Board of Directors

Ambre Energy’s Board of Directors comprises six entrepreneurial and highly skilled individuals who share a strong performance orientation. They are driven by the desire to deliver energy solutions to growing national and international markets, and to ensure the company realises its potential.

The Board ensures Ambre Energy:

• pursues market opportunities and adheres to a robust strategy
• strives to build shareholder value in a socially and environmentally responsible manner
• remains attuned to customer and market needs
• has a corporate governance framework that promotes the core values of ethics, openness and honesty.

Chairman
BCom, MBA, MApplied Finance, CPA, FAICD, FAIM

Terry has extensive board, chief executive and senior executive experience principally in the resources, energy, and manufacturing sectors, both in Australia and internationally.

He has served as Managing Director of Conzinc Asia based in Singapore, Managing Director of Pacific Coal based in Brisbane, and Managing Director of Coal and Allied Industries based in Sydney.

He has also served on the boards of Port Waratah Coal Terminal and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. He has a Commerce degree and an MBA from Melbourne University and a Masters in Applied Finance from Macquarie University. He is a Certified Practicing Accountant, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

Terry has served as Chairman of the Australian Coal Association, Queensland Coal Operators, the NSW Minerals Council, and the World Coal Institute Promotions Committee and was President of the Australian Philippines Business Council.

Terry was on the Board of Macarthur Coal from October 2008 to October 2011 and served on the Audit and Special Projects Committees and as Chair of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He is the Chairman of Superior Coal, an unlisted public company specializing in the processing of waste coals and a non-executive director with Thomas & Coffey Limited.

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CEO and Managing Director
MSc (Geol), BE (Mining)

Edek Choros founded Ambre Energy in June 2005 and has been its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer since that time. With over 20 years of geological and engineering experience, his strength lies in his ability to identify and develop new project opportunities with the potential to apply resource upgrading technologies.

Mr Choros successfully led the establishment and sale of the Millennium Coal Project in Queensland’s Bowen Basin spanning 1999-2005 prior to forming Ambre Energy. His keen interest in the conversion of coal and oil shale to liquid fuels is driving Ambre Energy’s direction as a credible player in the peak oil debate.

Mr Choros is closely involved with executive recruitment and is building a team capable of adding value to Ambre Energy’s increasingly diverse operations. His track record in developing robust and profitable ventures has ensured that Ambre Energy continues to attract investment and international interest.

Mr Choros gained his qualifications as a geologist and mining engineer in Krakow, Poland before moving to Australia in 1989. He worked for the Electricity Trust of South Australia and subsequently as a private consultant in the coal mining industry before establishing Millennium Coal.

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Non-Executive Director
BCom, FCA

David Usasz is a non-executive director on the Ambre Energy Limited board and chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee and the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Mr Usasz’s expertise in financial and strategic affairs is founded upon 31 years of service at PricewaterhouseCoopers, including 20 years as partner. Throughout his career he has advised businesses in both government and private sectors on management issues surrounding success and growth.

Mr Usasz has been a registered tax agent for more than 25 years, gaining extensive experience in corporate finance with a focus on tax, and mergers and acquisitions. He has an acute understanding of Asian markets and investors following three years working in Hong Kong and considerable travel to Japan, Taiwan, Jakarta and Singapore.

As Ambre prepares for ASX listing, Mr Usasz’s experience as a board member of ASX listed Queensland Mining Corporation Limited and ASX listed Cromwell Corporation Limited is vital. His diversified interests and networks are further exemplified by former directorship of the Australian Rugby Union Limited (2005-2007) and significant honorary positions held with the Princess Alexandra Hospital Research Foundation and the Australia Taiwan Business Council.

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Executive Director
BEc

Michael Mewing joined the board of Ambre Energy in April 2008 as nonexecutive Chairman and subsequently assumed a full time executive role in September 2008. He held the position of President Ambre Energy North America LLC in Salt Lake City from December 2008 to December 2010 and is now an Executive Director based in Brisbane. His primary responsibilities include strategic development as well as coal trading and marketing.

Mr Mewing has been instrumental in progressing Ambre Energy’s North American acquisition and development program. Experienced industry professionals have been recruited to identify and realise business opportunities in mining, logistics and coal trading and marketing in North America.

He joined Ambre Energy with 30 years experience in the international energy field, working in New South Wales, Queensland, Japan, Indonesia and the US. He has held commercial, marketing and business development roles with BP Oil, BP Coal, Rio Tinto, PT Berau Coal and Millennium Coal.

Mr Mewing’s unique experience in the international coal industry is based on the marketing and development of coal assets in New South Wales, Queensland, South Africa, Indonesia and the US.

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Executive Director
BCom, LLB

Michael van Baarle is a founding Director of Ambre Energy with broad responsibilities including capital raising, contract negotiation and positioning the company with senior government and industry stakeholders.

He retired from a 20-year legal career in September 2006 to accept an executive position as Director Business Development with Ambre Energy, and is a member of the Ambre Energy Limited and Ambre CTL Limited boards.

During his legal career, Mr van Baarle practiced law in Australia and the United Kingdom, gaining wide experience in business services with a narrowed focus on the resource sector. His term with BHP Coal’s in-house legal team and his work on the Millennium Coal Project as a partner at Hillhouse Burrough McKeown provided specific exposure to the issues faced by projects in the energy sector.

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Non-Executive Director
BSc, MBA

Jayson Newitt holds a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University, and received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Marriott School of Management (BYU).

Mr Newitt is a co-founder and Managing Director of Ritchie Opportunity Fund I, a private equity and investment fund based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA with investment allocations in energy, manufacturing and healthcare.

Prior to the formation of the Fund, Jayson was and continues to be a principal of The Ritchie Group, a private equity company with investments and projects in nine US states and two countries across a diversified industry base.

Mr Newitt has substantial experience in project management, real estate, healthcare and private equity projects as a manager, limited partner, investor and board member.

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Non-Executive Director
BCom, CPA, FAICD (Life), FAIM

John Massey joined Ambre Energy in August, 2011 as a non-executive Director of its board.

John has extensive senior leadership and strategic development experience and currently serves as Chairman of Sunstate Cement, UQ Holdings and the ASX listed Cardno (ASX: CDD).

In 2006, John was made a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors for his renowned service in the field of directorship. His contribution to corporate life and the community was subsequently recognised with the 2010 Gold Medal for Outstanding Company Director in Queensland.

John’s career has seen him serve in a number of executive roles across a diverse range of companies including Brisbane Airport, Grainco, QDL Pharmaceuticals, Dairy Australia and Thomas Cook.

He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), serves as a national judge for the Global Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and also as Chairman of the Northern Regional Judging Panel.

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Non-Executive Director 
BSc, MSc, PhD(Mineral Econ.) 

Since 2005, Mr. Bhappu has been a partner with Resource Capital Funds, a series of private equity funds investing exclusively in the mining and minerals industry, and from 2001 until 2005, Mr. Bhappu was vice president/principal of Resource Capital Funds.

Mr. Bhappu has served as chairman of the board of Molycorp, Inc. since July 2010 and on the board of directors of EMED Mining Public Ltd., a copper mining company, since October 2008, and he has been a director of Traxys S.A., a metal trading and distribution company, since January 2007. Previously,Mr. Bhappu served on the board of directors of Constellation Copper Corporation, a copper mining company, from July 2002 until November 2007 and Anglo Asian Mining, a gold mining company, from November 2005 until September 2006.

Mr. Bhappu has prior experience constructing and operating complex mining and processing operations, as well as mining related merger and acquisition activities. He was previously employed by Newmont Mining Corporation, GTN Copper Corporation and Cyprus Minerals Company.

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