Who we are
Principals
Richard Bowmaker
Richard Bowmaker leads our quantitative analysis work. He draws upon a background in electrical engineering and extensive software development experience as a specialist in the development, application and testing of energy market models and systems.
Mr Bowmaker has provided analytical support for energy sector asset transactions in Australia, USA, UK, France, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Panama, and the Gulf, and has tested gas and electricity market software in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Oman USA and Canada.
Mr Bowmaker also advises on engineering and IT security matters.
Sue Paul
Sue Paul leads our audit and assurance work. She has particular expertise in operational audits and reviews, business process performance improvement, and certification of market software.
Ms Paul has carried out energy market audit projects in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines and the United States. She has led operational and software audits for the Independent Australian Energy Market Operator of Western Australia, the Australian Energy Market Operator, the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC), Oman Power and Water Procurement, and Transpower New Zealand.
Ms Paul also advises on the design and implementation of energy markets, advanced modelling and forecasting techniques, and how to better design and manage business processes to mitigate risk.
Tim Robinson
Combining a broad technology background with a deep knowledge of energy markets, Tim Robinson leads our work on energy market systems, IT practices for critical infrastructure providers, and responses to emerging technology.
Mr Robinson has advised private and public sector clients in six continents on a range of issues including all aspects of market system design, implementation and operations. He has worked with market systems in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Singapore, the Philippines, Oman and South Africa.
Mr Robinson also leads market assurance engagements, and advises on wholesale and retail market design, implementation and strategy, market power mitigation, renewable energy, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of energy asset investment decisions.
Consultants
Catlianna Evans
Catlianna Evans is a recent Mathematics, Statistics and Spanish graduate. Her studies focused on analytical, computational, statistical and mathematical topics. She has experience in questionnaire, project and survey design, and has applied mathematical and statistical techniques to analyse climate variability.
Catlianna is enthusiastic about learning and sharing knowledge about other cultures and mathematics. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish, and has working proficiency in German, French, and Te Reo Māori.
Eija Samson
Eija Samson is an economist specialising in electricity markets.
Her work has focused on electricity market policy, including energy market arrangements, system services procurement, capacity mechanism reform, and integration of emerging resources.
She also has experience testing and certifying market software, including scheduling, dispatch and settlement systems.
James Seidelin
James Seidelin is a data specialist.
His work has involved data manipulation, visualization, and creation of dashboards using tools to extract insights from large, messy datasets to deliver better services and outcomes for clients.
Before joining RBP, James worked on data anlaysis projects with the New Zealand Police, focusing on validation, accuracy, and presentation of statistical data.
Naren Bharatwaj Viswanath
Naren Bharatwaj Viswanath is an expert in energy market operations and market software.
Mr Viswanath has worked on market clearing, security constrained unit commitment, imbalance pricing, market power mitigation, and outage management across such diverse markets as India, Ireland, the UK, Greece, Poland, Ontario, and Australia. His work has also included electricity market modelling, and his PhD thesis assessed electricity market pricing issues, with a focus on energy and transmission pricing.
Before joining RBP, Mr Viswanath spent nearly a decade with GE Vernova and Hitachi Energy (formerly ABB Power Grids) designing, developing and delivering energy market software for electricity grid and market operators in North America and Europe.
Associates
Alastair Duffy
Alastair Duffy has 20 years of consulting experience for clients around Asia Pacific, North America, and around the globe. His specialisations include electricity market design, energy market modelling, and audit and certification of electricity market software and systems. His clients have included system and market operators, energy regulators, government agencies, utilities, independent power producers, investment funds, renewable developers, and banks.
In recent years, Mr Duffy has had a strong focus on the Philippine electricity market, providing expert advice, analysis, and market modelling to numerous local and international companies.
Craig Evans
Craig Evans is an expert in designing market arrangements to enhance innovation and greater consumer participation.
Craig has spent 20 years working in economic and market regulation in Australia and New Zealand. Before moving into consulting, he held roles at the Electricity Authority of New Zealand and the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, and led the Office of the Utilities Commission in the Northern Territory.
In recent years, his focus has been on unlocking the potential of flexibility in distribution networks.
Isaac Gumbrell
Isaac Gumbrell is an energy economist specialising in energy market modelling and economic analysis. He also has experience in market software certification.
Before joining RBP, Mr Gumbrell was with the Energy Research Centre at the University of Auckland, where he lectured and tutored in energy economics and climate. His masters thesis used an agent-based model to predict electricity costs for energy storage in New Zealand in 2050, including modelling the impact of the proposed Onslow pumped hydro project.
Erich Livengood
Erich Livengood has twenty years’ experience in the energy industry. His energy roles have included executive management and management consulting in wholesale market operations, market development, business development, regulatory design and compliance functions.
Erich previously worked for the New Zealand System operator as markets manager facilitating the evolving interface between the operation of the market and the operation of the power system. Previously Erich led the energy business for NZX, New Zealand’s stock exchange and an energy market provider responsible for providing clearing, reconciliation and settlement services to the New Zealand electricity market.