ESCOSA - Commission membership

Chairperson David Swift

David Swift was appointed as a Commissioner on 1 August 2019 and as Chairperson 1 October 2021.

David has worked in the electricity industry for many years, initially in South Australia. He has worked on, or been involved in, the national energy markets in various roles since the late 1990’s. He is also currently the Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board.

David was a member of the executive leadership team of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) from its inception until 2019. AEMO has responsibility for operating the electricity and gas markets in eastern and southern Australia and a range of planning and forecasting roles related to these markets. Since November 2015, AEMO’s responsibilities have extended to Western Australia.

Prior to the formation of AEMO, David was the Chief Executive of the South Australian Electricity Supply Industry Planning Council (ESIPC). He has had a strong involvement in working to integrate renewable energy into the national grid, during his time at both ESIPC and AEMO. He led AEMO’s “Future Power System Security Program” to ensure that the security of Australia’s evolving energy markets is maintained with the changing generation mix.

David is now the Deputy Chair of the Energy Security Board, which was established by the CoAG Energy Council to coordinate the implementation of the reform blueprint produced by Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO, and to provide whole of system oversight for energy security and reliability to drive better outcomes for consumers. Additionally, he is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Cigre, the International Council on Large Electric Systems.

Acting Chairperson
Mark Darras

Mark Darras was appointed as a Commissioner on 1 January 2023 and as the Acting Chairperson on 1 November 2023.

Mark is a former corporate lawyer and adviser (Ashurst Lawyers), and an experienced company director.

Mark is a board member of the National Disability Insurance Agency. He has served as a Director, and in leadership roles at various Boards including Australia Post and Australia Post Superannuation, Southern Rural Water Board, John Holland Engineering and John Holland Queensland, and the South Australian Forestry Corporation. Mark was formerly the Chairman of the Commonwealth Government's $7billion Telecommunications Universal Services Management Agency, and has also served as a Member of the Australian Takeovers Panel.

Prior to his appointment to the Essential Services Commission, Mark was the Independent Chair of the NSW Government's Advisory Board for Strategic Release. Mark is from South Australia's Riverland, was schooled in Renmark and has a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (University of Tasmania), a Master of Laws (ANU), and a Bachelor of Education (Uni of South Australia).

Commissioner Rebecca Billings

Rebecca Billings was appointed as a Commissioner on 1 November 2023.

Rebecca is an economist with extensive experience in public policy, regulatory analysis and decision making. She has over 20 years’ experience working for the public sector, both as a consultant and as a public servant.

Since February 2020, Rebecca has been a part-time commissioner of the Victorian Essential Services Commission - Victoria’s economic regulator - with responsibility for making regulatory decisions in the long-term interests of Victorians in the energy, water, transport and local government sectors.

In her career as a consultant, Rebecca has provided strategic, evidence-based, and pragmatic advice to support investment decisions, public policy reform and regulatory decisions across a diverse range of portfolios and Australian jurisdictions. Rebecca served as a Senior Economist for the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance from 2006 to 2008 where she was responsible for establishing the Victorian Government's Reducing the Regulatory Burden program.

Rebecca is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts from Monash University.

Commissioner Garry Goddard

Garry Goddard was appointed as a Commissioner on 1 October 2021.

Garry is a professional economist, policy and regulatory analyst, and strategic commercial adviser, running his own consultancy practice. He has over 25 years’ experience as a senior executive in both the Commonwealth and South Australian public sector and as a Ministerial Chief of Staff. Garry is a former Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Commercial Officer at the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance, where he led the successful delivery of several large and complex microeconomic reform / commercial projects.

Garry has also worked for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the strategic, regulatory and financial consultancy firm Charles River Associates Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. He is an experienced practitioner in microeconomic reform, energy policy and regulatory processes, including economic regulation, pricing principles and access regimes.

Garry is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Social Sciences at the University of Adelaide – working mainly with the Stretton Institute of Public Policy and the Hugo Centre for Population Studies.

Garry’s tertiary qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Flinders University of South Australia and a Senior Executive Program in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Commissioner Amanda Heyworth

Amanda Heyworth was appointed as a Commissioner on 1 November 2023.

Amanda is a professional company director with board experience spanning the property, technology, finance and government sectors, ranging from startups through to ASX200. Amanda currently serves on the boards of Ingenia Communities Group Ltd (ASX200 property company), Heritage and People’s Choice Ltd ($23b mutual bank), Housing Choices Australia (Tier 1 community housing provider) and chairs the boards of UniSA Ventures and the Centennial Park Cemetery Authority.

Originally trained as an accountant, Amanda worked in the US technology sector, as an investment banker and as an economist in the Federal Treasury. She later became a pioneer in the Australian venture capital industry working for a decade as CEO of an early-stage fund specialising in technology start-ups. Amanda has a proven track record in developing and executing growth strategies and investing in technology to achieve business goals.

Amanda has a strong interest in crafting strategies that deliver both commercial returns and broader customer, community and environmental benefits. She has advised numerous governments on technology and innovation and currently chairs the CEDA’s national advisory committee on Business Dynamism & Competitiveness.

Amanda holds an BA (Accounting) from the University of South Australia, an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors. She has also completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors diploma, the MIT Digital Savvy director program and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership non-executive director program.

CEO - Adam Wilson

Adam Wilson has over 20 years of experience in the legal and regulatory fields, including as Chief Executive Officer for the Essential Services Commission.

Adam was previously the Director, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and prior to this practiced law and held senior positions in the legal, regulatory development and reform areas including senior roles with Attorney Generals in South Australia.

Adam also contributes internationally in the economic regulation sector, including as a keynote speaker.

Adam holds a Bachelor of Laws and Arts, and is an alumni of Oxford University SAID Business School.

Executive Director, Consumer Protection and Pricing - Natasha Cheshire

Natasha has over 20 years of experience working within both public and private businesses in the utility and regulatory sectors, including in banking, energy, water and economic regulation.

Natasha leads the Consumer Protection and Pricing group at the Commission, which is responsible for price regulation, access regulation, licensing, and setting consumer service and reliability standards.

Natasha holds a Bachelor of Banking and International Finance, and is an alumni of University of Melbourne Business School and Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Executive Director, Monitoring and Evaluation -
George Kamencak

George has over 20 years of experience as an executive leader, lawyer, regulator and board member. In addition to his experience gained in both private and government legal practice, George has held senior regulatory roles with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and Consumer and Business Services (Attorney General’s Department) in South Australia.

George leads the Monitoring and Evaluation Group at the Commission, whose functions include:

compliance, monitoring and enforcement
performance reporting and evaluation
Local Government advice, and
Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS) administration.

George holds a Master of Law and Management, Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice, and a Graduate Certificate in Compliance and Risk Management.

Executive Director, People and Corporate -
Amelia Jarrett

Amelia is an experienced executive who has worked in mental health, health and housing and been the CEO of a medium sized charity. She has demonstrated skills in managing people, major projects and organisations and enjoys supporting people to flourish at work.

Amelia leads the people and corporate group at the Commission which provides workforce, finance, communications and engagement and administrative support to the Commission. The team also focuses on the overall strategy and performance of the Commission. The team enables organisational effectiveness and is committed to supporting a high-performance culture.

Originally Amelia started her career as a mental health Occupational Therapist before managing mental health services and then working in NSW Health and various Government departments in SA managing large scale change projects. She has post graduate qualifications in adult mental health, business and management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Executive Director, Digital Transformation - Kim Weimer

Kim has over 20 years of experience working in the public and tertiary sectors in data analysis, organisational performance reporting, system implementation, compliance and quality assurance.

Kim leads the Digital Transformation group who are engaged in:

developing, implementing and maintaining a suite of data, information and technology systems, processes, strategies and services that support Commissioners and staff to deliver the Commission’s objective, strategies and work program, and assists stakeholders in engaging with the Commission, and
turning data and information into assets that are valued and used by the Commission for regulatory development, implementation and monitoring.

Kim holds a Master of Science (Physics), Master of Education and Master of Business Administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

General Counsel -
Kate Thomas

Kate has over 15 years of experience working in the legal, governance and regulatory fields, both in the private and public sectors.

Kate leads the Legal and Governance group at the Commission, which has a focus on providing legal, governance and strategic advice to facilitate sound regulatory and corporate decision-making, in order to deliver long-term benefits to consumers of essential services.

Kate holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.