Robert Downie

Background

About Robert Downie

Robert has executive level commercial and engineering experience working across various renewable energy and low carbon technologies such as biomass gasification and pyrolysis, biomass hydrolysis, waste plastics hydrolysis for advanced recycling and the circular economy, and direct coal liquefaction. Robert has worked in various roles for 17 years with the world leading hydrothermal liquefaction technology company Licella (Technology Commercialisation Specialist for Licella, General Manager of Technology for Licella, Technical Manager for Biofuel Development within the Licella and Canfor Pulp Joint Venture). For over a decade Robert ran Licella's (formally Ignite Energy’s) Advanced Engineering Facility, in Australia, leading the technology development for their unique Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) system. Robert was also a director on the board of Pacific Pyrolysis for seven years and prior to this was the Managing Director of the pyrolysis and biochar company BEST Energies Australia. Between 2009 and 2016 Robert was an elected representative on the board of the Bioenegy Australia association which is an Australian government-industry forum to foster and facilitate the development of biomass for energy, liquid fuels, and other value added bio-based products. Robert is a Chartered Professional Engineer, a member of the Australian Institute of Engineers, 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 along with both a Bachelor of International Business Management and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering with Honours from the University of Queensland. Robert has completed the Leadership 21 program at Mt Eliza Executive Education, a division of the Melbourne Business School.