N S E W
Maritime · Infrastructure · Advisory

Bilal Ali
Khan

Master Mariner Class 1  ·  EXEC MBA  ·  MAppFin  ·  Six Sigma Black Belt

Founder & Director, Spinnaker Infra. Navigating complex procurement, operational and commercial challenges across ports, maritime and renewable energy.

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Profile

Building enterprise
resilience through
commercial &
technical nous.

Ports Maritime Renewable Energy Procurement Transactions

Bilal is the Founder & Director of Spinnaker Infra, focused on advisory services in complex and high-profile procurement, operational and commercial challenges in ports and maritime industries.

Through his corporate career, Bilal has delivered projects across geographies for organisations including global institutional investors, liner operators, federal government agencies, stevedores, oil and gas operators and port operators.

With the ability to integrate seamlessly within a transaction or project team, Bilal is single-mindedly focused on developing bespoke solutions tailored to each client's specific commercial reality.

Areas of Expertise

Where deep-water
experience meets
commercial acuity.

Bilal's unique combination of sea service and commercial experience — spanning port operations, corporate procurement and infrastructure transactions — gives him a rare ability to assess both technical reality and commercial impact across the full maritime and energy value chain.

01

Port & Maritime Strategy

End-to-end commercial strategy for port operators — from cargo origin-destination analysis and tariff benchmarking to enterprise valuation, competitive positioning and procurement strategy for major port user negotiations. Experienced across container, liquid bulk, dry bulk and break-bulk operations.

25+ years across port operations, shipping and advisory
Clients
Port of Melbourne GeelongPort Port of Auckland DP World
02

Transactions & Due Diligence

Technical and commercial due diligence for infrastructure acquisitions — leading multi-disciplinary teams and translating complex contractual findings into clear valuation impact for decision making.

Notable
Brookfield Infrastructure
03

Renewable Energy Advisory

Hydrogen hub feasibility, renewable energy asset transactions, and liquid fuel security policy. Uniquely positioned at the port-energy nexus where maritime infrastructure and the energy transition converge.

Projects
Geelong H₂ Hub Viva Energy Gas Terminal DCCEEW Fuel Security
04

Government Advisory

Policy analysis and options development for Australian federal departments — including maritime strategic fleet analysis, national sovereignty outcomes, liquid fuel resilience and seafarer workforce planning. Experienced translating technical complexity into required evidence for informing policy design and ministerial-ready recommendations.

Departments
DITRDCSA DCCEEW DEWR JSC
05

Complex Procurement

Multi-stakeholder procurement strategy, consortia negotiation, supplier contract integration and Procurement-to-Pay transformation. Proven track record delivering material savings under demanding timelines across multiple geographies.

$19M+ documented procurement savings delivered
06

Operational Excellence & Risk

Six Sigma Black Belt methodology applied across fleet optimisation, asset utilisation, working capital management and continuous improvement across geographies. Leveraging deep-water sea-going experience to assess operational risk from first principles for vessel stability, stowage, terminal safety and regulatory compliance.

27% working capital reduction achieved at ANL
Credentials
Six Sigma Black Belt Master Mariner Class 1 MAppFin EXEC MBA
Career Highlights
Spinnaker Infra
May 2025 – Current
Founder & Director
Commercial and Technical Advisory

Independent advisory practice across ports, maritime and renewable energy — advising government departments, port operators and global logistics companies on strategy, procurement and commercial growth.

GHD Pty Ltd
Jan 2023 – May 2025
Executive Advisor
Transactions & Infrastructure Strategy

Led technical due diligence for a global institutional investor's renewable energy portfolio acquisition, directing 32 specialists and translating contractual findings into valuation impact. Delivered federal government maritime strategic fleet analysis and national sovereignty recommendations.

GeelongPort
Mar 2020 – Jan 2023
General Manager
Trade & Property · New Markets

Spearheaded the Geelong Hydrogen Hub feasibility business case and led negotiations with Viva Energy for the Gas Terminal Project — securing contracts through NPV analysis across multiple scenarios and navigating full EES regulatory approval.

Port of Melbourne
Apr 2019 – Mar 2020
Project Advisor
Liquid Bulk Strategy

Project lead for the Liquid Bulk Strategy, aligning growth in refined petroleum volumes with responsible-investing principles ahead of structural changes to Victoria's oil industry.

Global Container Stevedore
Sep 2017 – Apr 2019
Senior Manager · Commercial
National Commercial & Logistics

Drove 4.2% market share growth above port growth through self-funded commercial models. Signed partnership contracts exceeding $150M annual turnover through targeted negotiation strategy.

ANL Container Line
Jun 2010 – Aug 2017
Procurement → Operations → Commercial
Progressive Leadership · AU / NZ / Pacific

Delivered $13M+ annual cost reduction across Pacific Region procurement, closed stevedoring consortia negotiations $6M below budget, and achieved zero team attrition over 24 months against a 10%+ global rate.

Sea Service · Oil & Gas Tankers
Aug 1997 – Jun 2010
Master Mariner (Foreign Going)
Seafaring and Terminal Operations

Thirteen years of deep-water sea service on board oil and gas tankers progressing to Master Mariner Class 1 (unlimited). Concurrent management of shipping terminal operations at Port of Melbourne and Port of Hastings.

Education & Qualifications
Tertiary Qualifications
Master of Applied Finance 2021
Master of Business Administration (Executive) 2010
Master Mariner (Foreign Going) — Certificate of Competency (Unlimited) 2007
PG Diploma in Maritime Law (in progress) 2027
Professional Qualifications
Six Sigma Black Belt 2012
Professional Memberships
Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration Offshore & Specialist Ships Australia