transgrid
Merryn York
Executive Leader: Energy Transition, Energy System
AEMO
Peter Price
Chief Engineer
Energy Queensland
Executive Insights and the link to API's famous Summer School+
Enhance your strategic technical knowledge and leadership capability
The Executive Insights modules are linked to - and occur before - the API's flagship residential 2-week Summer School, and the issues raised by the Executives become the focus of discussions and collaborative project work at the School.
Our Executives provide a Challenge Question as a focus for team collaboration activities during the School (the famous Syndicate Projects); Summer School participants will work in groups of 4-5 to develop a response to one of the Executive's Challenge Questions.
The groups will collaborate during the 2 weeks of the School to identify recommended actions in response to the Executives challenges, including how early career professionals can develop so they can contribute to the issues in the future.
In addition to the knowledge gained through these projects, you'll develop skills to help you lead discussions between three generations of leaders for the power sector, including the Executives, Summer School participants, and undergraduates and graduates in the Summer School Retreat Programs (attending online, and in person via their respective retreat program).
Groups will deliver a 20 minute presentation at the end of the School to a live and online audience of 100+ people (including all the Executive Insights online participants), and will write a report for their nominated Executive that is also shared with all the participants in the Executive Insights program and the broader API community.
Developing effective communication abilities is a strong theme during the School, with a range of skill building workshops over the 2-weeks that support each group to prepare and deliver their presentation as part of the Executive Insights series. Prizes for best group and individual presentations are awarded at the School's Gala Dinner.
For industry professionals with 7+ years of experience
Participants who attend the API’s annual Summer School 2-week residential course (in May 2025) also gain access to additional analysis of the issues by 40+ mid-career power sector leaders. These mid-career technical leaders will work in small groups at the Summer School to dig deeper into the issues raised by the Execs and then share their responses to the issues in written Board Reports and webinar presentations in May 2025. Their analyses will include insights on the knowledge and skills needed to respond to the strategic challenges and opportunities identified by the Executives.
"API Summer School opened my eyes to some of the big picture issues the industry currently faces"
- Adrian Di Pasquale
Summer School+and Strategic Project Presentations
The live presentations on the Exec Insights Challenge Questions by the Summer School participants are viewed by a live audience of 100+ people and live-streamed to a broader online audience (some viewed live and through recordings).
Providing this option allows participants of the Executive Insights program (who don’t attend the full Summer School) to hear from current leaders who they may not otherwise connect with.
This includes participants in the Summer School Retreats, Powerful Women Undergraduate Retreat or PhDs and academics in the Executive Insights Program.
These participants also benefit from the API’s ‘vertical integration’ of current leaders and the next generation of leaders who attend the Summer School, gaining access to the further input and analysis from these operational leaders in power sector organisations (Summer School participants are predominantly technical team members with 5-15 years experience).
Read or watch the Executive Insight Challenges and responses from the 2024 Summer School+ Delegates below.
Executive Insights and Summer School Retreats
The Executive Insights program is embedded into the API's 2-week residential Summer School+ and by association into the Summer School Retreats (for graduates and early career professionals) and the Powerful Women Leadership Program's Undergraduate Retreat (which is an addition to the Summer School programs).
Participants in the Summer School and Powerful Women 'early career' Retreats will have exclusive opportunities to connect with the summer school participants to explore the challenge questions and solutions during the 4-day retreats of these programs.
You will also have access to the presentations (online, live and on-demand) and reports, and online Q&A sessions with the teams from the Summer School. You will be guided through a self-assessment of your capabilities and crafting of a personal skills development plan linked to the Executive Insights topics and the insights from the Summer School projects. You will be in attendance for 4 out of 12 days of the residential Summer School+ and will attend the live Strategic Project Presentations by delegates as a part of the Retreat.
Explore the 2024 challenges raised by executives below:
How to register and the costs involved
Registration costs
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$1650 per participant
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$990 (or $0*) for staff at API member organisations
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$0/complimentary for Summer School & Powerful Women Alumni*
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$100 for PhD students (20x $1550 scholarships available)
Included in the registration costs for the following Summer School Programs
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Summer School+
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For industry professionals with 7+ years of experience)
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Summer School Developing Professionals Retreat
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For professionals with 4-6 years of industry experience
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Summer School Career Starter Retreat
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For early career professionals with 0-3 years of industry experience
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PhD Scholarships
The API is passionate about connecting Australia’s future teaching and research leaders to the insights of Australia’s power industry leaders on the strategic challenges and opportunities for the sector and how to approach these issues from a leadership mindset.
Registrations are normally $1650, but the API is offering 20x $1550 scholarships for PhD candidates and Early Career Academics at Australian universities to participate in the online-only modules of the Executive Insights program in 2025.
We are asking for a contribution of only $100 (inc GST) per candidate by the host institution.
You can register by purchasing an individual ticket online or by sending information for multiple staff to the API team and we'll invoice you.
Complimentary Registrations for API Members
Registration is valued at $1650+ per participant, but we are offering API member organisations complimentary registrations for the inaugural 2025 program (Governor: 10x, Principal: 6x, Industry member: 2x registrations). Nominations will be sought directly from our key contacts at each of our 20+ member organisations in the lead up to Summer School starting in February 2025.
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"Make yourself available because you're the possibility."
- Thiew Atem
Backed by industry
Thank you to our members who make this all possible
Governor members
Principal members
Industry members
