Welcome to Industry Trailblazer!

Michael is involved in a wide range of organisations across engineering, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environmental sustainability, the space industry, academia, and the nuclear industry.

He is extremely well connected with Australia’s manufacturing, industrial and political leaders, as well as the country’s top universities, including activities in the nuclear and AUKUS spheres.

He is the Chief Executive Officer of the AUKUS Forum and has a personal contact base of over 100,000 people across Australian industry, with more than 34,000 members of the AUKUS Forum and 35,000 LinkedIn connections, with many more built over his time on projects for infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and research activities. He has an extensive range of industry networks assembled over the last four decades.

Widely regarded as one of the most connected people in Australian industry, with a strong focus on business transactions, Michael is focussed on transformation – helping countless businesses to access new export opportunities and enter adjacent markets such as traditional engineering firms entering the space and defence industries.

This gives him an unrivalled ability to connect with key decision makers, to facilitate contacts between Australian and overseas manufacturers, establish joint ventures and establish supply chains. Several major US corporations have reached out to him recently to find local suppliers.

Michael has vast experience in politics, industry and manufacturing, having served as the National Director for Industry at the Australian Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre; and Chairman of the HunterNet Co-operative, a very successful industry cluster based in the Newcastle area of New South Wales.

Michael is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders; a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce; and has completed courses in Leadership at the Harvard Business School.

Dieter is Chief Executive of NZMEA and Community Champion for Make NZ.

On August 12, 1879, a group of Canterbury manufacturers started the association that was later to become the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (CMA). Its purpose was “to increase exports and promote employment opportunities other than farming by fostering and encouraging local industries” – and little has changed since then.

In 2007, the CMA became the New Zealand Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association, and between 2019 and March of 2022 the NZMEA was operating as part of the EMA in Auckland, and the CECC in Canterbury, under the name of The Manufacturers’ Network. We’re now back on our own - with the sole focus on supporting manufacturers, and manufacturing.

We’re back, but we have changed our name, and we are changing the way we operate. MAKE│NZ is about community – the community of New Zealand manufacturers. We facilitate and support, but the strength of the MAKE│NZ community will come from its size, and the willingness from all in the community to contribute.

MAKE│NZ is not “just for those at the top”, we are a community of manufacturing leaders at all levels – from team leader to Managing Director.

We also have a long history of associating with others in the manufacturing sector, and in 2018 we formed the Manufacturing Alliance, made up of specialist manufacturing industry organisations across the spectrum. Today, this Alliance is going strong, and we are proud to conduct our advocacy on your behalf through this group!

Dieter Adam on LinkedIn

Laurie is the Chief Executive Officer at Nautech, an Auckland based company with a vision to use the latest technology and Kiwi ingenuity to be a world leader in electronics manufacturing and product engineering.

Laurie joined the Nautech team as General Manager in 2021. He makes sure that Nautech’s overall operations are working together efficiently and effectively, and that both our current and future customers love the work they do. 

Laurie spent much of his career overseas, with corporate roles in Energy, Telco, IT and Consultancy, before heading back home to New Zealand and joining Nautech. 

With vast experience in general management and business development, Laurie brings a wealth of knowledge to the business. He loves being part of a team that makes real products for real people, and is proud to be associated with a Kiwi success story like Nautech.

Laurie Kubiak on LinkedIn

As Administration and Operations Director, Catherine integrates the leadership team's vision and manages the secretariat for the Industry Trailblazer and the AUKUS Forum.
 

In her role, Catherine assumes overall responsibility for the efficient and smooth operation of the office, overseeing various crucial aspects such as membership, staffing, and legal matters. She is responsible for maintaining all systems on-site and remotely, including security details and cybersecurity functions.

With her exceptional organisational skills, Catherine ensures that the secretariat functions seamlessly, allowing the AUKUS Forum to operate efficiently and effectively. She has a background as a paralegal secretary, with a flair for organisation, an unflappable personality, and strong people skills.

As such, Catherine is the ideal first point of call for inquiries about membership, events, and functions.

Catherine Krimmer on LinkedIn

Kayne is the Managing Director at Mulcahy, which was founded in 1980 and is committed to providing excellence in engineering products. Located in West Auckland, the company provides the highest quality fabrications and engineering to the Food, Dairy, Materials Handling, Manufacturing, Marine and General Engineering Industries. 

We offer totally ‘Integrated Engineering Solutions’ covering all aspects of manufacturing from design to finished products. Utilising the best available plant, equipment and skilled personnel, we pride ourselves on providing a service with complete reliability and quality.  

We are continually at the leading edge of our industry and strive to be one step ahead of our competitors, by actively seeking and utilising the best available technologies. The Mulcahy philosophy is “Only the Best” and it imparts this not only with their products and service but their plant and equipment. 

"The quality of our products and service is a direct result of the pride and commitment of the entire Mulcahy team, we pride ourselves on our Quality philosophies covering all manufacturing processes, to ensure your job is done right the first time. From material identification and traceability through to comprehensive Quality Assurance documentation, Mulcahy quality speaks for itself. Our Workshop is approved by Germanischer Lloyd ensuring highest quality product and standards."

Kayne Mulcahy on LinkedIn

John is the Founder and Managing Director at ENI Engineering in Christchurch. 

ENI stands for excellence and innovation in the field of metal fabrication. We have built ENI on 27 years of industry experience, a commitment to quality and our people.

John has spent the past 27 years building ENI into the company it is today. He is proud of its past and excited for its future. In John’s eyes, the key to ENI’s success is fostering and building each other up to be better people.

The company is a leading provider of metalwork services in New Zealand. 

"Our broad range of capabilities enables us to deliver ‘from crate to carton’. We support you from the initial design concept right through to logistics."

"We have developed our skills and equipment since 1993."

The company's manufacturing capabilities include:  - Product design - Automation - Fabrication and welding - Mechanical assembly - Powder coating - Logistics solutions.

John Down on LinkedIn

Pat is Executive Director of Shamrock Industries, a market-leading mechanical engineering firm based in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Deeply collaborative, experienced and connected, Pat has a passion for innovation and an extensive history across aerospace, aviation, defence, and high-tech manufacturing. For more than a quarter of a century, he has been instrumental in connecting global and local innovators with cutting-edge design for manufacturing solutions. 

Forward-thinking and with a strong international orientation, Pat has steered Shamrock Industries to become one of New Zealand’s most trusted support partners for industry, universities and research institutes. Shamrock specialises in comprehensive project management resourcing, providing a true turn-key solution from concept design through to manufacturing, assembly, testing, and international delivery.  

Pat's international perspective, honed through extensive experience in complex global industries, has shaped the group's approach to client partnerships. His expertise in navigating major contracts and his familiarity with intricate documentation has proven invaluable in fostering successful national and international collaborations.

With its strategic location in Christchurch, and boasting a highly skilled workforce and strong technology focus, Shamrock Industries is well-positioned to serve clients nationally and internationally as a complementary manufacturing resource. The company's proximity to a busy international airport and deepwater port further enhances its global reach.

Pat's expertise in advanced manufacturing and cross-sector collaboration has contributed significantly to fostering innovation in the trans-Tasman region. His leadership exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking, globally-oriented approach that is shaping the future of industry and technology across Australia and New Zealand.

Pat Fogarty on LinkedIn

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor revolutionising recycling science. She is renowned for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials.’

Veena pioneers research into waste – turning it into a new generation of green materials and products. She does this as the Founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at the University of New South Wales.

Veena is most well known for her invention of Polymer Injection Technology, or ‘Green Steel’.  In 2018, she launched the first of many MICROfactories.

She leads two national research and industrial transformation hubs, the ARC Microrecycling Research Hub and the National Environmental Science Program Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub. Veena collaborates with leading universities and institutions, plus industry and community groups, to develop and apply new recycling science into real-world environmental and economic benefits.

Veena was named the NSW Australian of the Year in the 2022 Australia Day Awards.

In 2018, Prof. Sahajwalla launched the world's first e-waste microfactory, and in 2019 she launched her plastics microfactory, a recycling technology breakthrough. In 2019, she was also honoured by Engineers Australia as a Centenary Hero for her work.

Prof. Sahajwalla was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2018. In 2016, Engineers Australia named her one of Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers and in 2015, one of Australia’s 100 Most Influential Engineers. In 2013, Prof. Sahajwalla received the Howe Memorial Lecture Award, Pittsburgh, USA, in appreciation for her lecture on ‘The Power of Steelmaking – harnessing high temperature reactions to transform waste into raw material resources’.