DUNCAN VAN DER MERWE

Chair / CEO / Co-founder
BSc, MSc, GAICD
Appointed: March 2022

Responsibility
Duncan is responsible for the leadership of the Board and the Company and for delivering the company’s strategy in this early stage. In due course, the Chair and CEO roles will split in line with good governance.

Skills and experience
Duncan has extensive experience developing companies from early-stage concept through approvals, studies, funding, construction, commissioning and into sustainable operations.

Current roles
VanDyson Investments (Director of the family office), VanDyson Marine Fund (Director), Scipher Technologies (Non-Executive Director and major shareholder).

Previous roles
Duncan was the founder, MD and significant shareholder of Tellus Holdings Ltd, where he took the waste management business from concept to >$400m market capitalisation. Duncan also co-founded two other companies (one had a >$200m market cap at its peak). In the UK, Duncan was Corporate Finance PFI/PPP Manager at the Noble Group and Project Finance PFI/PPP Manager at the Bank of Scotland. Duncan started his career as a bursary holder at Gencor (Billiton) in RSA.

RICHARD PHILLIPS

Director/ Chief Scientist & CDO / Co-founder
BEnvSc (Hons), DipSc, AIEMA
Appointed: June 2022

Responsibility
Richie is responsible for the leadership of the project development and credit generation team. He will work closely with the CEO of the BlueCarbon Institute, the head of the credit trading team, and the CFO & CTO. Richie has been responsible for blue carbon site selection studies and managing pilot projects throughout Australia.

Skills and experience
He has 24 years of experience taking projects through planning approvals, feasibility and impact assessment study stages, designing and managing environmental compliance and management systems through construction and operations stages. He also has substantial IMS compliance and ongoing stakeholder engagement experience.

Previous roles
GM Health, Safety, Environment, Compliance & Quality Manager and other senior roles at Tellus Holdings Ltd. Senior Environmental Scientist with various consultancies in Australia. Richie has eight years of blue carbon/ wetland management realignment and ecosystem restoration experience with WS Atkins in the UK and Qatar. These projects resulted in hundreds of hectares of nature-based solutions on private land, bringing significant biodiversity and socio-economic co-benefits.

RYAN MILLAR

Non-Executive Director / Co-founder
BSocSci Econ, MBA
Appointed: June 2022

Skills and experience
Ryan has extensive experience in CEO leadership, technology start-up, scale-up, and advisory board-level roles. He has started, built, and led high-performing teams, developed and commercialised IP assets, and driven business performance and outcomes aligned with core business objectives. At ESSI, he was a transformational CEO, rebuilding operations, finances, technology, systems and people, including developing a world-leading SaaS platform built on patented algorithms into a new wholly owned and funded start-up business called Carbon Count. This platform maximises the measurement and value of carbon credits and has been adopted by carbon project developers, the Clean Energy Regulator and large financial institutions.

Other directorships and offices (current and recent):
Current CEO and Exec. Director at AML3D Previous CEO of EESI Group Co-founder & Advisory Board Member of Carbon Count

LUKE STEWART

Non-Executive Director/ Technical Advisor / Co-founder
BApplSC (Hons)
Appointed: February 2023

Skills and experience
Luke is a dynamic and strategic leader, driving sustainable growth, reinforcing core values and encouraging strong governance as a Non-Executive Director across the environmental advisory and mining industries.

He is a founder and Board member at EMM Consulting, a leading environmental advisory firm. Formerly the company’s CEO, Luke guided EMM through a remarkable period of growth, from a NSW-based team of just 30 people to a workforce of now ~ 300 environmental scientists, engineers, planners and specialists around the country and in Canada. EMM is now an acknowledged industry leader in strategic advice and environmental services for the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors. Luke also serves as Chair and Non-Executive Director of Dover Castle Metals, an Australian-owned company focussed on the exploration and processing of strategic and critical metals and minerals in Far North Queensland. These much sought after commodities are critical to renewable energy generation and other ‘green’ technologies. Together, these roles provide a holistic view of the transition to the green economy, its challenges, opportunities and the fundamentally important role sequestration and the carbon market play.

Luke is a big believer in making a positive impact and giving back to the community. He has fundraised for charity Running for Premature Babies, enabling the purchase of life saving medical equipment for both Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney, and Alice Springs Hospital NICU. Luke is now involved with the establishment of a permanent east coast chapter of Ocean Heroes, a non-for-profit providing children on the Autism spectrum with the opportunity to surf in a safe, fun and inclusive environment.

Other directorships and offices (current and recent):
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director at EMM Consulting; Chair and Non-Executive Director at Dover Castle Metals.

JUSTIN BAIRD

Director / Chief Technology Officer / Co-founder

Responsibility
Justin is providing advice on delivering the BC-S2C blockchain platform (MVP stage) to improve information management systems, carbon credit, and co-benefit integrity.

Skills and experience
Justin brings over 20 years of management and high-tech experience with companies including Google, Dentsu, Accenture, DHL, and Microsoft, where he is currently CTO for Start-ups, APAC.

He has contributed to areas ranging from research and development engineering, analogue and digital signal processing, embedded systems development, hardware and software product management, high-speed digital networks, mobile and web application deployment, android and iOS mobile applications, agile team management, and social media technologies.

Justin holds two U.S. Patents and four pending U.S. Patents and has written several technical papers within these research areas. His primary focus throughout his career has been to drive positive change through technology.

He has done so within corporates, partnering with NGOs, including the United Nations and non-profit organisations. He has founded, advised and invested in numerous start-ups, focusing on developing emerging technology solutions that deliver societal benefit.

IZZY JENSEN

Non-Executive Director
BComm (Economics and Finance with Distinction)
Appointed: June 2023

Skills and experience
Izzy is the founder at Chief Investment officer at Kakariki Capital, a specialist fund manager with a focus on carbon and environmental assets. Izzy founded Kakariki Capital after identifying what she believes will be one of the biggest, and most important investment opportunities of our time, the decarbonisation of our planet. Previously, Izzy spent 7 years at Morrison & Co, a leading global alternative asset manager with excess of $25bn+ FUM, where she was responsible for research and origination in carbon and environmental markets. Izzy has experience across a range of disciplines, including portfolio strategy management, and unlisted and listed investment management.

Other directorships and offices (current and recent):
Executive Director of Kakariki Capital. Izzy is also the Treasurer of the Montessori East Foundation.

ROBBIE RUSCA

Director
BlueCarbon OnCountry (BC-OC)

Responsibility
BlueCarbon On-Country Pty Ltd has appointed an experienced Indigenous (Aboriginal) Director. Robbie will also ensure social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits flow to Aboriginal people from the BC-OC and supported carbon projects.

Skills and experience
Robbie has a track record of building successful Indigenous (Aboriginal) owned businesses, training and supporting Indigenous jobs, building sustainable capacity within the communities where they deliver projects and caring for the environment– especially blue carbon ecosystems where the land and sea meet.

Other directorships (current):
Robbie Rusca (MD of Rusca Group)

SHANNON RUSCA

Director
BlueCarbon OnCountry (BC-OC)

Responsibility
BlueCarbon On-Country Pty Ltd has appointed an experienced Indigenous (Aboriginal) Director. Shannon will also ensure social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits flow to Aboriginal people from the BC-OC and supported carbon projects.

Skills and experience
Shannon has a track record of building successful Indigenous (Aboriginal) owned businesses, training and supporting Indigenous jobs, building sustainable capacity within the communities where they deliver projects and caring for the environment– especially blue carbon ecosystems where the land and sea meet.

Other directorships (current):
Shannon Rusca (Director of Rusca Group)

GEOFF WITHYCOMBE

General Manager – Operations and Business Development
Bachelor of Applied Science (Coastal and Natural Resource Management)
Appointed: April 2023

Responsibility
Geoff will work closely with the Chief Scientist and Chief Development Officer regarding environmental assessments, their project management and government relations. He will also be responsible for the leadership and project management of consultants, alliance partners and other contractors during feasibility studies, construction and the operation of BC-S2C’ in-field restoration projects and the S2C Institute. Geoff will lead business development opportunities on the technology and operations front.

Skills and experience
He has over 25 years of experience in business management and the development and implementation of environmental, coastal, and climate adaptation best practice. He has worked extensively in the government and the consulting sector taking projects through scoping, approvals, feasibility study stages, and assisting in the design and management of construction and operations stages. He also has substantial business development and ongoing government relations engagement experience.

He has developed and led numerous award winning research and applied projects related to all facets of coastal and natural resource management and climate change adaptation. Geoff has been invited to share his knowledge and experience internationally visiting China, USA, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand and Israel.

Previous roles
He has held leadership positions in government and the private sector, providing strategic and operational advice and delivering policy, program and project outcomes. As the former CEO of the Sydney Coastal Councils Group and Senior Principal – Environment at BMT, Geoff has demonstrated experience in all aspects of business planning, project and financial management, and creating, leading and motivating workplace and project teams. To ensure successful program and project outcomes, Geoff has brought together a diversity of local, state, national and international governments, research and private sector partners.

CLAUDIA KNIGHTS

Interim CoSec / Compliance and Administration Manager

Responsibility
Claudia is responsible for the Company Secretary functions, managing the AFSL application, ongoing compliance and general administration of the Blue CarbonS2C Group of companies.

Skills and experience
Previous roles include Assistant Company Secretary, Office Manager, and Payroll Manager at Tellus Holdings Ltd. Prior to working at Tellus, Claudia worked in several administrative support and compliance roles. Claudia brings over 25 years of experience to the job.

SCOTT CALLENDER

Project Advisor (South East Asia)

Responsibility
Scott is providing advice on commercial and project opportunities in Singapore and South East Asia.

Skills and experience
Scott brings more than 30 years of successful involvement in real estate investment and development, private equity, investment management, and business building (both start-ups and larger established businesses) to the venture, along with extensive and valuable relationships. Having left Australia in 1993, Scott has lived in HK, Philippines, Thailand, and currently Singapore, and during the past 15 years has increasingly shifted his focus to clean energy/renewables, climate tech, and the circular economy.

Current roles:
Avila Capital – Founder & Managing Partner (Private equity and investment management) Assetz Group Partners – Director (primarily renewable energy and real estate development) Holos Life Sciences – Founder and Executive Director (3D genomics & epigenetics)