Board, leaders, and governance

Paul has over 35 years' experience in the building services industry. Having entered as a service engineer, he has been involved in field diagnostics and commissioning of a wide variety of building services plant. This has given him a varied skill set encompassing mechanical, electrical, air conditioning, associated control systems, and BMS systems.

Paul has been extensively involved in the commissioning and project completion field, from minor systems serving residential or light commercial through to large central plant systems in the resource sector in many parts of the world. He has also worked in a variety of industry sectors, such as service, procurement, manufacturing, design and installation.

Bryon is a mechanical engineer with notable experience in energy efficient buildings. He is strategic development director for the A.G. Coombs Group and has been responsible for a wide range of energy and environmental projects. These have included innovative and award-winning long term energy management roles with a number of major financial, commercial and retail organisations, and various commonwealth and state government departments. Out of this experience his particular area of knowledge and interest is “whole of life” energy and environmental management in buildings. Bryon also has a strong track record of constructive and successful industry and policy advocacy.

Chris is the director of CopperTree Analytics Australia. With over 10 years' experience in the HVAC industry, he has worked across multiple disciplines including mechanical design, building automation, and service. This has helped him understand the inner workings of air conditioning systems and how to analyse them.

He is passionate about building analytics and is continually working with building owners, maintenance providers, and consultants to improve how analytics is used in the industry.

Dr Michael Riese is business development manager for defence and research at industrial refrigeration specialist Cold Logic. After completing his initial trade qualifications in Germany, Riese moved to Cardiff, Wales, to undertake his engineering degree. He subsequently moved to Australia to complete a PhD in experimental fluid dynamics.

Since leaving research in 2007, Riese has held positions as a consultant in the defence industry, managed the construction of Southeast Asia’s second largest wind tunnel, and worked as the principal engineer and business development manager for a company in the sheet metal fabrication industry. He also taught product development and operations management at the University of Adelaide for close to a decade.

Riese is Chair of AIRAH’s South Australian division committee, and is a member of the Refrigeration and Commissioning STGs.

Mikaila is an associate and part-owner at GWA Consultants Australia. She is a mechanical engineer and is actively involved in the design and construction management of various projects ranging from main plant and controls upgrades to essential services and fit-outs across all industry sectors. Mikaila specialises in whole building energy upgrades and is passionate about improving the energy performance of existing buildings.

Mikaila is the Associate Director and President of AIRAH's NSW division and Chair of the Women of AIRAH STG. She also represents AIRAH on the Standards Australia ME-62 Committee.

Ura is an experienced sales director with over 18 years of experience in the technical services industry, servicing clients in the commercial and industrial sectors. She has worked for global technology manufacturers like McQuay in Dubai, Trane (Dalkia) and Johnson Controls in Australia. Most recently she’s joined the sustainability and renewable energy sector, to gain a more holistic understanding of building management and energy efficiency. She currently is the country leader, integrated technologies – digital solutions at Johnson Controls.

Ura has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and in 2013 obtained a master’s degree in management from Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM). Ura is also passionate about diversity and gender equality in the workplace. She was the founding chair of the Women of AIRAH STG.

Sami is a business executive with extensive experience in financial and operational management and an outstanding track record in transforming business performance. Experienced in strategic planning, business development, revenue improvement, system enablement, and process transformation. A well-rounded and effective leader with excellent people management skills and a strong belief in integrity and work ethic.