Our Team
Nigel Murphy
Board Chair
Peter Burgess
Vice Chair
I am trained as a metallurgical engineer and held senior operational, corporate and advisory roles with several large Australian and international mining and manufacturing projects including Alcoa in Western Australia, Victoria and USA, served as Chair of the Federal Government and Industry Light Metals Action Agenda, on the Board of Engineers Without Borders Australia and as consultant to Alumina Ltd and CSIRO Minerals and Energy. I believe that, more than ever before we need our forests to provide habitat, shade, stabilise land and produce oxygen and clean water; soils that are living organisms able to sustain healthy food crops; and clean air unburdened by emissions from excessive extraction and burning of fossil fuels. I believe biochar is starting to play what will become a major beneficial role for our forests, soils, water and air as well as providing sustainable circular economy benefits to local communities. I believe that Australia and New Zealand will gain significant environmental, social and economic benefits using 21st century technologies to produce renewable energy and biochar from biomass residues.
Melissa Rebbeck
I am Director of Climate & Agricultural Support Pty Ltd, also a Councillor for the Goolwa Hindmarsh Island Ward of the Alexandrina Council, Project manager/developer, business management/development, innovator, stakeholder manager, facilitator, researcher, extension professional, board and group support, farmer. 20 years experience as an applied climate, agricultural and environmental scientist. I am a Member of the following boards/groups: South Australian Livestock Consultants South Australian Dairy Industry Fund Board Fleurieu Farming Systems Board Fleurieu Beef Group Secretary/Treasurer Alexandrina Sustainable Agricultural Round Table Environmental Advisory Panel – Alexandrina Council Ranges to River NRM Group Chair of the Murray Darling Association Inc – Region 6 Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Community Advisory Panel
Dennis Enright
I live at Mosgiel, Dunedin on a hectare of land and have more than 20 years experience in soil and fertiliser research with AgResearch, as well as organic production and certification. NZ Biochar Ltd was established in 2008. I am very keen to have biochar recognised and used as a tool for sustainable management. I am currently the Chairperson of the Biochar Network New Zealand, recently nominated for a second year term.
Hilary Furlong
Since 1847, when one antecedent branch emigrated from Europe, Hilary’s family has been and remains directly engaged in Australian pastoral and agricultural life: in the Barossa, Eyre Peninsula, and Walloway plains in South Australia; on the Darling Downs, Maranoa and Central Queensland; and New Ireland, PNG. She herself grew up on her mother’s cattle and sheep property in south-west Queensland, and the European-colonised so-called “Cow Pastures” of the NSW Southern Highlands. Consequently, although her professional life lay elsewhere, Hilary is deeply committed to the work of restoring Australia’s ravaged natural environment, and protecting it. She now lives on Tamborine Mountain after a sixty year career in the visual and performing arts, and working for remote Indigenous communities in SA and the NT.
Dr. Stephen Joseph
Stephen Joseph holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Metallurgical Engineering and a doctorate in Architecture and Applied Anthropology. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, a chartered engineer and has been a senior adviser to both commercial, government and non-government organizations, in renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Stephen has extensive experience worldwide in all forms of renewable energy including biodiesel, oil from algae, biomass combustion, pyrolysis and gasification plant, biochar, plastic wood composite, microhydro, wind and solar energy additives for high strength concretes. He has also been involved in multi-country market research into areas related to biochar, waste recycling and renewable energy. He has written over 100 books and articles and lectured and trained other engineers and scientists throughout the world. He was the founding vice chairman of the International Biochar Initiative and co-editor with Dr. Johannes Lehmann of Biochar for Environmental Management. He served on the committee of Australia New Zealand Committee and was a founding memebr from 2017-2020. He is currently a visiting Professor at UNSW, UNE, Univ. of Wollongong and Nanjing Agricultural Univ., China
Don Coyne
Chief Executive Officer
I am a qualified horticulturist with over 25 years experience in the industry. I am also a qualified vocational trainer, frontline and small business manager. I have worked previously with NSW DPI Soils team as Technical Assistant on Biochar field trials. I own and operate Byron Biochar now in it’s sixth year, as a reseller of quality Australian made biochar and wood vinegar, deliver workshops and consult to fast track your biochar business or project. In my previous to role, I was the First Public Officer & President for Australia New Zealand Biochar Initiative (ANZBI) from 2017-2020 and helped found, owned and operated the Australia New Zealand Biochar Conference from 2017-2020 now owned by ANZBIG. I am a long term climate activist and have a keen interest in off grid living and localisation of food and fibre production. I enjoy my morning walk, bike riding and Tai Chi.
Advisory Board
All members of our executive board are on our advisory board
Shaun Scallan
Shaun is a passionate CleanTech startup specialist having been involved in 4 Cleantech startups in the last 6 years. Before this was a career spanning engineering and consulting in the water industry through to IT, Corporate Social Responsibility and then Planet Ark where his CleanTech journey started in earnest. He studied Electrical Engineering with postgraduate studies in Chemical Engineering and a MSc in Renewable Energy. He is committed to playing his part in creating a renewable, sustainable and just future for all. The challenge of our times is to restore the earth and it starts with the soil.
Karen Enkelaar
Co-director, Agspand Pty Ltd, healthy profitable agriculture. Author, “A Commercial Cycle for Biochar Markets”, a consultant tool outlining the community participants and commercial uses of biochar in a large-scale industry, which contributes to managing waste, improving soils, and the sequestration of CO2eqv gases. Education and business non-fiction book and journal copy editor and designer
Patrice Newell
Patrice Newell was once on Television. But she left that industry in 1987 to become a sustainable land manager and writer/researcher dedicated to developing and communicating improved agricultural systems and innovations in an era of rapid climate change. Elmswood Farm has been her obsession ever since. Read about her PhD in Biochar & CV
Graham Lancaster
I am a long-term professional staff member Southern Cross University and its predecessor institutions since the early 1990s. In 1987 I commenced study in the Bachelor of Applied Science Coastal Management and then conducted Honours in 1990 in water and environmental chemistry. Under the mentorship of Professor David McConchie (Dec.) I was instrumental in the establishment of the University’s Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) in 1993 which was initially based in the School of Environment, Science and Management. The EAL start-up concept was due to a lack of instrumentation funding available to a small regional university to support research, therefore commercial income was essential. The EAL is now a successful research, teaching and environmental agricultural laboratory supporting over 40 staff and has a commercial income of almost $5m per year with continued national and international growth. I have been Director/Manager of the EAL for over 29 years. I am very active with the University Gym and running groups, in the community for regional tennis and international competitive waveski surfing.
Andre Van Zyl
Mr. Van Zyl graduated in 1986 as a Chemical Engineer from the “VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY” in South Africa. He has substantial experience in process plant design and commissioning for the steel, water treatment, mineral processing and mining industry in Africa, Asia and South America. For the past 15 years he has focused substantially and has acquired specialized knowledge and skills in pavement and construction technology, especially in the development, manufacturing and application of environmentally friendly emulsified bitumen cold premix materials for new urban and remote infrastructure development areas. During the last 4 years, he has been instrumental in the further development and re-design of carbon rich binder technologies to suite specific climatic, geotechnical and soil conditions as commercially viable and carbon neutral/negative construction products in the ASEAN region, utilizing large quantities of BioChar and other products obtained from torrefaction and pyrolysis processes.
Adrian Morphett
I am an environmental engineer with over 27 years experience in energy and carbon sector. I have specialised in conducting greenhouse gas and energy audits to comply with the relevant regulations and standards; and providing specialist technical, engineering and commercialisation consulting on biomass and bioenergy technologies, and industrial and commercial building energy efficiency projects. I have had a varied career spanning several industries including petrochemical, government, academia, energy design and mechanical drafting. I am co-inventor of the Charmaker Batch & Continuous pyrolysis technologies and run the Green Man Char operations @ Earth Systems.
Euan Beamont
Originally a farmer from Mullewa, Western Australia, I am the co-founder of Energy Farmers Australia. I hold a degree in Agribusiness, a diploma in Farm Management and have over 20 years experience in agriculture. I lease my farm to local farmers from Mullewa and I take a keen interest in the West Australian agriculture industry. I have also travelled and worked throughout the world in various logistic and construction roles with the French aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres or Doctors without Borders. I have worked for a large offsetting company in WA, have studied carbon accounting and reporting and have a strong knowledge of the Australian carbon market. I have experience in business development, stakeholder engagement, public relations, marketing and international logistics. I participate on a number of boards and steering committees.
Annette Cowie
I am a Technical Specialist climate policy (Principal research scientist) Climate Research and Development at the NSW Department of Primary Industries. My Research interests include sustainable land management – indicators, assessment, certification and policy development, assessing and enhancing resilience of agro-ecosystems, carbon dynamics in agriculture and forestry, GHG accounting for inventory and emissions trading, life cycle assessment, especially to assess the carbon footprint of products, and climate change mitigation value of reforestation, bioenergy and biochar systems. I have a background in soil science and plant nutrition, with particular interest in sustainable resource management. Annette contributes to development of climate change policy and GHG mitigation in the agriculture sector, including GHG accounting for emissions trading at state, national and international levels. Annette was a lead author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land, and is a lead author in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report.
Jennifer Lauber-Patterson
Jennifer Lauber Patterson, Managing Director of Frontier Impact Group, has a 30 year track record in developing and advising on technologies or solutions that have an environmental and social impact. Jennifer’s passion is to fill the gaps between a good idea or new technology or business models by assisting it to become a bankable outcome. Jennifer commenced her career over 30 years ago, when she was awarded a company sponsored scholarship in the electricity generation sector in the Latrobe Valley. She started working on the shop floor before moving up in to management, senior finance and then electricity trading roles. Nearly 25 years ago she pioneered one of the first green electricity trades in the market that began her interest in sustainable solutions.
David Hubbard
David Hubbard is an authentic, considerate and diligent person, as described by many clients, close friends and family. Graduating as a Chartered Accountant, David built his career supporting organisations to achieve their strategic goals, create solid financial models, improve efficiency, and increase profits. However David wanted to have more impact in the community. David purposely drew upon those years of commercial finance experience to strengthen purpose-driven businesses to serve more of the vulnerable and improve people’s lives. That’s why in 2014 CINCH Transform was founded. Since then, David and his team have worked tirelessly with many Purpose-Driven Organisations to develop profitable business models, adapt to change and fulfilling their purpose of helping more vulnerable people. Visit www.cinchtransform.com.au for case studies, download the 10 Phase CINCH Transformation Program and find out more about why David does what he does.
Craig Bagnall
Craig is Director of Environment and Regulatory with SEATA Group based in NSW who are developing an advanced technology for biochar and carbon-negative hydrogen, and is principal consultant with Catalyst Environmental Management based in Newcastle. He is a Certified Environmental Practitioner with advanced accreditation for Impact Assessment, and an experienced environmental engineer who has worked across multiple sectors of industry and government since the early 1990’s. Craig is an active member of the ANZBIG Advisory Board, assisting the team with industry submissions for the national Bioenergy and Technology Roadmaps, responses to new methods for the Emissions Reduction Fund, and in the development of the ANZBIG Code of Practice. Craig has two young children who regularly provide his drive to to act on climate change, and he loves to work with inspired people.
Ignatius Verbeek
I am highly professional, forward thinking and organized, and have exceptional business acumen. With enthusiasm and energy, I possess expertise of translating the bigger picture strategically and tactically. An invaluable asset, going above and beyond expectations. A seasoned Carbon Farming Expert specialising in soil carbon methodology, technology and software development. With over 15 years experience in the field, I have worked on various projects such as developing advanced soil carbon measurement systems, developing and submitting methodology under Carbon Farming Initiative and undertaking soil carbon field trials. Member, LCA (life cycle analysis) expert panel for Greenhouse Friendly™ Scheme, Advisory panel to GBCA on the Green Building Steel Credit, Founding Member of Soil Carbon Industry Group (SCIG) and Program Manager for the development of the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme.