Finance & Operations Team
Kane Thornton
Director - Strategy & Operations
Kane takes an active role in the development and execution of CEC strategies.
He specialises in strategic policy advice on renewable energy, emissions trading and national and international climate change policy, and was previously a manager and senior advisor for Hydro Tasmania.
A former Executive Officer of Renewable Energy Generators Australia, he brings strong international business experience, previously working in consulting and management for IBM and Austrade.
He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has a Masters degree in environmental policy and Bachelor of Information Technology.
Jim Milligan
Operations Manager
Jim oversees the day-to-day running of CEC accounts, administration, HR, systems/processes and premises. Being Scottish, he has amended his PD to include dishing up haggis to the team at least once a year.
Jim has a background in IT having worked for a number of corporates including Volvo, Playtex and Wilson Sporting Goods.
He has also held several management roles including General Manager, Director of Operations and CEO.
One of his proudest achievements was to take a company into the 'BRW's Fastest Growing 100 Companies in Australia' – two years running! While the CEC is a bit of a change, we expect nothing less, of course.
Sibylle Kuhlmann
Bookkeeper
Sibylle (pronounced 'Sibylla') is an experienced finance officer and has had a long history within the not-for-profit sector.
She has worked for organisations such as the Australian Sonographers Association, Ironbark Sustainability, the Tooling Industry of Australia and the Plastics & Chemicals Industries Association. Working for the CEC now combines her skills as a bookkeeper plus her interest and concern for the environment.
Her role involves creating and implementing systems that make the day-to-day running of the CEC accounts department more efficient and effective. You could say the buck stops with Sibylle!
Juanita Farrington
Administrative Assistant
Juanita is the first point of contact at the CEC and as such is the "Director of First Impressions" for our members, suppliers and the general public.
In her role Juanita assists all CEC staff members with their various administrative, IT and day-to-day needs.
Since joining the CEC in 2010, Juanita has tackled other tasks such as "Customer Service Coordinator for Clean Energy Week" and handling logistics of the CEC office expansion in 2011.
Juanita has a background in hospitality, customer service and event management, which helps her to manage her versatile role.
Yoko Inoue
Finance Assistant
Yoko has been the quiet achiever at the CEC since 2010. She is mainly responsible for raising invoices and preparing payments, as well as assisting with all the basic day-to-day operations of the accounts team.
Prior to joining the CEC, Yoko worked in the travel industry for several years after moving from Japan to Australia.
CEC is the first Australian company she has worked for and Yoko is glad to have an opportunity to work in a fast-growing company operating in such a dynamic industry.
