Board Of Directors

Michael Mewing BEc
Chairman

Mr Mewing has spent the past 29 years in the international energy field, working in New South Wales, Queensland, Japan and Indonesia. 

He has held commercial, marketing and business development roles with BP Oil, BP Coal, Rio Tinto, PT Berau Coal and Millennium Coal. 

In 2000, Mr Mewing established a consultancy company, focusing on marketing and business development activities in the Asia Pacific Region. 

Mr Mewing is a regular speaker at international coal industry conferences. 

Edek Choros MSc (Geol), BE (Mining)
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

Mr Choros qualified as a geologist and mining engineer at the University of Mining and Metallurgy in Krakow, Poland and moved to Australia in 1989.

For the next 11 years, he worked first for the Electricity Trust of South Australia and subsequently as a private consultant in the coal mining industry.

In 1999, he founded a successful coking coal project near Moranbah, Queensland known as Millennium Coal. In 2004/2005, Mr Choros and co-investors sold their stake in the project to Excel Coal Limited, which company was subsequently acquired by Peabody Coal.

Over a number of years, Mr Choros had developed a keen interest in how to increase the efficiency of coal and other carbonaceous matter. After retiring from the Millennium Coal project, he founded Ambre Energy for the purpose of developing new coal technologies.

Michael van Baarle BCom, LLB
Director Business Development

Mr van Baarle holds degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Queensland. He commenced his legal career with a prominent Brisbane law firm in 1986, before moving to practise in the United Kingdom in 1990.

In 1994 Mr van Baarle returned to Brisbane and worked for BHP Coal’s in-house legal team before ultimately becoming a partner at Hillhouse Burrough McKeown where he worked on the Millennium Coal project and subsequently became a director of Ambre Energy.

Mr van Baarle retired from legal practice in September 2006 to take the executive position of Director Business Development for Ambre Energy.

Steven Messiter BE (Chem), MBA, GAICD
Director Project Development

Mr Messiter graduated as a Bachelor of Engineering - Chemical Engineering (First Class Honors and University medal) from the University of New South Wales in 1985.

He has 25 years experience in the operation, design and project development of mineral processing and chemical plants, including 7 years with BHP Steel and BHP Engineering in Port Kembla and Sydney, 8 years with ICI Australia (now Orica) in Sydney and Melbourne and 8 years with Coogee Chemicals in Perth as Executive Manager – Major Projects. At Coogee Chemicials, he was responsible for the company’s capital investment and expenditure program and all aspects of project delivery from concept to commissioning.

In May 2003, Mr Messiter completed an MBA at Curtin University and was accepted to the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was elected as an executive director to Coogee Chemicals’ Board in November 2003.

In November 2006, Mr Messiter joined Ambre Energy as Director Project Development.

Paul W. Ritchie BA, MBA 
Non-Executive Director

Mr Ritchie holds a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University, and a Master Business Administration from the Marriott School of Management (BYU).

Mr Ritchie is a co-founder and Managing Director of Ritchie Opportunity Fund I, a projected US$45 million private equity and investment fund based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It has a substantial allocation of funds targeted to energy and healthcare investments and a smaller allocation to real estate and early stage business investments.

Prior to the formation of the Fund, Mr Ritchie was and continues to be a principal of The Ritchie Group, a Utah investments and real estate management company with investments and projects in nine US states and three countries across a diversified industry base.

Mr Ritchie has substantial experience in real estate, private equity and in entrepreneurial projects as manager, limited partner, investor and board member.