OUR STAFF
Introducing our staff
TONY SIMPSON
Chief Executive Officer
Tony grew up in Regional North Western Australia and has been located in the Pilbara 3 years. Tony served as a Local Government Councillor from 2001-2005 and as a Local Member of Parliament from 2005 – 2017 where he had portfolio accountability for Local Government, Community Services, Seniors, Volunteering and Youth.
Tony has encompassed a range of strategic, tactical, and operational management accountabilities which has given him the opportunity to influence and impact the overall direction of an organisation whilst ensuring efficient and effective use of resources, budgets, and workforce productivity to maximise outcomes.
As a strong community minded person, Tony's belief is that those of us who choose to live and work in the Pilbara should not be disadvantaged, and should be afforded the same services and luxuries that those in other regions receive, especially as the Pilbara is the backbone of not only the West Australian economy, but the Australian economy.
p: 0427 191 272
NATALIE DRABBLE
Regional Development Officer
Natalie grew up in the southern suburbs of Perth and relocated to the Pilbara in 2020 with her family. Natalie has over 30 years' experience in office administration, customer service and case management across a range of different industries including mining, Commonwealth government services and education.
Natalie moved to the Pilbara with her husband to enjoy the relaxed and warm lifestyle and community the region has to offer. It is important to Natalie to be a part of the community and is invested in making a difference to the local Pilbara communities and business'.
Natalie's role at RDA Pilbara includes managing the Designated Area Migration Agreement which was executed in March 2022 which allows local business owner's to help address critical skilled labour shortages, the Drought Hub Node in Karratha and other administrative functions within RDA Pilbara project scopes.
m: 0499 325 584
KRISTY BRYDEN
Contract and Program Manager
Kristy grew up in the south-west of Western Australia, has lived and travelled all over Australia and moved to the Pilbara in January 2022. She has 18 years' experience in a variety of project management, research and analysis roles across the public sector, most recently in clean energy.
Kristy most enjoys working with people on projects that make a difference to individuals and the community. She believes that living and working in communities like those in the Pilbara provide unique opportunities for people to collaborate, solve problems and create a better community for everyone.
Kristy manages the West Pilbara Communities for Children Initiative, a long-running program delivering positive outcomes for Pilbara kids through local community partners, and will be looking for opportunities to further the development of clean energy in the Pilbara.
e: officemanager@rdapilbara.org.au
m: 0427 191 848