Who we are

Chief Executive Officer, RSHQ, Robert Djukic

With a background in law and experience in regulatory frameworks, Rob Djukic commenced as RSH Chief Operating Officer in 2017, before being appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of RSHQ in 2023.

Rob worked across a number of government portfolios before leading the team at Simtars and the regulator’s response to the Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis parliamentary inquiry.

He brings decades of experience to developing RSHQ’s capability as a risk-based regulator, driving improvements for safety and health in Queensland’s resources industry.

A/Chief Operating Officer, RSHQ, Jennifer Cheung

Jen believes that RSHQ’s organisational health directly enables its regulatory effectiveness.

Her experience as a strategic adviser and former corporate lawyer inform how she contributes to RSHQ’s operations and governance.

Jen leads RSHQ’s Corporate division with the goal to provide integrated organisational support that helps our people focus on the work leading to our vision of zero serious harm.

Executive Director, Simtars, Kerri Melkersson

Kerri’s 20-plus year leadership career has spanned multiple sectors including banking and finance, currency management and workers’ compensation - focussing on occupational rehabilitation and the return-to-work of Queensland’s injured workers. She joined the resources regulator in 2018 to support regulatory reform following the re-identification of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and has a particular interest and expertise in the detection and prevention of latent onset occupational disease.

Appointed as Executive Director of Simtars in 2022, Kerri is passionate about improving safety and health outcomes for Queensland’s resource workers. She is focussed on ensuring that Simtars provides contemporary best practice health and safety services, targeted strategic research, continues to deliver critical emergency capability and response, and remains abreast of existing and emerging safety and health harms, to support industry needs.

Chief Inspector, Coal Mines, Jacques Le Roux

Following the completion of a mining engineer degree in 1993, Jacques’ career in coal mining began in South Africa with Anglo American. In South Africa he earned his mine managers certification and professional engineer registration and worked in a range of roles including, ERZ controller, longwall superintendent and mine manager.

In 2003 Jacques moved to Australia with Anglo Coal taking on roles including undermanager, senior mining engineer and ventilation officer. In 2008 he became mine manager at BHP Crinium Mine, and then at various Centennial Coal operations.

Jacques has a long association with the Queensland Mines Rescue Service and a passion for improving safety in mines. In 2021, he bought his extensive experience and qualifications to RSHQ as a mine inspector and is acting in the Chief Inspector of Coal Mines role following the retirement of Peter Newman.

Chief Inspector, Mineral Mines & Quarries and Chief Inspector, Explosives, Hermann Fasching

Hermann provides strategic leadership and direction through a focus on regulation and education. His inspectorate assists the industry to meet its obligations while promoting the safety and health of workers to achieve a goal of zero serious harm.

He has over 40 years' experience in the extractive mining industries, in both surface and underground operations, and as a government regulator. His extensive experience is backed by qualifications that include a Diploma of Engineering, Diploma of Government Workplace Inspection, Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying Australia and a Certified Practicing Quarry Manager.

The loss of a close family friend in an underground mining accident drove Hermann to actively pursue a career in health and safety. His conviction that a zero serious harm industry is achievable keeps him focused.

Chief Inspector, Petroleum & Gas, Shoena Messner

Shoena joined RSHQ in early 2023 as Acting Chief Inspector of Petroleum and Gas until taking on the role permanently at the beginning of 2024.

Prior to RSHQ, Shoena worked in various leadership roles with a keen focus on hazardous industries and chemicals, for more than three decades.

She is an experienced manager and leader within the resources industry and government, able to apply engineering and technical knowledge to the management and regulation of petroleum and gas sectors in Queensland.

Chief Transformation Officer, Nicolai (Nick) Ahlstrand

Nick Ahlstrand’s first role in the resource sector was project engineer on the BMA Goonyella Riverside underground coal development project in 2003. His qualifications include Bachelor of Applied Science, Master of Business Administration and Graduate Certificate in International Relations. He has completed executive education at Columbia Business School, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Certified Practicing Portfolio Executive (AIPM).

Nick was appointed as RSHQs inaugural Chief Transformation Officer in April 2022. Previously he was the Executive Director Simtars for several years where he led reforms to contemporise the division to promote improved safety and health outcomes for resource workers. In his current role, Nick is responsible for leading the Enterprise Program Management Office which has broad responsibility to manage RSHQs multi-year, transformational programs of work spanning data, digital and business change.

Executive Director Occupational Health, Dean Barr

Dean has 20 years’ experience in the private and public sectors including defence and resources. After safely navigating submarines in the Royal Australian Navy, Dean worked in offshore exploration before joining the Queensland Government’s mining policy team in 2011.

From working on major regulatory projects in mining lease applications and land access for coal seam gas development, Dean has since been leading reforms in response to mine dust lung disease from 2016. Focussed on applying these learnings, Dean is working to ensure occupational health harms are detected early, so workers can get support and inform the effectiveness of controls.