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Melissa Rebbeck
Executive Board
Melissa Rebbeck
Board Chair
Melissa Rebbeck has worked across a broad cross-section of stakeholders in the circular economy, agriculture, natural resource management and water to develop business cases, projects, policy and solutions to adapt and mitigate climate change. She has spearheaded over 40 projects and programs with every one of her projects achieved on time and in full with all milestones met. Melissa has 25 years of experience as a project developer, manager and applied researcher within SA Research and Development Institute, the University of Adelaide, and as managing director of her company ‘Climate & Agricultural Support Pty Ltd, now trading as Carbon Drawdown Projects Pty Ltd.
Melissa is an experienced communicator, pioneering conferences, developing and delivering workshops, facilitating, and developing a community of practices to increase knowledge uptake and practice change. She has polished written skills including producing books, publications, papers and long-term media columns.
Melissa has networks and stakeholder connections in Australia and abroad, exemplified through her broad range of board experience. Melissa concurrently recently completed a term as an elected member of the Alexandrina Council gaining increased experience with governance, policy development, business structure, project development and implementation. She is known as a director, a researcher, a consultant, an educator, a board chair, an entrepreneur, a secretary, a writer, an advocate, a manager and a project/business case developer.
Don Coyne
Don Coyne
CEO
Don Coyne is a qualified horticulturist with over 25 years experience in the industry. He is also a qualified vocational trainer & assessor, frontline and small business manager. He has led teams across multiple sectors including Horticulture, print media and education & training. He has worked previously with NSW DPI Soils team as Technical Assistant on Biochar field trials.
He owns and operates Byron Biochar now in it’s tenth year, as a reseller of quality Australian made biochar and wood vinegar, workshop deliverer and as a marketing consultant and lead generator to fast track your biochar journey and project.
In his previous role, he was the First Public Officer & President for Australia New Zealand Biochar Initiative (ANZBI) from 2017-2020 and founded, the Australia New Zealand Biochar Conference from 2017-2020 now owned by ANZBIG.
Phillip Henshall
Phillip Henshall
Treasurer
Has had an extensive business career in general management and senior commercial management positions in the manufacturing, service and IT industries He is currently Chairman of Century Orchards Ltd a large almond orchard, Director of Riverland Almonds Hulling Pty Ltd and company secretary/management/board advisor to several large family businesses. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a qualified CPA and has a Masters in Management and Technology (Melb University). In his spare time, he lives on a property in the Adelaide Hills tending his cattle.
Craig Bagnall
Craig Bagnall
Public Officer
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.
Prof. Stephen Joseph
Prof. 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
Andrew Wells
Andrew Wells
Andrew has over 25 years of experience in technology commercialization and general management, with a strong background in sustainable agriculture. He has extensive agribusiness experience across national, Asia-Pacific, and international markets.
With a background in agricultural science, Andrew is passionate about the environment, recycling residues and biomass, water and energy generation, and their role in sustainable agriculture and urban environments. He spent a long career in the crop protection industry, working in Australia, the USA, and globally. His roles spanned new business and market development, leading research and development teams, and business management. Since then, he has helped a range of agriculture-related businesses develop and implement commercial, growth, and business strategies.
Andrew is particularly interested in commercializing pyrolysis technologies and sees tremendous potential in biochar, recognizing its role in productive agriculture, landscape management, and its critical contribution to carbon sequestration.
Shaun Scallan
Shaun Scallan
Supply & Market Development Chair
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.
Matthew Griffin
Matthew Griffin
Matt is the Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Energy Tech (AET) based in Central Victoria. AET is a waste and energy solutions business that develops projects in regional and rural communities, converting waste into resources. Matt has extensive experience in the energy and resource industry, having worked in senior roles within ExxonMobil for over a decade, including within Europe. He has a proven track record of leading high-performing teams across the manufacturing, business development, global projects, logistics, biofuels, sales and marketing, and trading functions. With a strategic mindset and an innovative and collaborative approach, Matt has consistently delivered exceptional results. Matt is known for his ability to manage complexity, drive continuous improvement, and deliver projects while ensuring safe, reliable, and profitable operations. He is a life-long learner and holds degrees in Engineering (Chemical) and Science, as well as an MBA with distinction from Melbourne Business School. He is passionate about using his skills to improve the world and make it a better place for future generations to enjoy. Matt is looking forward to helping scale the biochar industry in Australia and delivering on its promise of being an important negative emissions technology.
Karen Enkelaar
Karen Enkelaar
Karen Enkelaar is an editor, writer and researcher on the nutrition and health of animals and soils.
Along with Steve Sullings, she is Co-Director of a commercial biochar business, Agspand Pty Ltd, healthy profitable agriculture, based in Tasmania. Both Steve and Karen are passionate about biological, regenerative and carbon farming practices with biochar to help sequester carbon, nitrogen, water and nutrients for naturally productive soils.
For seven years Agspand has manufactured and sold its FEEDCHAR® and PETCHAR® registered trademark supplements in Australia, Certified Allowed Inputs for Organics SXC 19091.
Karen’s has had a huge contribution to ANZBIG’s Code of Practice for the Sustainable Production and Use of Biochar (2021), to help all local manufacturers test and certify fit-for-purpose biochar, whether feed-grade, fertiliser-grade, or industry-grade. By having test transparency, product understanding and application guidelines, biochar manufacturers as well as their customers may identify which grade of biochar may suit an intended outcome. Test transparency and its ensuing trust form a secure knowledge foundation to scale up the biochar industry.
Phil Stevens
Phil Stevens
Phil has been involved in the production, application, research, policy, and commercialisation of biochar for nearly a decade. As one of the founding members of the Biochar Network New Zealand, he has taken the lead on numerous initiatives to bring biochar into greater prominence in agriculture, forestry, waste minimisation, and climate mitigation and adaptation policy. His “day gig” is software development and systems, and in between IT consultancy posts he has also worked as a carbon and energy management analyst advising large institutional clients on emissions reduction and energy optimisation.
Phil puts biochar to work at Slow Farm, his family’s smallholding in the Manawat?. Regenerative methods to increase biodiversity, enhance soil life, and manage excess biomass all involve biochar as a key ingredient and serve the mission of community outreach and education.
Brian Scott
Brian Scott
Experienced legal practitioner in the energy and infrastructure sector with over 15 years in Asia Pacific including time based in Jakarta Indonesia and over 10 years as a partner in a major international firm. Currently engaged in roles in a number of independent, energy sector businesses seeking to play a leading role in the transition of how we make, store and consume energy across a range of sectors.
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