Attributable to AER Chair, Clare Savage:
On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our appreciation to Catriona Lowe for her expert counsel and consumer-centric mindset during her time with us.
Catriona departs for an exciting opportunity as Deputy Chair of the ACCC. This is great recognition of her contributions made to energy consumers through her role on the AER Board and over 20 years in litigation and consumer advocacy.
Catriona was appointed to the AER Board in February 2020 and during this time has been instrumental in advocating on behalf of energy consumers in all that we do.
During her time at the AER, Catriona has worked tirelessly to ensure the consumer remains front and centre of all our decisions, while protecting consumers experiencing hardship and payment difficulties in the energy market.
Catriona was instrumental in the AER’s introduction of the Statement of Expectations through the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed at providing extra protection and support to customers and the market.
As Chair of the AER’s Enforcement and Compliance Committee, Catriona has also overseen key outcomes in consumer protections, including more than $30 million in penalties paid by market participants and in excess of 48 infringement notices along with $1m in customer debt waived, over the last 2 years.
Catriona has also represented the AER as an active member of the Energy Security Board’s Distributed Energy Resources advocacy group, assisting in the design of NEM 2025, making sure consumers will benefit from unlocking the value of flexible demand while also being protected as the power system transitions.
We wish Catriona well.