MEET OUR TEAM

Ben has over 12 years of professional experience in capital markets, plantation forestry, and carbon sectors. Throughout his career, he has built a successful track record of founding, growing, and investing in companies within these fields.

Before founding Gaia Natural Capital, Ben worked at leading buy-side and sell-side capital markets firms and co-founded the plantation forestry enterprise, Copperhead Sandalwood.

As a founding principal of Gaia, Ben leverages his extensive expertise and network in carbon markets to identify and execute project acquisition and financing opportunities.

He has led a diverse range of equity capital markets, project finance, and M&A transactions within the natural capital and forestry sectors.

Ben holds a Bachelor of Commerce, with majors in Finance and Economics.

20+ year career at Macquarie in senior legal, regulatory, trading risk & corporate finance roles; Global General Counsel for Macquarie Securities, Head of Transaction Management for Asian Commodity and Derivatives. Deep experience in establishment of commodity trading platforms, and overall risk management across tax, credit, legal, finance and operations.   James now operates at the intersection of science and finance as an investor and adviser to advance Australian nation resilience and sovereign capability across a variety of science and technology private enterprises.

Ben is a veteran of the Commodity trading and Tanker shipping markets, having developed a wealth of experience over the past 24 years, working for companies including BP and Trafigura, in the UK, Switzerland and now Singapore.

He established his own commodity trading company in 2020, which has grown to 11 employees, and is now expanding from its core hydrocarbon roots into investments in Sustainability and Carbon markets. Ben’s core skills are within the areas of logistics and contracts, trading, financial risk management, leadership, team building and relationship management.

He has a proven track record of building successful niche businesses within every market he has traded, identifying and optimizing short term price inefficiencies through use of financial derivatives and physical arbitrage in energy markets, and converting these into longer term value through a combination of strategic investments, deep and trusting relationships with counterparties, and a relentless commitment to excellence.

As Founder and Managing Director of HAC Commodities, Ben has pivoted his company to include a keen focus on Carbon markets, which are an increasingly crucial part of the industrial world and has made investments in best-in-class technology providers who it is hoped will significantly contribute to emissions abatement in the years to come.

Khory grew up on a cattle station located on the side of Carnarvon Gorge National Park north of Roma. He is a 15-year industry professional in environment and regenerative practices with an excellent understanding of safety, quality and environmental management systems; specifically focusing on carbon abatement accrual in land management and restorative practices.

Additionally, he is experienced and capable in the strategizing and implementation of climate change solutions, water and waste management, greenhouse gas reporting and environmental data collection/reporting and auditing.

Nicholas is a Director, Corporate Markets at Gaia Natural Capital and has over five years of experience in financial markets, specialising in corporate finance and principal investments. Nicholas has managed transactions in both public and private markets, primarily in the Natural Capital sector over the past three years. Nicholas is an Australian Lawyer, admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Darcy has 3 years of experience in project management, compliance, and technology implementation across agriculture, carbon, and water markets. Darcy has worked with diverse client-bases covering banks, primary producers, agritech, and Australian universities.

Darcy holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), a Bachelor of Global Studies and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and is an Australian Lawyer, admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Daniel Harper is the Founder and Director of Cool Planet, bringing over 17 years of experience in environmental consulting. Specializing in carbon neutrality, energy efficiency, circular economy, and waste reduction, Daniel has conducted more than 700 environmental assessments for diverse sectors.

As a Climate Active consultant, B-Corp and Ecovadis leader and advocate for circular economy principles, he combines technical expertise with leadership in sustainable transformation, helping over 3,000 businesses achieve measurable climate action.

Jon is the Head of Growth at Cool Planet and has over a decade of experience in business development and partnerships, focusing on sustainability and climate solutions. With expertise in scaling businesses, fostering strategic relationships, and commercialising purpose-driven initiatives, Jon is passionate about aligning stakeholders for impactful, mutually beneficial outcomes.

He has a strong track record in the sustainability space, having co-founded Genus, and previously held leadership roles at Zero Co, and BioPak.