Leadership team

Gair Landsborough

Gair joined Western Power in December 1993 as a cadet engineer before moving through the graduate program. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical), Bachelor of Commerce (Management) and Master of Applied Finance from the University of Western Australia.

Gair’s technical roles in the company include stints in network planning, maintenance strategy and investigations, while his financial expertise in strategic financial modelling was showcased working closely with Government stakeholders to implement electricity market reforms.

Since 2006, he has held senior management roles in operations, program and project management, contracts and finance. Gair brings his wealth of Western Power knowledge to the Executive team, most recently as Executive Manager Asset Management.

Zane Christmas

Zane is an experienced operational leader with over 28 years in the electricity network industry. He started as an apprentice electrician and has progressed through to senior leadership positions in both government owned and private organisations.  

Zane has been with Western Power for 11 years. During this time he has worked in several roles including Works Management, Future Grid Alliance Manager and for the last few years the Head of Network Maintenance Planning and Delivery.

He holds electrical trade qualifications, Diplomas in Electro Technology and Project Management, a Masters of Business Administration and is a graduate of the Leadership WA Signature Program. 

As the Executive Manager for Asset Operations he leads a large, diverse workforce accountable for the operation, expansion and maintenance of the network to ensure it remains safe, reliable and meets the needs of our community.

Ben Bristow

Ben joined Western Power in 2005 as a graduate engineer, after completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) at the University of Western Australia.

With over 20 years’ experience in the power industry, Ben has held a range of technical roles across engineering and design, distribution grid strategy and grid transformation.

Since 2019, he's held senior management positions within Asset Management. He brings extensive knowledge of Western Power to the Executive team, most recently serving as Head of Grid Transformation where he led his team in the development of network strategies and investment proposals in line with operational, financial, regulatory and customer requirements. He was also involved in the development of key pilot projects across the network including stand-alone power systems, microgrids and utility scale battery energy storage solutions.

Sandra Smallbon

As the Chief Technology Officer, Sandra is responsible for growing Western Power’s Digital Capability Strategy and driving innovation across the organisation. Sandra leads a dynamic team of skilled technologists across the Technology and Innovation business unit, to deliver a whole-of-organisation approach to leverage technology to solve complex business challenges and drive operational excellence. 

With over a decade and a half at the forefront of Operations and Enterprise Technology, Sandra has a proven track record of strategic leadership, delivery and a deep understanding of technology. Sandra has held key roles across the resource sector and most recently at the Water Corporation.   

Sandra joined Western Power in December 2023 and holds a Masters degree in Information Technology from Deakin University. 

Jo Christie

Jo joined Western Power in July 2023 as the Executive Manager of People, responsible for creating a strong, safe and diverse workforce leading our Human Resources, Safety, Property & Fleet, and Training functions.

Jo’s extensive Executive experience spans more than 10 years in a diverse range of industries including aged care, fast moving consumer goods and hospitality. Prior to this, Jo worked for 20 years in the Human Resources sector.

Jo is a confident, articulate and respected communicator who builds productive relationships with key stakeholders at all organisational levels throughout the employee lifecycle.

She is passionate about transforming organisations, creating an inclusive, respectful and compassionate culture that makes it safe for people to innovate and be their best self at work every day.

Jo holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Psychology from Murdoch University and a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Development from Curtin University.

Alan Tate

As a seasoned finance and commercial executive with over 30 years of experience in the natural resources, energy and construction sectors, Alan brings an incredible wealth of expertise to Western Power.

Alan’s professional journey includes several senior executive positions where he has provided strategic, commercial and financial leadership to a variety of international and ASX 100 companies.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Andrew Blaver

Within a rapidly changing energy landscape, Andrew Blaver leads Energy Transition & Sustainability at Western Power.

He oversees the whole-of-organisation approach to energy, sustainability and decarbonisation, including enabling industry decarbonisation through major transmission expansion programs that support new renewable generation and battery storage, alongside the distribution network transformation to enable greater participation of customer-owned energy.

Andrew brings more than 25 years’ leadership experience across the construction, communications and electricity sectors in Australia, Southeast Asia and North America. He's also led significant innovative initiatives for industry and consumers including the award-winning DER integration pilot Project Symphony and the establishment of Project Jupiter, now underway in collaboration with Energy Policy WA, Synergy and the Australian Energy Market Operator.

Andrew Cook

Andrew joined Western Power in 2012 as our Legal Counsel, following an extensive career in the private sector in the areas corporate, commercial and property practice law.

Andrew is currently the General Counsel and Executive Manager Legal, Governance & External Relations and has Executive responsibilities for Legal, Compliance, Enterprise Risk, Internal Audit, Governance & Secretariat, Communications, Media and Customer & Stakeholder Relationships. He also performs the role of company secretary providing assistance to the Board and its committees.

He has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from Murdoch University.