Our company
Energy experts work to unlock natural hydrogen and helium
During the 1920s and 1930s, South Australian State Department geologists reported finding natural hydrogen gas while exploring for oil.
More than a century later, Gold Hydrogen has used this recorded data, combined with sophisticated modern exploration techniques, to develop a new understanding of what could be the key to unlocking a revolutionary low-cost and low-emission fuel source.
Initial drill tests conducted by Gold Hydrogen in 2023 not only reconfirmed the century-old hydrogen finds (with new purity levels of up to 86%), but strong levels of helium were also found, at up to 17.5% purity on an air-corrected basis.
These results were confirmed and improved during the well testing phase undertaken by the company during 2024.
At the same time, new seismic information has identified drill sites that are potentially even more optimal than the century-old sites, and 2025 will see Gold Hydrogen use the learnings of this initial campaign to drill its first new wells.
Learn more about the Gold Hydrogen team below.
Meet our team
Neil McDonald
Managing Director
Alexander Downer
Independent Non-Executive Chair
Katherine Barnet
Independent Non-Executive Director
Roger Cressey
Executive Director, Commercial & Operations
Karl Schlobohm
Company Secretary & Chief Financial Officer
Josh Whitcombe
Chief Operating Officer
Frank Glass
Chief Exploration Advisor
Billy Hadi Subrata
Chief Technical Officer
Julien Bourdet
Geological Advisor
Neil McDonald
Managing Director
- 20+ years of extensive commercial experience from greenfield exploration to early development.
- Operated across multiple energy and minerals sectors in Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia
- His work for resources companies has led to over $230M+ raised for projects and over $20M in R&D credits plus government grants
- Strong legal grounding in commercial and regulatory compliance of the resources industry including the acquisition, commercialisation and monetisation of assets
- Strong non-partisan relationships at the highest political levels at both Federal and State levels
- A qualified Lawyer and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Katherine Barnet
Independent Non-Executive Director
- A financial professional and Chartered Accountant (Fellow, MCom FCA) with a 25+ year career in professional services
- Partner at Olvera Advisors, a boutique Sydney-based consultancy having worked on some of Australia’s largest corporate matters in particular for renewable energy, resources, retail, property and construction
Alexander Downer
Independent Non-Executive Chair
- One of the country’s best known politicians and diplomats incl. as leader of the Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs and High Commissioner to the UK
- Chair of the International School of Government (Kings College, London), Chair of Policy Exchange, and Trustee of International Crisis Group
- Advisor or board member to Hakluyt & Company, Cappello Capital Corp, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Huawei in Australia, Ironbark Zinc (ASX:IBC), and Yellowcake plc (LSE:YCA)
Roger Cressey
Executive Director, Commercial & Operations
- Over 35 years of experience in resource industries, predominantly in gas exploration and production, and also in minerals processing and materials handling
- Held CEO, COO and other executive roles on upstream and downstream operations across Australia, as well as in PNG, Indonesia and Uganda
Karl Schlobohm
Company Secretary & Chief Financial Officer
- A Chartered Accountant with 30 years’ experience across a wide range of industries
- Held positions as CFO, Company Secretary and / or Non-Executive Director of DGR Global Ltd (ASX), SolGold plc (LSE / TSX), IronRidge Resources (LSE:AIM), Agenix Limited (ASX), Discovery Metals Limited (ASX), and a range of other ASX listed companies
Dr Josh Whitcombe
Chief Operating Officer
- Professional chemical and environmental engineer
- Has held positions as COO of WestSide Corporation and Blue Energy (ASX)
- Experience in offshore drilling developments and coal seam gas exploration and development in Australia
Frank Glass
Chief Exploration Advisor
- Geologist and geoscientist
- Petroleum and energy resources sector experience of well over 30 years, including a decade spent with Shell
- Masters Degree in Structural Geology from the University of Amsterdam
- Holds numerous professional memberships including the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia and the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers
Billy Hadi Subrata
Chief Technical Officer
Billy Hadi Subrata has 20 years of experience working with Australian and international energy operator across multiple basins in Australia, New Zealand, East Africa, and Papua New Guinea.
A petroleum and reservoir engineer by background, Billy has developed a substantial skill in both exploration and development mainly for reservoir simulation and modeling, field appraisal and development planning, reserves and resources estimation, project management and economics, subsurface to surface integration, Hydrogen, Helium and energy transition.
He has been a key focal point in Gold Hydrogen having joined the company since the first inception back in 2021.
Billy is a Qualified Petroleum Reserves and Resources Evaluator (QPRRE) and a member of SPE and Engineers Australia.
Julien Bourdet
Geological Advisor
Julien Bourdet is a geological advisor consultant. He worked 16 years at CSIRO conducting research aiming at evaluating geological fluid and diagenesis and delivered petrological and fluid inclusion consulting. He has extensive contributions in the field of oil and gas exploration and development and on the natural hydrogen systems. He earned his PhD at the University of Lorraine in France.
Corporate governance
For more information on Gold Hydrogen’s corporate governance, including to access key documents, please visit the Corporate governance page.