MEET THE TEAM

We’ve assembled a strong senior management team with a solid track record of global, cleantech and high-growth experience. We believe that we’ve demonstrated the ability to work in a fast-paced start-up environment — including the flexibility to adapt to different phases of growth and substantial changes.

Jim Liaskos

Chief Operating Officer

B.Eng, MBA

Jim Liaskos has had a long and illustrious career including as General Manager at Pacific Dunlop recycling division, COO and subsequently Chair of Melba Industries and Managing Director of the Charles Parsons Group of Companies. More recently Jim has focused his attention to early stage and start-up businesses including inaugural Chair of Paintback, PRR (providing investment and advice to business, with a focus on commercialisation of novel technologies), and Chair of Sherpa (NORA’s Carrier of the Year 2019).

Rowan Doyle

General Manager, R&D Projects

B.Eng (Hons), MBA

Rowan joined the team in April 2018 to help lead our projects and accelerate the growth of Capricorn Power. Rowan loves working with revolutionary start-ups to commercialise their new energy technologies. As Director of the Victorian Energy Incubator, Rowan connects clean energy innovators with collaborators, laboratories, workshops and funding opportunities. Rowan also inspires Master of Engineering students through his lectures on innovative engineering at The University of Melbourne.

Sophie Bainbridge

Senior Mechatronics Engineer

BSc, MEng (Mechatronics)

Sophie has a Masters of Mechatronic Engineering from the University of Melbourne, and has previously worked on the control systems for a range of different projects, including medical diagnostic devices and in the defence industry. She joined the Capricorn Power team in November 2019 after learning about the Barton Engine and its potential to provide sustainable baseload power. She is passionate about renewable energy and protecting the environment.

Our Board of Directors

Geoff Andrews

Board Chair

B.Eng (Mech), CPEng, FAIE, GAICD

Geoff has been passionate about the environment since primary school so it’s no surprise that he has become a leader in using technology to combat climate change and conserve resources. Geoff enjoys the mental challenge of finding better ways to do things and thrives on the challenges of implementing new technologies. In 1991, Geoff established Genesis Now, a company that partners with Australian businesses to reduce energy consumption and costs. Geoff is an Advisory Panel member for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and a Director of Airlift Hovercraft.

Rob Jolly

Deputy Chair

BEco (Hons), MEco, DipEd

Rob has been involved in environmental economics for 30 years. He was Treasurer of Victoria under the Cain government and before that was an ACTU research officer and industrial advocate. Rob has been on a number of boards, including recently Chair of Utilities Trust of Australia (UTA), and has strong experience in ESG. Rob developed a model of the renewable electricity market when it was established in 2000. As an adviser to Visy recycling, one area of review was waste management. In 2018 and 2019 Rob was a member of the United Nations commission in the financial sector looking at modern slavery and human trafficking.

Frank Walker

Director, & CFO

BBus, FCPA, MA

Frank has a background in finance, technology and logistics, working in various roles in manufacturing (industrial, FMCG), financial, technology and retail business, including organisations such as Repco, Pacific Dunlop, UBF, Westpac, Elders Finance, Deloitte Consulting / Outsourcing and Unisys. He has a passion for startups and enjoys supporting companies through periods of great change, especially during scale-ups.

Advisors

Noel Barton

Technical Founder
and Technology Advisor

BSc, PhD, DUniv (h.c.), FRSN, AM

Noel Barton was educated at the University of Western Australia, finishing with a PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1973. Prior to work with Capricorn Power (2016 - ), his employment experience included academia (University of NSW, 1975-81), Government scientist and research manager (CSIRO, 1973-74, 1981-2003) and independent inventor (Sunoba Pty Ltd, 2004-16). For the past two decades, his passion has been to develop new engines to turn heat into power, culminating in Capricorn Power’s present engine, for which he is the inventor of the key patent. He retired from full-time work for Capricorn Power in late 2020, but continues to collaborate on technical and patent matters. He remains active in research, particularly into new concepts for gas compression and expansion.

Ross George

Engineering Advisor

B. Eng (Hons)

Ross established Austeng over 30 years ago, a boutique engineering firm that specialises in the design, development and building of customised electro-mechanical systems. Over three decades, Ross has partnered with clients to introduce their cutting edge technology to increasingly competitive global markets. Ross’s flair for innovation coupled with a brilliant business mind, has cemented his place as a leader in the engineering design industry. In 2010, Ross was inducted as a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Australia in recognition of his sustained contribution to major engineering projects.

Vicki Tutungi

Intellectual Property
and Legal Advisor

MBA

Vicki is the former Director of the Nanotechnology Flagship program at CSIRO and previously held the role of CEO at ASX-listed Optiscan. More recently, Vicki was the Managing Director of ProLearn Corporation and she was an Executive at Foldable By Design, a specialist developer of niche next-generation medical micro-devices

Awards we've won

Regional Jobs and Investment Packages – Geelong grant recipient

In January 2018, Capricorn Power was awarded a $292,750 Business Innovation grant for our high efficiency engine converting waste heat to electricity. The engine was recognised for enhancing energy productivity and sustainability at a customer site by providing low cost electricity and reduced waste and emissions. It was also noted that “commercialising an innovative clean tech product enables potentially very large engineering and manufacturing job growth for ex-auto skills serving new, global markets of the future”.

Australian Technologies Competition – 2018 New Energy Winner

In October 2018, Capricorn Power won the ‘New Energy’ category as part of the highly coveted Australian Technologies Competition (ATC). The competition connects experienced entrepreneurs, business builders, angel investors, venture capital funds, commercialisation experts and leading corporate and government representatives with founders in a collaborative environment.

Australian Engineering Excellence Awards – 2018 Victorian Finalist

The Barton Engine was recognised as a Victorian finalist in the 2018 Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (AEEA) for representing “a major step forward in the waste heat to power field”. The awards recognise outstanding achievement in engineering and the invaluable contribution engineering makes to the economy, the community and the environment.

Climate Launchpad – 2017 Finalist

Capricorn Power was thrilled to represent Australia as a finalist at the 2017 Climate Launchpad in Cyprus. Climate Launchpad is the world’s largest green business ideas competition committed to “fixing climate change, one start-up at a time”. The programme equips start-ups with the skills to achieve global success.