ENERGEX Board stalwart retires
ENERGEX Board stalwart retires
2 February 2012
Chairman John Dempsey has today announced the retirement of long-serving ENERGEX Limited Board member Emeritus Professor Mat Darveniza.
One of the most respected and awarded world leaders in high voltage electrical engineering and lightning protection, Professor Darveniza has been a Director on the ENERGEX Board for more than seven years.
Mr Dempsey said that Professor Darveniza’s resignation letter was provided to the Board at this week’s monthly meeting.
“Mat’s knowledge of the electricity network from his many years in the academic world and even before that in the practical side of electrical engineering has been an invaluable asset to the Board over many years,” said Mr Dempsey.
“You only have to look across the company – and indeed across the country - to see the many senior staff and electricity industry executives who developed their professional skills under Mat, to understand his significant impact and level of respect and to know that he will leave large shoes to fill.”
Professor Darveniza, 79, commenced his career in electrical engineering with the then Southern Electricity Authority of Queensland, a forerunner to today’s ENERGEX.
He joined the University of Queensland as an academic in 1959 and progressed to be a Senior Lecturer and later Professor of Electrical Engineering and Head of Department. He maintained a close association with the teaching side of electricity engineering for many decades working in the electricity supply and manufacturing industries, including periods as a visiting professor at universities in the USA, Germany, England, Argentina and Sweden.
A special interest has been the study, research and development work into the impacts of lightning on high voltage electricity networks. Problem-solving research into lightning surges undertaken by Professor Darveniza and other Australian researchers have resulted in improved lightning protection systems for power networks not only in Australia, but around the world.
Mat Darveniza was elected Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in 1989 and in the 2003 Australia Day Honours he received an Order of Australia “for service to the electrical engineering, particularly through research on lightning protection of electrical equipment and as Chairman of Standards Australia committee on lightning protection of structures and to professional education”.
A replacement Director will be announced shortly.
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