Pamela Fitzgerald Group Administrator

Pamela joined Talbot Group in 2009. In her role, Pamela supports the CEO- Carbon Materials and the Resources Team on a daily basis by coordinating tasks and streamlining processes, while managing competing demands. From her previous roles as a Personal Assistant, Pamela has the experience and understanding of operations in high-level professional environments and the proven ability to produce work with an excellent attention to detail.

Ewan Walker Chief Financial Officer

Ewan leads Talbot Group’s Finance and Accounting Team. He joined the Group in September 2009 from FKP Property Group where he held the position of Acquisition Integration Manager. He has also previously worked in senior positions with leading international management consulting firms.

As the Chief Financial Officer Ewan is primarily responsible for the Groups internal and external reporting, taxation and financing functions. Ewan is also responsible for driving the ongoing improvement of the Groups internal governance and controls, while developing financial plans and strategies to support current Group objectives and to enable future growth.

Ewan has more than 15 years’ commercial experience in both the private and public sectors across the financial services, human services, tourism and property development industries.

Ken Talbot Owner

Ken Talbot has more than 38 years’ experience in the coal industry and is recognised as an industry innovator and one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs.

He has 20 years’ experience as a Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director within the Australian coal industry. During his career he has developed five coal mines, including two as an owner. He was a member of the consortium that established the Jellinbah East Mine in 1988, becoming the youngest Managing Director in the Australian coal industry at that time.

He was the founder of Macarthur Coal and as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Macarthur Coal since it was listed on the ASX in 2001 until January 2007. Ken remained the major shareholder and a Director of Macarthur Coal until June 2008.

Ken was also a Director of the Queensland Resources Council from 2001 to 2007.

He received a Centenary Medal in 2004, the Australian Export Heroes Award in 2006 and was named the Ernst & Young Champion of Entrepreneurship for the Northern Region in 2006.

The son of a truck driver, Ken embarked on his remarkable career as a cadet industrial chemist at BHP’s Port Kembla Steelworks in 1968. He was subsequently accepted as a cadet mining engineer in 1971 with Kembla Coal & Coke in Wollongong.

Ken forged his reputation for innovation in coal mining during his time as CEO, responsible for the development of the Jellinbah East Mine. Under his stewardship, the Company delivered its first coal shipment just seven months after the Authority to Prospect was granted and less than three months after the Mining Lease was approved – the quickest development timetable in Queensland during the 1980s.

It was also during these years that Ken pioneered the market for low volatile PCI coals. Consequently, the Jellinbah East Mine achieved the highest productivity of any coal mine in the black coal industry of Australia, achieving approximately four times the average productivity for open cut coal mines in Queensland.

One of Queensland’s most respected businessmen, Ken has built his reputation and his business, leading by example and through working with people who share his drive and commitment to ethical entrepreneurship.

Ken is renowned for his insight into future business and market trends and has built a substantial investment portfolio through hard-work, talent and vision.

Don Nissen Chairman

Don was appointed Chairman of Talbot Group in 2006.

As Chairman, Don’s role focuses on the continuous improvement of the Group and motivating the other members of Talbot Group’s team to adopt the same focus. His dedication to teamwork is a driving force within the Group and his vision for the future provides a stimulating environment for his peers.

Don’s continuous support and encouragement enables the Talbot Group to provide a high-level of expertise to their investment decisions.

With more than 41 years’ experience in banking and finance, Don brings to the Group considerable expertise as a director of publicly-listed companies and government owned corporations.

Prior to joining Talbot Group, Don was appointed to the board of Macarthur Coal upon its public listing in 2001 and he remained a director of the company until his retirement in 2008. During that time he was Chairman of the Audit and Risk Management Committee from 18 February 2003 until his retirement.

Don’s appointments to the boards of other publicly-listed companies included: Ariadne Australia Limited (2001–2008); Collection House Limited (2000–2001); and Brisbane Broncos Limited (1998–2004).

In 2000, the Queensland Government appointed Don to the position of Chairman of Energex Limited, which at the time comprised Australia’s largest government owned corporation.

Subsequently, he was appointed to positions as a Director of subsidiaries Energex Retail Pty Ltd and Allgas Energy Ltd.

Don was appointed Chairman of the Brisbane Cricket Ground Trust during the 1990’s during the venue’s reconstruction stages in preparation for important soccer events connected with the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Long term tenancy arrangements were also put in place with Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions during his tenure.

Don was also appointed a director of Workcover Queensland, which is the statutory body, which provides and manages workers’ compensation insurance for Queenslanders (2000–2004).

He began his career with the Commonwealth Bank in Queensland, Australia. After the traditional experience as a country Bank Manager in places such as Charters Towers, Gympie and Mount Isa in regional Queensland, Don became General Manager New South Wales Northern Zone, based in Newcastle. He was subsequently appointed the Queensland General Manager for the Commonwealth Bank for 10 years prior to his resignation in 2000 to pursue other corporate opportunities.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. Don was also the recipient of a Centenary Medal in 2004.

Denis Wood Resources Director

Denis joined Talbot Group in 2006 as the Group’s Resources Director. He brings an extensive background in the national and international coal industries to the role of leading the Group’s resources investment team.

As Resources Director, Denis is responsible for identifying new projects and specifically supporting these investments with his time and experience to move the investments up the value curve. He spends much of his time directly working with the management and board of these investments to realise full potential of the companies.

Before joining Talbot Group, Denis held the position of CEO for Queensland Coke and Energy Pty Ltd. In this role Denis was responsible for developing a coke oven and power project from feasibility through to market development and final engineering.

Denis was Managing Director of Australian Premium Coals (1997–2003), bringing the Coppabella project to fruition, while completing four Native Title Agreements, including Queensland’s first Native Title Agreement, to ensure the project’s viability.

He was also a Director of Sedgman Pty Ltd, (1995–1997) and was responsible for the expansion of Sedgman’s business, specifically into operation and maintenance services.

Prior to this role with Sedgman he was a Director of Cumnock Pty Ltd, (1993–1995) where he was a driving force in establishing Cumnock Coal in the international market place.

Denis was Vice President of Commercial Testing and Engineering (CT&E) based in Chicago, USA (1991–1993).

He was in charge of operations including quality management, administration long and short-term planning, profit and loss, quality control, marketing/sales and customer relations. He also assumed an international role for SGS world-wide coal business, with a particular focus on South America and South Africa.

During his time at CT&E Denis’s key responsibilities related to the export of coal from American ports. He gained experience on all the East Coast ports including Baltimore, Norfolk, North Carolina and Louisiana. His experience was gained at a time when the American coal export business was in its prime. His involvement enabled him to gain an intimate knowledge of all the major American coal fields.

From 1982 to 1991, Denis was employed by Carbon Consulting International (CCI) where he was chiefly responsible for establishing them as Australia’s largest coal export certifier, a business previously controlled by international parties. He was promoted to the position of Managing Director and led the company’s transition from a private to a public company.

Denis embarked on his career with the BHP Steelworks in Newcastle, while studying a Metallurgy Traineeship/Geology Degree, where he went on to work in coal exploration, evaluation and preparation methods.

Shane Edwards Chief Executive Officer

Shane joined Talbot Group as CEO of Talbot Hotel Group (2002 to 2006) after which time he became CEO of the entire Group. Shane is responsible for the day-to-day management of Talbot Group and brings an innovative marketing perspective to the team, with his extensive background in executive management and event marketing.

His role also involves identifying new business opportunities and overseeing existing investments and group operations which fall outside the resources division.

Prior to joining Talbot group, Shane was Managing Director of the ASX-listed company, Pacific Sports and Entertainment, which owned and operated Queensland sporting franchises including: the Brisbane Broncos (rugby league); the Brisbane Bullets (basketball); and the Brisbane Bandits (baseball). The company also owned the marketing rights for international triathlon events staged under the auspices of the sport’s world governing body. Pacific Sports and Entertainment also operated one of Queensland’s largest poker machine monitoring services, Queensland Entertainment Services. Shane was Managing Director of the Brisbane Broncos from 1995 to 2002 and has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most respected marketers. His credits include leadership management/marketing roles with a range of high profile events including the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, World Expo 86 in Vancouver and World Expo 88 in Brisbane.

Shane is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Management and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2004.

Dr John ‘Shad’ Linley Energy

Shad joined Talbot Group in June 2008. Within the Group, Shad is responsible for overseeing investments in existing energy projects and identifying and accessing new opportunities within the energy sector.

Shad was subsequently appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Marathon Resources as Talbot Group’s representative. Currently, Shad also holds Non-Executive Directorships with Carbon Energy and Kagara Ltd.

He is a geologist by training and has more than 42 years’ experience in the corporate and resources industries, including, eight years’ as Chief Executive Officer of Sun Metals Corporation, based in Townsville, Queensland. His role with Sun Metals Corporation included the development of the World’s most efficient and environmentally-sensitive zinc refinery, on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.

Shad has also served as a Director of the Centre for Strategic Industrial and Resource Development in Brisbane. During his term at the Centre, he was involved in developing a comprehensive gas strategy together with an assessment of the long-term future of the coal industry in Queensland.

Formerly, he held several executive positions with Fluor Engineers, where he was involved in the Olympic Dam project and prior to that he was Vice President of Texasgulf Australia.

Andrew Matheson CEO – Carbon Materials

Andrew recently joined Talbot Group from Aquila Resources Ltd where he managed a coal portfolio including Joint Venture interests in operating and development projects and exploration projects within Australia and Southern Africa.

He is responsible for overseeing Talbot Group’s existing carbon materials investments and the evaluation of new opportunities within the sector.

He is a geological engineer with more than 20 years’ experience within the mining and engineering sectors. During this time he developed broad capabilities in a range of disciplines from exploration, project evaluation, development and construction, infrastructure management and underground and open cut mining operations.

He has worked on projects in Australia, Africa, Indonesia, New Caledonia and Europe. The majority of his time has been spent in the iron ore and coal industries with exposure to base metals. His previous management and engineering roles have included positions with BHP and GHD.

Scott Nissen Manager – Business Analysis

Scott has more than eight years’ experience with both government and private organisations in financial and hospitality sectors. Scott has been with Talbot Group for the past five years, initially in the hospitality/hotels division.

In 2006, Scott was appointed Manager Business Analysis, specialising in research of target investments. Scott has a Bachelor of Economics Degree from the University of Queensland and is a qualified Rehabilitation Coordinator and Workplace Health and Safety Officer.

Milva Tennant Financial Accountant

Milva is the Group’s Financial Accountant. She has a background of more than 10 years’ in the mining industry (coal mining, sand mining and smelting). Milva’s experience has provided her with a strong understanding of the resources industry. As well as keeping the Talbot team on budget, in consultation with senior management, Milva is responsible for the Group’s stock portfolio.

Lynne Gardner Manager – Administration

Lynne began working for Ken Talbot in 1996 at Macarthur Coal, long before it became a public company. Through her long association with the Group’s commercial operations, she has developed a deep understanding of the Group.

If you do business with any of Talbot Group’s operations, you will meet Lynne as she fulfils multiple tasks in her role as Manager, Administration. She is a dynamic administrator who has her finger on the pulse of all operations and all assets. In 2009, Lynne takes on the role of Chief Executive Officer of Talbot Family Foundation, the newly- formed entity established to formalise the Talbot Family’s philanthropic efforts.