Our Team
Cassandra Kelly AM
Board Chair
Cassandra has served as advisor, board director and chairperson for some of the world’s most influential organisations. Her industry experience spans agriculture, consumer products, energy and resources, financial services, infrastructure, technology, digital media, health and tourism. As an independent Board Chair, Cassandra plays an important role in FutureFeed’s governance and leadership.
Alex Baker
Chief Executive Officer
Alex has 30 years of experience with private and public companies, primarily in the biotechnology and bioeconomy sectors. He has previously led companies in the bio-industrial space including biomass-derived renewable chemical technologies and bio-pharmaceutical development. He has also worked in primary production regulation and medical research.
Dr Rob Kinley
Chief Scientist
Rob is an agricultural scientist specialising in environmental aspects of food and livestock production. He is an analytical chemist, soil scientist and an environmental scientist. He was awarded his PhD in animal biology in Canada. A pioneer in the use of Asparagopsis as a feed ingredient for livestock, he is the lead or co-author on most published studies about Asparagopsis.
Les Tillack General Manager - Product Development
Les has more than 30 years of experience in biotechnology product development. He has qualifications in Microbiology and Chemical Engineering and has previously led companies in the Biopharmaceutical CMO Space. He is passionate about scale up of technologies to commercial success with a focus on technoeconomic analysis and process efficiency.
Dr Breanna Roque
Research Manager - Animal Science
Breanna has degrees in both Animal Science and Agricultural Business as well as Master of Science and PhD degrees in Animal Biology. She is the lead author on several Asparagopsis studies. The research focuses on the use of alternative feeds for ruminant livestock and their effects on greenhouse gas contributions, nutrient utilisation, immune function and the rumen microbiome.
James Stewart
Chief Financial Officer
James has a background in financial services and technology spanning 25 years. His extensive experience in senior executive roles across Europe, Asia, and Australia in CFO, COO, and Managing Director roles gives James a deep understanding of driving commercial success and business expansion.
James is CPA and CFA qualified.
Giovanna Gouveia
Laboratory Analyst
Giovanna is a toxicologist with a degree in Analytical Toxicology and a Master's in Pharmacology and Toxicology, specializing in developing analytical methods. She brings extensive expertise in analytical chemistry, sample preparation, and environmental analysis. Additionally, she has valuable experience working as a researcher and laboratory analyst.
Dr Paul Handley
Senior Research Manager
Paul has a PhD in Chemistry (natural products) and has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years. His experience includes analytical development and characterisation of complex mixtures, scale-up and development of controlled manufacturing processes, and working under Quality systems (CMC, GMP and related TLAs).
Dipal Thesia
Program Manager
Dipal has a Masters in Biotechnology from University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours) from Northumbria University, UK. She has previous project management experience in a microbial biopharmaceutical CDMO, and she has also worked as a market analyst and commercialisation associate in the agriculture and food sector.
Dr Celina Burkholz
Postdoctoral Associate - Seaweed Research
Celina completed degrees in Biological Sciences and Marine Sciences with a PhD from the University of Western Australia. Her previous research looked at the effects of increasing seawater temperatures on a number of response mechanisms in seagrass and seaweed (e.g., carbon dioxide and methane fluxes, growth, tissue health). This has led her to have extensive knowledge in field and laboratory work, including cultivating kelp gametophytes. At FutureFeed, her work and research focusses on managing and optimising Asparagopsis cultivation and culture conditions.
Dr Michael Brooker
Seaweed Research Manager
Michael is a Marine Scientist specialising in marine ecology and aquaculture. With a PhD from the University of Western Australia, he has experience in environmental management, public aquariums, and aquaculture. Michael has previously been instrumental in scaling up an Asparagopsis production facility from small lab-based cultures to large-scale vessels.
Jacinta Dale
General Counsel
Jacinta commenced her career in law 20 years ago. She is an experienced in-house counsel, having worked for large corporates in Australia and abroad in the agribusiness, consumer goods and utilities sectors. Jacinta is also a governance professional, bringing over a decade’s experience delivering company secretarial support services.
Salomon Sayago
Agriculture and Aquaculture Scientist
Originally from Costa Rica, Salomon graduated from the University of Queensland in 2022 with a Agricultural Science degree. Since then, Salomon has been busy working with Asparagopsis and building important knowledge through his scientific work at FutureFeed.