Robert has executive-level commercial and engineering experience across a broad range of renewable energy, biofuels, and low-carbon technologies, including biomass gasification and pyrolysis, biomass hydrolysis, waste-plastics hydrolysis for advanced recycling and the circular economy, and direct coal liquefaction.

He spent over 17 years with the world-leading hydrothermal liquefaction technology company Licella in roles including Senior Technical Advisor, Technology Commercialisation Specialist, and General Manager, Technology. He also served as Technical Manager, Biofuel Development, for Canfor Pulp. For more than a decade, Robert led Licella’s, formerly Ignite Energy’s, Advanced Engineering Facility in Australia, driving development of the company’s unique Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor, or Cat-HTR, system. He is currently Chief Technology Officer at Sustineri, Senior Technical Advisor to Licella, and Principal Consultant at Pocket Consulting, where he provides specialist services to help industry participants implement technology solutions and transition to a low-carbon economy.

Robert is named as an inventor on several patents and led a team that won a United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Award.  Robert served for seven years as a Director of Pacific Pyrolysis and as Managing Director of BEST Energies Australia, a pyrolysis and biochar company. From 2009 to 2016, he was an elected representative on the Board of Bioenergy Australia, a government-industry forum supporting the development of biomass for energy, liquid fuels, and other value-added bio-based products.

Robert is a Chartered Professional Engineer, a member of Engineers Australia, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds a Master of Business and Technology from the Australian Graduate School of Management, as well as a Bachelor of International Business Management and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Honours from the University of Queensland. He also completed the Leadership 21 program at Mt Eliza Executive Education, part of Melbourne Business School.