Paul Holden currently serves as the head of Critical Minerals Queensland (CMQ), where he leads the state’s efforts to become a global leader in the critical minerals sector. Tasked with executing Queensland’s Critical Minerals Strategy, Paul is driving initiatives to unlock the state’s vast mineral wealth. His leadership focuses on building strong partnerships across government, industry, and communities to fast-track project approvals and create sustainable jobs, especially in regional hubs like Townsville and Mount Isa. With over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles, including at the Office of the Coordinator-General and the Department of State Development, Paul has a proven track record in delivering major infrastructure and resource projects. He is highly skilled in navigating regulatory frameworks, securing project financing, and facilitating complex stakeholder negotiations. Paul’s extensive expertise covers sectors such as minerals, water, agriculture, and tourism, making him a trusted figure in Queensland’s development landscape. Under his leadership, CMQ is not only driving investment in critical minerals but also promoting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, positioning Queensland as a sustainable powerhouse in the global energy transition.

Lichoo Tay is a seasoned finance professional with more than 22 years of experience in global markets, spanning investment banking and private wealth management. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Finance at the University of Western Australia and is the lead researcher for the PCMX project at the Digital Finance Co-operative Research Centre, which seeks to improve the price discovery process for critical minerals to support the Australian national interest in resource security. Prior to academia, she was Head of Investment Counselling, Southeast Asia at HSBC Private Banking, where she led a team of 40 investment professionals managing USD25 billion in client assets, and before that Head of Credit Sales at MUFG Securities. She began her career in fixed income at JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch, where she gained a deep understanding of how market structure, liquidity, and information flows shape price discovery. This early foundation in bond and credit markets informs her current academic work on price formation and market design in mineral markets. Lichoo holds a BA (First Class Honours) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, an MBA (Distinction) from INSEAD, and is a CFA charterholder.

Rowan Fenn is the Founder and CEO of Rise-X, whose Ecosystem Orchestration Platform optimises and automates the flow of goods and services across global trade networks. Rise-X serves clients in energy, mining, defence, healthcare, telecommunications, and transport and logistics, improving the systems behind global trade to drive productivity, strengthen resilience and reduce systemic risk. Rowan is a co-founder of QuayChain, serves on the board of ADP Clear, and contributes to the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP). He is a member of his Parish Council in Oxford, UK, where he lives with his wife Lindsay and their two children, Ethan and Harrison.

Govind R. Goenka is an India-based strategic investment and PSU engagement advisor specialising in critical minerals, mining and resources. He has over 30 years of experience working with Indian public sector undertakings, large industrial companies and international resource and technology providers. His work focuses on structuring overseas strategic investments, combining minority equity participation, long-term offtake and downstream alignment to improve project bankability. Govind has extensive familiarity with the operating and approval frameworks of Indian PSUs, including mining and energy sector entities, and regularly advises on market access, financing structures, risk mitigation and audit-defensible investment models. He is currently engaged in developing India-linked strategic pathways for lithium and other critical mineral projects across multiple jurisdictions.

Nidhi Parmar is a senior Manager with more than 12 years of international experience delivering strategy, commercial advisory, and technical due diligence across the mining, energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors. With a background in electrical and controls engineering and an MBA from The University of Queensland, she specialises in critical minerals strategy, value chain analysis, market studies, and technical and commercial due diligence for investors, governments and asset owners. Nidhi has extensive experience across the critical minerals value chain, advising on projects involving lithium, nickel, copper, rare earth elements, magnesium, potash and other future-facing commodities. She has supported governments, investors and mining companies in assessing market opportunities, project competitiveness, downstream processing, supply chain resilience, ESG considerations and long-term value creation. Throughout her career, Nidhi has combined engineering, commercial and strategic perspectives to help organisations navigate the rapidly evolving critical minerals landscape. Her work focuses on translating complex technical and market information into practical insights that enable informed investment decisions, strengthen critical minerals supply chains, and support the global energy transition. Nidhi is passionate about enabling resilient, sustainable and globally competitive critical minerals supply chains by combining engineering rigour with commercial insight to help organisations make informed strategic and investment decisions.

Mitchell Rawlins is a trade, investment, and economic development professional currently leading investment attraction and promotion within the Queensland Government’s Critical Minerals Office. In this role, he is responsible for identifying and engaging investment-ready critical minerals projects, facilitating strategic industry-government collaboration, and promoting Queensland’s capabilities to global partners across the critical minerals supply chain. Prior to this, Mitchell held a senior position at Trade and Investment Queensland, where he supported international market development and investment facilitation across key sectors—including critical minerals. He played a pivotal role in delivering the Queensland Critical Minerals Showcase in 2023, coordinating inbound investment delegations including the TIQ US commissioner, and delivering initiatives such as the Fast Track to Investment platform. With an academic background and early career in economics, Mitchell brings strong analytical and policy capability to investment planning, project evaluation, and strategic decision-making. His work is grounded in advancing Queensland’s position as a reliable and responsible supplier of the critical minerals essential to global energy security and decarbonisation goals.

Kylee is an experienced professional in the critical minerals industry, with 25 years’ experience, focussing on lithium refining and uranium processes. Kylee has focussed her career on development of projects through studies, commissioning and engineering management across Australia, Asia and Africa. Kylee currently holds the role of Manager – Process and Studies at Primero engineering and construction company, overseeing a group of 30, delivering bankable, JORC and NI43-101 compliant studies for prospective miners globally. Kylee holds a Masters of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Engineering, a Bachelor of Science and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.