Dennis has extensive experience in the pulp and paper industry. For 30 years, he worked for the Amcor group in a broad span of technical and managerial roles, including production manager of mechanical and kraft pulp mills and paper and board machines. He has been mill manager at Petrie Cartonboard mill and Maryvale pulp and paper mill, the largest mill in Australasia, then served as general manager of the Container Materials Division of Amcor and general manager of the International Division of Amcor Paper. He led the development, construction, and operation of the McKinley paper mill in New Mexico, USA, and served as general manager of Amcor’s Research and Technology Group.

For more than a decade Dennis has been a consultant to the industry and is currently general manager of Covey Consulting, a boutique consultancy that provides process and project services and a range of support services, principally to the pulp and paper industry. Previous to that, he was Australasian representative for BE&K-Bechtel International.

Recently, Dennis chaired the governing board of a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Functional Communication Surfaces. This was a fixed term partnership with government, industry, and university funding to develop new technology and to educate engineers and scientists. He also served as deputy chair of a previous CRC for Hardwood Fibre and Paper Science.

Education support has been an important priority for Dennis. For many years he was a community member of the board of a university and also chairman of the Committee of Management for the Australian Pulp & Paper Institute at Monash University. He was honored with the Engineering faculty “Sir John Monash Medal” for distinguished service in this regard.

Dennis has been a member of TAPPI for 30 years. He is a Fellow of Appita (The Technical Association of the Australian and New Zealand Pulp and Paper Industry) and a recipient of the Appita Oertel Nadebaum Distinguished Service Award. He also has been author or co-author of many technical and commentary papers relating to pulp and paper manufacturing and technology.

Outside of the pulp and paper industry, Dennis is a national director of the Australian Shareholders Association, a not-for-profit association that seeks to represent the interests of private investors. And, he is an active Rotarian and will be governor of the first and largest Rotary District in Australia in 2012-13.