Asset Management Council

Perth - Women Creating Value: Aligned and Assured Leadership in Asset Management
2026-05-21 17:30 - 20:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street, West Perth, WA, 6005, Australia
Women Creating Value brings together five speakers to share their perspectives and experiences under the theme Aligned and Assured Leadership in Asset Management. Spanning leadership, sustainability, artificial intelligence, operational excellence and reliability, this session highlights the many ways women are contributing to value creation in asset-intensive industries. Through practical insights and real-world reflections, attendees will gain a broader view of how leadership, technical capability and innovation come together to shape stronger organisations and better outcomes.
Date: 21 May 2026Time: 5.30pm (for 5.45pm start) – 8pmVenue: City West Lotteries House Conference Room, 2 Delhi Street, West Perth 6005Cost: Free for AMC members. Non-members: $35, or $30 early bird until 11 MayCPD: 4 CPD points available
Click here to register

Featuring

Natalia Bustamante – Maintenance Superintendent, Hancock Iron OreLeading Through Complexity: Asset Management Leadership in Dynamic Industrial Environments
Daniela Rivas-Aybar, PhD – Sustainability and Carbon Solutions Analyst, Clear CarbonManaging Sustainability like an Asset
Dr Eunice Sari – Director and Co-Founder, Customer Experience Insight and Western Australian AI HubFrom Data to Decisions: How Humanity-Centred AI is Redefining Value Creation in Asset Management
Jacinta Barnett – Manager Operational Excellence, Dampier Salt, Rio TintoLeadership skills for today’s dynamic workplace environments
Shereya Parashar – Senior Reliability Engineer, Woodside EnergyThe Accidental Reliability Engineer: Turning Difference into Strength

Abstract and speaker bios:

Natalia Bustamante
Maintenance Superintendent, Hancock Iron OrePresentation: Leading Through Complexity: Asset Management Leadership in Dynamic Industrial Environments
Abstract:
Effective asset management in pit-to-port operations demands more than technical expertise — it requires leaders who can navigate ambiguity, build credibility across diverse stakeholder groups, and drive organisational change from within complex, high-stakes environments.
Drawing on over 15 years of experience across the mining Industry in Australia, this presentation explores how the integration challenges faced by new leaders in complex organisations and the multi-level responsibilities of transcendent leadership play out in real-world asset management contexts.
Three key themes will be examined through practical examples: how credibility is built incrementally through performance before transformational change becomes possible; how external pressures — regulatory, operational, and technological — can be leveraged to shift organisational interpretive schemes; and how leading self, others, and organisation simultaneously is essential to delivering safety, reliability, and cost outcomes in large-scale industrial portfolios.
The presentation challenges the “romantic” view of the all-powerful leader, offering instead a grounded perspective on how influence is earned, governance is embedded, and lasting operational improvement is achieved in organisations where authority is shared and expertise is distributed.
Speaker bio:
Natalia Bustamante is an engineering leader with over 15 years of experience across the full asset management lifecycle in Australia’s mining resources sector. Her career traces a deliberate path from the operational front line in asset integrity, maintenance reliability, and engineering governance through to strategic investment planning and capital project delivery, giving her an end-to-end perspective across mining, processing, port, and rail environments.
Spanning both the technical and strategic dimensions of asset management, her experience bridges governance, operational performance, and long-term investment planning. A Senior Practitioner in Asset Management and MBA graduate, Natalia combines deep technical expertise with a strong track record of leading diverse teams and driving measurable outcomes in complex, high-value operations.

Daniela Rivas-Aybar, PhD
Sustainability and Carbon Solutions Analyst, Clear CarbonPresentation: Managing Sustainability like an Asset
Abstract:Sustainability is often treated as a reporting requirement, disconnected from how organisations create value. Drawing on her experience at Clear Carbon, Daniela shares her perspective on how improving data integrity, governance, and alignment enables more confident, value-driven decisions across asset-intensive industries. Through this lens, she highlights how managing sustainability like an asset can strengthen leadership, reduce risk, and unlock long-term value.
Speaker bio:Daniela Rivas Aybar is a Sustainability and Carbon Solutions Analyst at Clear Carbon and holds a PhD from Curtin University. She works with asset-intensive organisations to improve the quality, governance, and alignment of carbon and operational data, enabling more reliable reporting and better decision-making.

Dr Eunice Sari
Director and Co-Founder, Customer Experience Insight and Western Australian AI HubPresentation: From Data to Decisions: How Humanity-Centred AI is Redefining Value Creation in Asset Management
Abstract:
AI is changing asset management, but technology alone doesn’t create value. The organizations that achieve the best returns are the ones that put people, governance, and purpose at the heart of their AI strategies.
Drawing from her leadership of the Western AI Hub and over 25 years of experience in human-centered AI, digital transformation, and responsible innovation, Dr. Eunice Sari will explain how organisations in asset-intensive sectors, such as critical minerals, infrastructure, government, and defence, can fully realize the potential of AI while ensuring human judgment, fairness, and accountability remain central.
Key themes include:
– Why “human-centered AI” is essential for governance, not just an afterthought, and what ISO 55000 aligned leadership looks like in the era of agentic AI.
– Real-world examples of AI-driven value creation in mining, infrastructure, and government, where inclusive design principles resulted in more reliable, auditable, and trusted outcomes.
– How women leaders are shaping more resilient, ethical, and high-performing AI systems, and why diverse leadership gives a competitive edge in asset-intensive industries.
– Practical steps for boards, CxOs, and asset managers to transition from AI pilots to consistent, assured, and sustainable AI adoption.
This presentation connects with the event’s three main goals: strengthening leadership skills, promoting governance in line with ISO 55000, and raising the visibility of women leaders in asset-intensive fields.
Speaker bio:Dr Eunice Sari is a globally recognised pioneer in humanity-centred AI and responsible innovation, with over 25 years of experience leading digital transformation across government, industry, and academia in Australia, Southeast Asia, the USA, and Europe. As Co-Founder and Director of Customer Experience Insight Pty Ltd and Co-Founder of the Western AI Hub, the Western Australia’s most active grassroots AI community, she advises governments, enterprises, and startups on building AI that is accountable, equitable, and human-first. The first Asian female Google Mentor in Product Design and Strategy, she has mentored 500+ startups through Google for Startups and global accelerators, helping founders scale responsible AI products. Eunice holds adjunct academic appointments at UNSW, Edith Cowan University, Curtin University, Charles Darwin University, and the University of Indonesia, where she teaches and researches AI, Human-AI Collaboration, and Responsible AI governance. Winner of the Belmont Migrant of the Year Award 2025 and CCIWA D&I Small Business Finalist, she is also the Co-Founder of Marginpreneur, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion across WA’s innovation and business ecosystem. Eunice’s life’s work is a single conviction: that the most powerful AI systems are the ones designed around people, not the other way around.

Jacinta Barnett
Manager Operational Excellence, Dampier Salt, Rio TintoPresentation: Leadership skills for today’s dynamic workplace environments
Abstract:In a workplace defined by constant change, agile problem-solving has become a critical leadership capability. This presentation will explore the leadership skills required to unlock the full potential of teams, identify hidden talent, and enhance performance. A key focus will be the importance of recognising and developing capability across the workforce, particularly among women, who continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles. By embracing diverse perspectives and fostering inclusive leadership, organisations are better equipped to navigate complexity, respond to challenges, and succeed in today’s dynamic work environment.
Speaker bio:
Jacinta Barnett is an executive mining and industrial leader with more than 23 years of experience across operations, maintenance, asset renewal, business improvement, operational readiness and large-scale transformation in the resources sector. Her career spans mining, rail, ports, chemical processing and facilities, giving her a strong whole-of-value-chain perspective on asset management and operational performance.
Jacinta currently holds the role of Operational Excellence Manager for Dampier Salt Ltd at Rio Tinto and previously served as Acting General Manager, where she helped lead the business through cyclone recovery while maintaining safety focus and production performance. Across her leadership roles, she has been responsible for major operational and capital budgets, business strategy, contract negotiations, licence-to-operate matters and the leadership of large multidisciplinary teams.
Her experience in asset-intensive environments includes leading rail network renewals across track and civil assets, overseeing large contractor workforces and budgets exceeding $500 million, improving rerail productivity, and strengthening safety performance across internal and partner teams. She has also led cultural and performance transformation in operations, including measurable improvements in safety maturity, people experience and productivity across maintenance and production teams.
Jacinta brings a practical and credible leadership voice to asset management, grounded in real operating environments where reliability, safety, people capability and long-term business value must work together. With qualifications in Minerals Process Engineering, Project Management, Business Leadership and the AICD Company Directors Course, she combines technical depth with executive, strategic and governance capability. She is also a current Vice Chairperson of the Pilbara Kimberley University Centre.

Shereya Parashar
Senior Reliability Engineer, Woodside EnergyPresentation: The Accidental Reliability Engineer: Turning Difference into Strength
Abstract:What starts as an unexpected career turn can become a defining strength. Shereya reflects on her journey from mechanical engineering into reliability, and how she learned to use difference as advantage rather than setback. She shares the lessons that helped her build credibility, simplify decision-making with data, and inspire others to lead from exactly where they are.
Speaker bio:
Shereya is a mechanical engineer by degree and a reliability engineer by pure chance. She entered the field of reliability engineering seven years ago, and what began as an unexpected career path quickly grew into a genuine passion. Today, she can’t imagine doing or being anything else.
She is deeply passionate about connecting people to data to enable informed, confident decision‑making. Shereya has spent much of her career specialising in the development of digital tools and products that support maintenance strategy optimisation, improve asset performance visibility and translate complex data into practical reliability insights.
Beyond the workplace, Shereya applies reliability principles in her day‑to‑day life as a mother, using root cause analysis, continuous improvement, and data‑driven thinking to navigate the beautifully unpredictable realities of family life. Through both her work and her lived experience, she brings a grounded, human perspective to reliability, leadership, and asset management.
Click here to register

Webinar - AI in Asset Management and Municipalities
2026-05-28 08:00 - 09:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Online – Register to be sent your link
Join us to explore AI in Asset Management and Municipalities, featuring:

Dean Trumbley, Chief Administrative Officer, Greenwood, BC, and Christina Benty, Founder, Strategic Leadership Solutions, will present on their Award-Winning project. Resilient Greenwood – Building the Future Together won a Union of British Columbia Municipalities Excellence in Asset Management Award for implementation of a transformative approach to infrastructure planning by integrating strategic asset management with proactive community engagement. This forward-thinking initiative, led in partnership with Strategic Leadership Solutions and LandInfo Technologies Inc., is redefining how municipalities sustain essential services like water, roads, and waste management – and how they shift the narrative from talking about taxes to focusing on services.

Stephen Lothrop is an Electrical Engineer with PAE Engineers and leader of an AI innovation project with the Linux Foundation’s Coalition for Smarter Buildings and the Asset Leadership Network. Mr. Lothrop will outline the ways AI for Assets was introduced to the award-winning PAE headquarters building in Portland, Oregon. The building was purposefully built to publicly demonstrate advanced technology tools and processes that can advance management of all facility assets. However, the smart assets in the building were not communicating effectively with each other. The AI innovation project allowed visibility to photovoltaics charging battery storage assets in a way that improved combined use of these assets, which mimic a utility grid and is therefore advantageous beyond facility asset management. Other repeatable innovations will be shared.

Wendy McPate, Chair, Asset Management Council will provide a brief overview of her recent trip to Washington, D.C. for the Global Asset Management Summit: Repeatable Success Stories, which promoted this VBAM web series.

The presentations will be followed by a Discussion Panel with Dean Trumbley, Christina Benty, Nick Phillips, Mike Bordenaro and Wendy McPate to answer your questions!

Click here to register

Virtual Event - Research and Industry Day 2026 (RAID)
2026-06-09 10:00 - 14:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | Online – Register to be sent your link
In collaboration with Federation University, this free for all guests event is where Academia meets Industry to share the latest research in maintenance and asset management. Consisting of a series of virtual presentations by final year students undertaking maintenance and asset management research projects, it’s an opportunity for students to share their research and findings with Industry and for Industry to find out what is happening with the latest research and how this can be applied to your organisation. A number of students will present their research in rapid fire presentations with an opportunity for participants to ask questions after each presentation. Tune in for the whole two days or just the presentations that are of interest.
It’s a good chance to discover:

Findings from latest research and studies
How it applies to what you do
What skills and experience can contribute to your success
How to stay ahead of your competition to remain viable

Click here to register

Program to include (*subject to change):

Fire Risk Mitigation and Reliability Improvement on Conveyor Belts in Mining (Vipu Mathew)
Fault Tree Analysis of Rollingstock Stopping AID System Train Software for reducing operational safety (Haocheng Shi)
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis of Power System Monitoring for Control Systems of Alumina Production Plant (Amr Hegab)
Risk-based Decision Making in Maintenance Intervals of Light Rails in Australia (Muhammad Hussain)
A Modified Total Cost of Ownership Framework for Fatigue Testing Equipment in Academic Laboratories (Adewale Oyeku)
Reliability-Centred Digital Modernisation Framework for CNC and Metal-Forming Assets: A Case from an Australian Manufacturing SME (Srinivas Polisetti)
Risk-Informed Life Extension Decisions Using Unstructured Maintenance Data (Venkata Sai Prashanth Sudula)
A Bayesian Decision-Making Framework for Life Extension of Long-Life Complex Assets under Data Scarcity (Ravi Welandage Don)
A Comparative Analysis of Key Performance Indicators for monitoring and preventive interventions in the Rail Sector (Dennis Noble)
Risk-Based Overall Equipment Effectiveness to Total Productive Maintenance: Translating Measurement into Action in Meat Manufacturing (Vickram Chundhoo)

Christchurch - Growing Asset Management Capability (Hybrid Event | Technical Presentations & Exclusive KiwiRail Tour)
2026-06-11 16:00 - 18:30 (Pacific/Auckland) | KiwiRail Waltham Maintenance Hub, 67 Mowbray Street, Waltham, Christchurch
Join the Asset Management Council New Zealand Chapter in Christchurch for an afternoon focused on growing asset management capability through practical industry insights, followed by an exclusive behind-the-scenes technical tour of KiwiRail’s new rolling stock and maintenance facilities.
This hybrid event will feature two technical presentations from industry leaders, exploring asset management capability uplift, regulatory-driven transformation, rolling stock investment, and ISO 55001 implementation.
Following the presentations, attendees joining us in person will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive technical tour of KiwiRail’s new rolling stock and maintenance facilities.
Click here to register
Please note: In-person attendance is capped at 30 and priority will be given to AMCouncil members. The KiwiRail technical tour is available to in-person attendees only and requires mandatory PPE, including suitable safety footwear.

Event format
4:00 pm – 5:15 pmTechnical presentations (available in person and online)
5:15 pm – 6:30 pmExclusive KiwiRail technical tour (in-person attendees only)
Please note:

Online attendees are welcome to dial in to the presentation session and will be disconnected following the presentations.
The KiwiRail technical tour will not be broadcast online.
No photography or video recording is permitted onsite during the technical tour.

Due to site restrictions, in-person attendance is strictly capped at 30 participants, with priority given to AMCouncil members.
Presentation 1
Transpower’s Regulatory Journey and Asset Management GrowthJames Collinson-SmithAsset Planning Manager – HVDC and Reactive, Transpower
Across four regulatory control periods, Transpower has built the asset management capability required to justify long-term grid investment.
This presentation explores how RCP3 represented a step-change in capability, including the introduction of new health models, criticality modelling across 10 asset classes, and forensic life-extension investigations.
Looking ahead, RCP4 (2025–2030) builds on this foundation through modern data platforms, Python-based modelling, lidar and drone-enabled risk management, and structured workforce development — all underpinned by a regulatory framework increasingly focused on service-measure accountability as New Zealand prepares for the energy transition.

James Collinson-Smith brings over 40 years of experience across New Zealand’s electricity sector, spanning generation, transmission, wholesale markets, and trading. Over the past decade, he has led the establishment and maturation of asset management systems aligned to ISO 55000 at Transpower. His experience includes asset planning and portfolio management for complex grid assets, including HVDC Converter Stations and Subsea Cables, reactive assets, protection systems, and substation systems, as well as the successful development and delivery of regulatory proposals to the Commerce Commission.

Presentation 2
Overview of KiwiRail’s New Rolling Stock and Maintenance Facilities, and ISO 55001 CertificationSteven RosserRolling Stock Organisational Standards Lead, KiwiRail
Major investments in rolling stock and maintenance capability across New Zealand’s South Island are reshaping how rolling stock is maintained.
This presentation provides an overview of KiwiRail’s recently developed maintenance facilities and how their design, capability, and workflow integration are enabling safer and more efficient maintenance outcomes.
Steven will also discuss the introduction of new DM locomotives and the opportunities and challenges they present for asset management — including reliability improvements, condition monitoring, skills uplift, lifecycle planning, and integration with KiwiRail’s asset management systems.
Supporting these developments is KiwiRail’s implementation of ISO 55001, including the recent certification of its Major Plant and Equipment Asset Management team. The presentation will highlight lessons learned, practical implementation steps, and how the standard is helping embed consistency, governance, and continuous improvement across rolling stock asset management.

Steven Rosser is the Organisational Standards Lead based in Christchurch, where he plays a key role in strengthening Asset Management practices across Rolling Stock. Steven leads the Rolling Stock ISO 55001 certification programme, implementing systems and processes, and delivering training and coaching to meet the standard. His work is focused on driving the adoption of a risk-based, aligned approach that enhances asset integrity and reliability.

Important PPE Requirements for In-Person Attendees
As this event includes access to an operational workshop environment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is mandatory.
Attendees must wear:

Safety footwear (minimum requirement: covered footwear suitable for a workshop environment)
High-visibility clothing
Safety glasses
Bump cap or hard hat

KiwiRail can provide high-visibility clothing, safety glasses, and bump caps onsite if required. However, safety footwear cannot be provided, and attendees must bring their own suitable footwear.
Registration Information
In-person registrations close: Thursday 5 June

AMCouncil members: Free (priority access for in-person attendance)
Non-members: Registrations open from 1 June, subject to availability, $50 per person

Those unable to attend in person are encouraged to register for the online presentation session.

Asset Management Fundamentals - Virtual Classroom
2026-06-15 09:00 - 2026-06-16 13:00, 2026-07-13 09:00 - 2026-07-14 13:00, 2026-08-13 09:00 - 2026-08-14 13:00, 2026-09-14 09:00 - 2026-09-15 13:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Online – Register to be sent your link
This training course run over two half-days, each from 9am until 1pm AEST (Melbourne time) and delivered in a live interactive online setting, offers a thorough overview of asset management. The purpose of the Asset Management Fundamentals program is to understand the fundamentals of asset management and how they can provide benefits to the organisation.
Click here to register

Course learning objectives:

Define asset management within the context of ISO 5500x suite, the Asset Management Landscape and AMBoK
Identify the principles that underpin asset management
Identify available asset management tools and techniques that are applicable within organisational context
Identify opportunities to apply these learnings to improve individual and organisational performance.

Course materials provided in conjunction with online course:

Asset Management Fundamentals Workbook: covering the modules and learnings on the course
Living Asset Management, by J Lafria and J Hardwick: whilst touched-upon during the course, this book focuses on the subject of people and the need for good leadership and strategies for developing a high performance culture which ensures excellence in asset management. Click here for more information on Living Asset Management.
Asset Management Council Framework Book: Defines the strategic concepts of which the AM Council’s Asset Management Body of Knowledge (AMBoK) comprises.
AMBoK Publication 001; Companion Guide to ISO 55001

The Online Exam
To recognise and quantify your learning, an online exam is initiated on the day of the course. Should you choose to take and complete the exam, pass the exam, and agree to comply with a Code of Ethics, you will be certified as a Certified Associate in Asset Management (CAAM) – enabling you to offer evidence to your current and future employers of your personal asset management capability and present them with the knowledge that you have a deeper understanding of asset management related topics and issues. Your CAAM is a great step towards furthering your career in asset management.
Course flyer available for download here.

Melbourne - The Capital Investment Playbook - Building Defensible Business Cases
2026-06-17 12:15 - 13:15 (Australia/Melbourne) | Level 10 / 550 Bourke Street, Melbourne
12pm (for 12.15pm start) – 1.15pm
Every asset management leader has experienced it.
The condition data is solid.
The risk is real.
The numbers stack up.
And yet the funding request stalls, gets deferred, or comes back with questions that have nothing to do with the engineering.
This is not a data problem. It is a framing problem.
In this session, Shane Scriven walks through SAS-AM’s Capital Investment Playbook. First published in the AMC Journal March 2026. Attendees will learn how Boards actually read papers, what each of the five director archetypes is looking for, and how to anchor an asset management proposal to an existing Risk Appetite Statement.
The session covers five repeatable plays, from deferred maintenance through to decarbonisation and capability uplift, and gives everyone a portable mental model they can take into the next business case cycle.
You will leave with:

A seven-block structure for any Board paper
A translation layer from engineering KPIs to clinical outcomes
A pre mortem template you can run with your team this week
Five reusable Plays

Click here to register

Shane Scriven is the founder and Managing Director of SAS Asset Management, an Australian advisory and analytics firm that helps asset owners across health, transport, resources and the public sector turn engineering knowledge into defensible investment decisions. He has spent two decades working with operators of complex, high consequence assets, and has personally led capital business cases through Treasury gates, executive committees, and Boards of Directors. Shane writes and speaks regularly on asset investment strategy, decision quality, and the persistent gap between technical evidence and the way leadership groups approve funding.

New Zealand Asset Management Symposium - Doing more with less
2026-08-13 | Auckland University of Technology Conference Centre, 56 Wakefield Street, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
We are excited to announce the upcoming NZ Chapter Asset Management Symposium, scheduled for August 13, 2026, at the Auckland University of Technology City Campus. This year’s theme is “Doing more for less.”
Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details! We look forward to seeing you there.

Asset Management Fundamentals - Virtual Classroom
2026-10-12 09:00 - 2026-10-13 13:00, 2026-11-12 09:00 - 2026-11-13 13:00, 2026-12-07 09:00 - 2026-12-08 13:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Online – Register to be sent your link
This training course run over two half-days, each from 9am until 1pm AEDT (Melbourne time) and delivered in a live interactive online setting, offers a thorough overview of asset management. The purpose of the Asset Management Fundamentals program is to understand the fundamentals of asset management and how they can provide benefits to the organisation.
Click here to register

Course learning objectives:

Define asset management within the context of ISO 5500x suite, the Asset Management Landscape and AMBoK
Identify the principles that underpin asset management
Identify available asset management tools and techniques that are applicable within organisational context
Identify opportunities to apply these learnings to improve individual and organisational performance.

Course materials provided in conjunction with online course:

Asset Management Fundamentals Workbook: covering the modules and learnings on the course
Living Asset Management, by J Lafria and J Hardwick: whilst touched-upon during the course, this book focuses on the subject of people and the need for good leadership and strategies for developing a high performance culture which ensures excellence in asset management. Click here for more information on Living Asset Management.
Asset Management Council Framework Book: Defines the strategic concepts of which the AM Council’s Asset Management Body of Knowledge (AMBoK) comprises.
AMBoK Publication 001; Companion Guide to ISO 55001

The Online Exam
To recognise and quantify your learning, an online exam is initiated on the day of the course. Should you choose to take and complete the exam, pass the exam, and agree to comply with a Code of Ethics, you will be certified as a Certified Associate in Asset Management (CAAM) – enabling you to offer evidence to your current and future employers of your personal asset management capability and present them with the knowledge that you have a deeper understanding of asset management related topics and issues. Your CAAM is a great step towards furthering your career in asset management.
Course flyer available for download here.
