Engineering the Future: The Entrepreneurship Paradox

​​​​​​​Dr Zhengrong Shi

Dr. Zhengrong Shi is an Australian energy scientist and serial entrepreneur, internationally known as “The Sun King.” He is the founder of Siltrax, an early-stage hydrogen company developing silicon-based bipolar plates for PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, applying decades of semiconductor and photovoltaics expertise to hydrogen.

In 2001 he founded Suntech Power and led the transformation of photovoltaic technology into mass production. Under his leadership, Suntech became the world’s largest PV manufacturer. He later founded Asia Silicon, a fifth world largest poly-silicon producer, and Sunman, where he developed the world’s first glass-free, lightweight, flexible crystalline-silicon module.
Dr. Shi holds more than 80 patents and has authored about 100 academic papers. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. His honors include Time magazine’s “Hero of the Environment” (2007), the Future Energy gold medal in Abu Dhabi (2009), and the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Energy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Advancement of Renewables (2019).

Kristy Chong

Kristy Chong OAM is the Founder of Modibodi, an innovative leak-proof apparel brand, providing a sustainable and more comfortable alternative to disposable hygiene. Kristy’s vision with Modibodi was for all people to have higher expectations of the physical, emotional and ethical comfort they get from clothing, forgo disposables, and feel empowered to live more comfortably in themselves, without limitations. 

Kristy scientifically developed and proved the exclusive technologies behind the Modibodi brand including the patented Modifier Technology, and six other patented technologies.

Kristy has won numerous awards including the 2018 NSW Business Woman of the Year Award and 2021 Veuve Cliquot Bold Woman award. Modibodi also won the People's Choice Award and Medium Business Awards at the 2019 National Telstra Business Awards, and was recognised by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and acquired in its permanent collection as an Australian Innovation. 

After 10 years at the helm of Modibodi as CEO, Kristy sold Modibodi to global health company Essity in 2022 for AUD$140M.

Kristy is a mum of 4, and is now dedicating her time to investing in and advising female owned, social impact led businesses (including Laronix, PeopleBench, CleanSlateClinics, E-leviate, and Matched), and through philanthropy, giving funding and support to various charitable groups within habitat conservation/restoration, and gender-human equity areas. 

Kristy was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her successful contribution to business, and for championing women’s health issues.

Dr Gunilla Burrowes FTSE HonFIEAust

Gunilla Burrowes is an engineering leader, entrepreneur, investor, and company director whose 40-year career has spanned renewable energy, deep-technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and diversity in STEM. 

Beginning her career with BP Solar, she contributed to the deployment of some of Australia’s earliest photovoltaic systems before co-founding BlueZone Group, an engineering company specialising in autonomous underwater systems, sensing technologies, and marine innovation. Her doctoral research in autonomous underwater vehicle swarming advanced Australia’s capability in marine autonomous systems engineering. 

Following the Hunter region’s industrial transition, Gunilla co-founded one of Australia’s first regional angel investment networks and later established Eighteen04 Inc., the nation’s first CleanTech and Smart City incubator. Through investment, mentorship, and governance, she has supported more than 50 technology ventures. 

A long-standing advocate for women in engineering, Gunilla led Engineers Australia’s Year of Women in Engineering and continues to mentor and support future generations of engineers and innovators. 

Gunilla is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia. 

Kurt Walkom

Kurt Walkom is an Australian software entrepreneur and engineer specializing in ethical finance and green energy technology. He is best known as the Co-Founder of the financial independence platform Pearler and the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Gridsight. An alumnus of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Walkom holds a dual Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce.

Under his commercial leadership, Walkom's ventures have scaled into major industry players. Pearler has grown to manage over $2 billion in automated, long-term investments for tens of thousands of everyday users. Meanwhile, his renewable energy software firm, Gridsight, recently raised $36 million in a funding round led by Insight Partners to deploy its AI-driven grid technology. Now valued at an estimated $200 million, Walkom is actively leading Gridsight's rapid expansion into the United States utility market.

Professor Ian Gibson

Professor Ian Gibson is the Deputy Dean of Industry Engagement Innovation & Research within UNSW Engineering. He has over 30 years of experience as a computer scientist and engineer and at executive level R&D management. He has led the research, development and global commercialisation of new technology across a broad range of electrical engineering, computer science and digital imaging. 

Professor Gibson was the founding CEO of Intersect Australia Ltd (2008 - 2015). Prior to this Professor Gibson was General Manager at CiSRA, the Australian R&D lab for Canon Inc,  where he built research capability over several years to deliver world leading technology into a wide range of Canon's major product groups generating hundreds of patents along the way. 

Professor Gibson's technology has been shipped in over a billion units world wide, and he has secured over $200m in research funds from a variety of sources.