Board Of Directors

David Usasz BCom, FCA
Chairman

David Usasz retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2007 following 20 years as partner. The majority of David’s professional career has been spent on advising businesses in both the Government and private sectors in relation to management issues surrounding success and growth.

He has been a registered tax agent for more than 25 years and has extensive experience in corporate finance - focusing on tax and mergers & acquisitions. Mr Usasz has advised many Asian investors and in addition to his three years in Hong Kong, he has spent considerable time travelling from Australia to Japan, Taiwan, Jakarta and Singapore. 

Mr Usasz is a board member of ASX listed Cromwell Corporation Limited and was previously a director of the Australian Rugby Union Limited (2005-2007).

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

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

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 Mewing BEc
President - Ambre Energy North America 

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. 

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.

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.