Research Leadership

Mayuran Sivapalan

In his role as Subprogram Manager for Modelling and Decision Support Mayuran Sivapalan works with the Managing Entity to ensure highest quality decisions are made throughout the program, as well as directing the complex work of the various subprogram teams and projects.

Mayuran is Managing Director of Adaptus, a strategy & project consulting firm that partners with leaders in business and society to improve ESG performance, understand and respond to the risks and opportunities of the energy transition, and increase resilience to climate change. Adaptus’ focus is on embedding consideration of ESG, carbon and climate risk in the typical capabilities, functions, processes and systems of an organisation, based on the belief that the organisations that succeed in this era of increasing uncertainty are those that most efficiently and effectively adapt to it.

With dual degrees and experience in environmental engineering and investment finance, he has spent the past 15 years working in Australia, North America and the Middle East with companies and agencies with large natural capital footprints (in infrastructure, power, water, resources and energy sectors) to help identify and deliver win-win outcomes that optimise financial return with environmental & social outcomes. This has largely been done through application and embedding of leading practice frameworks from the risk and decision sciences to effectively frame complex organisational problems and objectives, work with multi-disciplinary teams to identify and develop relevant solutions, characterise the uncertainties that impact decision making, and achieve a commitment to action and investment.

In his most recent role, he established and led the largest dedicated decision & risk advisory and assurance practice in Australia as part of a global engineering and advisory firm. Other notable corporate roles he has held include Program Director for a $500m energy transition project, Post-Acquisition Integration Manager for a 125-person management consulting business, Regional Sustainability Director for a global engineering firm, Risk Manager for a $10b energy project, and Sub-sector Strategy Lead (US Unconventional Oil & Gas) for a global professional services firm. 

His current and previous clients include GBRF, GBRMPA, AIMS, CSIRO, Parks Victoria, WA Department of Sport and Recreation, WA Water Corporation, SeqWater, AGL, Horizon Power, Collgar, Mirvac, BHP, Rio Tinto, Chevron, Woodside, BP, Adgas, BG, Origin, ConocoPhillips, Glencore and Teck.