Riley’s career has taken him from sub-zero to sub-tropical
Riley’s career as a biologist has taken him from sub-zero temperatures in Canada to the Queensland sub-tropics.
Canadian-born and bred, Riley gained a Bachelors of Biology from The University of British Columbia and began work as a natural resource specialist with BC Hydro, a job that saw him working across the company’s 31 hydroelectric power stations. Some of his more memorable Canadian work experience included surveys of grizzly bear and wolverine populations!
Moving to Australia
Riley moved to Australia in 2023 and after working with Snowy Hydro for a period, he took on the role of Environmental Specialist with CleanCo, providing environmental expertise to project teams.
“Coming on as an Environmental Specialist gave me the opportunity to learn about the company and the generating assets,” he said.
“This role is involved in all phases of major projects, helping to identify environmental risk, develop risk mitigation strategies and create environmental management plans to ensure CleanCo meets and exceeds its environmental obligations,” he said.
“Then when a project starts, there is work to support the crews on the ground to ensure they have the tools, knowledge, and regulatory permits they need to complete the work following strict environmental standards.”
Management role
Since joining CleanCo as an Environmental Specialist, Riley has recently been appointed to the role of Environmental Manager, with responsibility for CleanCo’s environmental management across its sites, from our hydroelectric power stations in far north Queensland, to our pumped hydro at Wivenhoe west of Brisbane and our highly efficient gas-fired power station at Swanbank in Ipswich.
Perhaps Riley’s most memorable day with CleanCo so far was his second day on the job, when he participated in snake handling training along with our Wivenhoe team.
“Learning how to manage highly venomous snakes certainly made my first week with CleanCo a memorable one!”