Stephen Paul BIRKBECK
Managing Director/Chairman
Mr Birkbeck is the founder and former CEO of Mt Romance, an Australian company that has become one of the largest producers of sandalwood oil in the world.
Mr Birkbeck has extensive marketing expertise, specifically in the luxury goods market. He has been presented with a number of excellence awards in relation to the success of Mt Romance and brings this extensive business development skill to the Board.
Mr Geoffrey NEWMAN
Non-Executive Director
Geoffrey Newman brings more than 29 years of experience from a range of finance, marketing and general management roles in a range of industries. After a number of years as the manager of Bunnings' pulpwood operations, Mr Newman joined Coogee Chemicals in 1995 as their Commercial Manager.
He was subsequently appointed to the Board as Finance Director in the following year. Between 1996 and August 2005, Mr Newman held positions of Finance Director, Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of both Coogee Chemicals and its oil and gas subsidiary, Coogee Resources.
Mr Newman is currently the Chairman of Ledge Finance and a non-executive director of Neptune Marine Services Limited.
Dr. Joseph James Uel TAYLOR
B.Sc. (Biology), Ph.D.
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Taylor is a marine biologist and aquaculturalist whose Ph.D. research specialised in the husbandry of Pinctada maxima pearl oysters. Dr. Taylor has been involved in the management of aquaculture operations, mainly associated with South Sea pearl farming.
He has acquired extensive knowledge about the biology of pearl oysters, having presented many research papers on this subject, as well as pearl farm management. Dr. Taylor commenced employment with the Company in 1996 and has overseen the development of the project to its current level of production in an executive capacity.