Meet the team
Our Board of Directors
The Queensland Manufacturing Institute is committed to enabling a long-term innovative and prosperous future for the industry.
Paul Hodgson
Chairperson
Non-Executive Director
Paul Hodgson is Executive Director Regional Futures – Energy Transitions, and Director of the Centre for Hydrogen and Renewable Energies at CQUniversity.
Prior to joining CQUniversity in early 2024, Paul was Interim CEO of a bid for a Scaling Green Hydrogen Cooperative Research Centre.
Between 2017 and 2021, Paul was General Manager Innovation and Stakeholder Engagement (East Coast) for NERA, the Australian energy industry growth centre.
Along with a Master of Sustainable Development from CQUniversity, he has a Bachelor of International Business, and is a Certified Advisory Board Chair, a Certified Economic Developer, a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Mentor for the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM.
Shay Chalmers
Non-Executive Director
Shay Chalmers is the CEO of GLT and the owner of Strategic Engineering Australia, and an active member of the manufacturing community.
Shay is a keynote speaker and engineering management professional with years of global experience in the manufacturing environment.
A strong advocate for creating positive social impact, she believes the state of manufacturing has changed, and we need to change with it.
Ben Bridges
Non-Executive Director
Ben is Co-CEO of the B&R Group, a Brisbane-based Australian-owned manufacturing firm globally recognised for their excellence in the design and manufacture of enclosures.
B&R has won the National Gold Award for Quality for a large business, and is also accredited by the Australian Stainless Steel Association as a superior producer of stainless steel products. B&R has a network of offices and distributors throughout New Zealand, Australia and internationally.
Ben has a Bachelor of Business through the University of Southern Queensland, with a specialisation in Marketing, Management, and Leadership, and he completed an Owner Management Program by University of Queensland Business School.
Leigh Staines
Non-Executive Director
Leigh Staines is a seasoned operational and commercial leader with diverse experiences spanning various sectors.
With a background as a C-level executive, strategy consultant, and environmental and chemical engineer, her expertise emanates from the energy and mining sectors, underpinned by a strong sustainability focus.
Having worked with industry giants like ExxonMobil, Santos, and Rio Tinto, Leigh brings a wealth of international experience across operations, commercial endeavours, projects, and strategic initiatives. One notable career highlight includes her tenure as General Manager at Rio Tinto, where she spearheaded the transition of the Boyne Aluminium Smelters in Gladstone towards a sustainable future, impacting over 1,200 employees.
Leigh is dedicated to driving the transition of heavy and manufacturing industries in Australia towards renewable energy and green manufacturing, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
Operations
Ali Davenport
Chief Executive Officer
Ali Davenport’s varied career has had one central focus – leading organisations that help businesses to grow. Her previous role was CEO of economic development organisation Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE). In this position Ali and her team worked with companies across diverse industries such as energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, health and education to connect to new opportunities. Prior to TSBE, Ali managed radio, television and newspaper businesses across regional Queensland and Brisbane, working with local firms through media and marketing. She has an MBA from RMIT, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has served as a board director.
Hari Anandan
Finance and Administration Manager
Hari is a career finance professional partnering with the entire organisation to provide accounting, governance and administration support.
Levi Jenkins
Program Manager
Gateway to Industry Schools Program (GISP) for Advanced Manufacturing.
Erin Johnston
Project Support Officer
Gateway to Industry Schools Program (GISP) for Advanced Manufacturing.
Industry Capability Network - Queensland division
Abhiney Arora | Executive Director – ICN Queensland
Jatin Patel | Senior Industry Capability Adviser
Nimmi Pushparajan | Senior Industry Capability Adviser
Anaru Edwards | Senior Industry Capability Adviser Deepak Urmode | Supply Chain Officer
Nika Ashoori | Supply Chain Officer
Rohini Agieeth Kumar | Project Support Officer
Yasha Sarvana | Project Support Officer
Board of Directors
Chris Bridges-Taylor
Chairperson
Executive Board Member
Chris Bridges-Taylor is an Executive Director at B&R Enclosures.
She has extensive experience in managing manufacturing entities and holds a Bachelor of Engineering Electrical, a Masters of Business Administration, has completed the Owners/Presidents Management Executive Education course at Harvard Business School, Boston MA, USA, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chris sits on the Queensland Manufacturing Ministerial Council and is passionate about the rewarding work opportunities a modern and vibrant manufacturing sector provides.
Shay Chalmers
Executive Board Member
Shay Chalmers second position with QMI is an Executive Board Member. In addition, she is the owner of Strategic Engineering Australia, and an active member of the manufacturing community.
Shay is a keynote speaker and engineering management professional with years of global experience in the manufacturing environment.
A strong advocate for creating positive social impact, she believes the state of manufacturing has changed, and we need to change with it.
Paul Hodgson
Executive Board Member
Paul helps regions, organisations and entrepreneurs contribute to, and realise the massive potential of, the global drive towards decarbonisation.
Between November 2017 and March 2021, he represented the National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) Industry Growth Centre on the East Coast of Australia, managing our local projects and working with stakeholders to realise NERA’s vision of Australia as a global energy powerhouse, a sought after destination for investment and the leading source of knowledge and solutions.
One of his key achievements has been leading the development of NERA’s National Hydrogen Technology Cluster Network, launched in February 2021 with $1.85m of collaborative funding for thirteen regional clusters across all Australia’s States and Territories.
Also a regular mentor for the Griffith Business School and the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM, Paul holds several other advisory and working group positions that support industry.
Paul has a Bachelor of International Business, a Master of Sustainable Development and is a Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training.
Matt Tobin
Executive Board Member
Matthew Tobin is passionate about the opportunities embedded in the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry and the strengthening of Queensland’s manufacturing ecosystem.
In addition to his board position with QMI, Matthew is co-Founder and Managing Director of UAP. He and his brother Daniel established the company in 1993, as a studio and workshop in which to collaborate with artists and create artwork for the public realm. Matthew oversees all operations of the company, spending his time in the Brisbane, Shanghai and New York studios. Matthew's primary focus is strategic business growth and UAP's engagement with advanced manufacturing techniques and Industry 4.0.
Des Watkins
Executive Board Member
Des Watkins owner and Managing Director of Watkins Steel has over 30 years of experience within the steel manufacturing industry. He is a strong advocate for the Australian Steel Industry and also an active member for the Australian Steel Institute, AI Group and Chapter Chair of YPO Gold.
Des’ innovative outlook has led Watkins Steel to win several awards, including the 2016 YPO Tommy Award for “out of the box” Innovation, the 2016 AFR & PwC’s Private Clients Aspire Awards in the category of Private Business Growth and Transformation ($10m-$50m), 2017 Lord Mayor’s Business Award for Digital Adoption Strategy and 2018 Endeavour Awards for Most Innovative Manufacturing Company.
Passionate about innovation, Des established Holovision in 2018, a technology business that offers clients 3D Laser Scanning, Survey and Drone Services to clients. His continued drive for innovation today has also led to the commissioning of an R&D Innovation Centre where students and researchers collaborate and apply advanced robotics and mixed reality technologies, to solve client problems within construction and the steel fabrication industry.
Preferred Partners
James MacIntosh
Specialist Productivity
Consultant
Sam Nicolosi
Workforce Skills Development Consultant
Rob Geddes
Executive Director, Australian Institute for Commercialisation