Rate My Professor Geoff Lilliss

Professor Geoff Lilliss serves as Conjoint Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Newcastle. He was a member of the University Council from 2009 to 2023, where he chaired the Strategic Development Committee. Lilliss holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and an MBA (Merit), both awarded by the University of Newcastle. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia (Hon. FIEAust) and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD). His career encompasses over 37 years in senior executive positions within Australia's electrical power and manufacturing industries, focusing on managing large utility networks, delivering billion-dollar investment programs, policy development, renewables, industry regulation, organizational change, and market development.

Most recently, Lilliss was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ampcontrol, a multinational engineering and manufacturing group providing electrical and electronic solutions to mining, industrial, and utilities sectors. Prior to that, as Executive General Manager for Engineering, Transmission, and Technology at EnergyAustralia, he oversaw transmission networks serving Sydney, Newcastle, and the Central Coast regions, transporting approximately 50% of New South Wales' energy needs. In this role, he led EnergyAustralia's successful bid for the Australian Government's $100 million Smart Grid Smart City program and managed a $5 billion infrastructure delivery program. He previously handled a $10.3 billion regulatory determination under the National Electricity Regulatory Framework and served as a key member of the International Utility Working Group based in New York, advancing global industry policy for major utilities. Lilliss has been named among Australia's top 100 most influential engineers in 2013 and 2014, received the Newcastle Division Professional Engineer of the Year award from Engineers Australia in 2012, and held positions such as board member of Regional Development Australia (Hunter), former Chair of the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW, and member of the Board of Governors for the Electrical Engineering Foundation at the University of Sydney.