Inside the leadership engine powering Specialised Energy Solutions and driving large-scale renewable projects forward through hands-on delivery, disciplined execution, and a commitment to getting it right from day one.
Renewable generation has more than doubled across the National Electricity Market over the past decade, according to the Clean Energy Council, as Australia transitions from coal-fired power toward wind, solar photovoltaic, and utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). As deployment of renewables accelerates, rigorous quality assurance, verification and on-the-ground delivery are becoming critical to ensure assets perform reliably long after commissioning.
This is where Specialised Energy Solutions (SES) operates, providing technical delivery and asset services across solar, wind and BESS projects. The qualified SES team also support developers and asset owners from construction through to long-term operations and performance optimisation.
Led by Chief Executive Officer Aaron Mulhall, SES has evolved into a national team of more than 100 specialists delivering utility-scale electrical solutions across construction, commissioning and operations throughout Australia. At the heart of this growth is the company’s Senior Operational Leadership Team – Adam Gifford, Kane Williams and David Ross.
Three leaders, one engine
SES’s senior operational leadership model unites engineering, construction delivery, and long-term operations and asset management into one integrated engine. It reflects a maturing industry that recognises that true success lies in ensuring those assets perform safely, reliably and efficiently for decades to come.
Adam Gifford, Executive General Manager – Engineering at SES, joined the company in September 2025, with a background that spans from trades to being an asset owner.
“I like the applied end of engineering. You get to see something physical at he end of all the effort. That’s really rewarding,” says Gifford.
Kane Williams, Executive General Manager – Construction Operations at SES, joined the team in June 2024 after working with international engineering, procurement, and construction contractors. Since then, the company has grown to 8.2 GW of projects, including 44 projects nationwide, and operates across six states.
“Moving to a smaller private business gives you freedom to move quickly. More project partners are calling us directly, which shows the sector is recognising the high impact work we’re doing,” says Williams.
David Ross, Operations and Maintenance Manager at SES, joined the team in December 2025. Previously with Power Services, Ross managed approximately 700 megawatts of solar and battery assets, including the Melbourne Renewable Energy Hub, Queanbeyan BESS, the Capital BESS in Canberra and another site in Queensland.
“The renewable industry is big in Australia, but it’s also small. Everyone knows everyone. I’d heard a lot of good things about SES through the grapevine,” says Ross.
Within SES, Gifford focuses on strengthening technical capability, quality, and implementing scalable systems to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. Williams leads construction delivery and operational execution within the EPC phase. And, Ross oversees the ever-growing company’s expanding operations and maintenance portfolio nationwide.
Operating across multiple states, SES functions as a coordinated national team that constantly travels to remote sites, rather than working from a centralised office.
The most expensive job is the one you do twice
Clean energy investment is reaching record levels. However, Gifford says that the level of quality assurance (QA) required for utility-scale renewable projects is often underestimated across the sector.
“Many items need to be confirmed with asset owners before we can get started on a project. This ensures that what we build for them aligns with governance, compliance, design standards and client expectations.”
“We do a lot of rework and rectification for clients. When we deliver something, we make sure it’s done right the first time and properly documented so we don’t have to return,” Williams says.
Gifford summarises SES’s preventative project delivery philosophy simply: “The most expensive job is the one that you do twice.”
From an operations and maintenance (O&M) perspective, Ross emphasises that inherited manufacturer serial defects, EPC design or installation errors, equipment incompatibilities, and early-stage construction decisions can have lasting impacts on asset reliability and lifecycle performance. This is precisely why SES integrates both construction and long-term operations and maintenance capabilities – to reduce operational risk at its source and protect asset value over the long term.
“If the handover between Construction and O&M, including all QA and verification processes, isn’t completed to the highest standard from the outset, those issues inevitably resurface during maintenance. You end up managing equipment that has been compromised from day one,” Ross says.
Through detailed documentation and faster diagnostics, efficient and effective long-term operations are enabled.
“When installation is executed to the highest standard and documentation is completed accurately from day one, maintenance becomes faster, safer and significantly more effective. Rectifying issues later is always more complex and costly than getting it right the first time,” Ross says.
Closing the gap with manufacturers
SES also works closely with equipment manufacturers, feeding site-based insights back into the supply chain.
“We’re effectively their arms and legs on site,” Gifford says.
“We go above and beyond to help manufacturers understand what actually happens when equipment arrives and is installed onsite. That feedback helps improve future deployments.”
“The industry is evolving quickly. Technology in the renewables sector keeps improving year after year,” Gifford says.
“We’re in the midst of a fundamental transformation in how electricity is generated in Australia. Much of the existing conventional infrastructure is reaching end-of-life and must be replaced with reliable, future-focused energy systems.”
“Our role is to help build, commission and maintain that next generation of assets – ensuring the transition delivers not just new capacity, but dependable power that keeps the lights on.”
In an industry driven by speed and scale, SES’s operational leadership believes that true success is not defined by how fast assets are built, but by how well they perform over decades.
Long-term value is secured through disciplined delivery, rigorous systems, and teams that remain accountable and hands-on from construction through to sustained operation. These principles form the foundation of what the company defines as the #SESStandard – a commitment to ensuring every asset is built to perform, endure, and power Australia’s net zero future with confidence.
This article was featured in ecogeneration magazine (April 2026 edition).
