Our People
The two directors of DG Consulting, Denis Flett and Garry Smith, have diverse professional experience, particularly in the governance and executive management of water utility and natural resource management organisations.
The experience of the directors includes being influential in contemporary Australian water reform, particularly in Victoria, but also within the Murray-Darling Basin and at a national level, as well as strategic leadership in the establishment and development of Goulburn-Murray Water as an effective rural water utility with a commercial and customer-focused culture.
Denis Flett
BE, FIEAust, CPEng, FAICD
Denis is a resident of the Goulburn Broken catchment and lives in Tatura, Victoria. He is married to Claire and they have three grown up children Sally, Sam and Laura.
Denis is a Director of DG Consulting, a Board Director of Goulburn Valley Water, a Member of the South Australian Water Security Council and President of the Tatura Football Netball Club.
His roles conducted via DG Consulting include Chair of the Victorian Consultative Committee for the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy; and Chair of the Independent Audit Group for the Murray Darling Basin Authority (which audits jurisdictional performance in complying with the cap on diversions, meeting commitments under The Living Murray business plan and in responding to the Risks to Shared Water Resources program).
Denis was manager of the project which produced the Stocktake and Analysis of Australia’s Water Accounting Practice which set the framework for the development of water accounting in Australia. He has been involved in the National Water Accounting Development project since its inception.
His previous roles include being the Manager, Rural Water, with Sinclair Knight Merz for three years, the foundation Chief Executive and a Board Director of Goulburn-Murray Water for 11 years and representing Victoria for 10 years on the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.
Garry Smith
BE (Hons)
Garry is a qualified civil engineer who offers contemporary specialist advice covering rural water management; water policy and planning; water reform; water trading and market development; industry governance practices and processes. He can also provide high level skills and expertise in all aspects of operational and financial management of a large water utility service provider. This experience has been gained in projects at the leading edge of developing and implementing water reform and Garry offers experience, innovation and practical solutions to industry problems.
Garry’s skills and expertise have been developed through his extensive work experience both with DG Consulting and with Goulburn-Murray Water, Australia’s largest rural water services provider, and are supplemented by strong exposure and involvement in water issues across the Murray Darling Basin and into southern Victoria.
Garry’s experience includes being a member of the interdepartmental project team that developed legislative change to enable unbundling of water entitlements, project director for the unbundling of water entitlements throughout Goulburn-Murray Water and implementation of a state-wide Water Register.
He has also been a major contributor to the Northern Victorian Sustainable Water Strategy and was responsible for oversight of strategic water market development at G-MW, including inter-state trade in the largest water trading market in Australia. Garry was also project director for the development of Watermove, one of the largest water exchanges operating in the southern Murray Darling Basin.
In addition, Garry is a Director of the eWater Co-operative Research Centre (since 2005) and a member of the Advisory Board for the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training.