Our Team

Shane Charles 

Chief Executive Officer

Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Queensland University of Technology

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What drove you to Upscale Carbon?

I have worked with Chairman Rob Hart in previous roles and appreciate his energy and passion. In many of the roles I have been fortunate to work in, I have seen the impacts of climate policy on business and have experienced the speed of change.

With Upscale Carbon, I get to work in agriculture which is in my DNA and help graziers navigate a complex industry that can lead to good revenue diversity and environmental outcomes.

Where has your career taken you? 

I was schooled in Toowoomba and did my initial legal training whilst working in Goondiwindi and the Darling Downs. My board roles have taken me from Brisbane to Darwin and all the places in between. I also still have an interest in a legal practice in Charleville.

What is your connection to the bush?

Historically my family were small croppers in the Lockyer Valley. As a solicitor and in my executive roles I have worked in and around Agriculture from my days as an Articled Clerk in Goondiwindi to now leading Upscale Carbon. I still get to Charleville every month or so to meet with clients and friends.

What is a career highlight?

I have had a great career to date. I have loved so many aspects – from chairing the Endeavour Foundation for people with a disability to chairing a drug and alcohol organisation called Sunrise Way to being deputy chairman of the inaugural GasFields Commission of Qld, and in my energy roles in chairing Stanwell Corporation and as a non-executive director of former uranium producer – Energy Resources of Australia.

I have led a start-up regional economic development organisation called Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise, have worked for Wagners, and run my own legal practices. It is hard to pick a favourite!

Away from work, what excites you?

Family, food and sport. Sundays are a bit of a special place in our family – there will generally be a family lunch or dinner with a great spread of food, a few beers and a red wine. A perfect day is with the footy or cricket on in the background

Rob Hart

Chairman & Managing Director

Bachelor of Management (Economics & Marketing) with Distinction

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Rob Hart had a 25 year international career in leadership positions in blue chip companies like Shell, Origin, Flight Centre and Norco. 

Rob founded a funds management business with a vision to create climate-resilient investable funds. The 5 successful funds now own 8 properties across 75,000ha in Queensland with another 4-6 properties about to be purchased. The business is pioneering environmental social governance investment, particularly in carbon farming and koala habitat offsets. 

He is also the Managing Director of Upscale Carbon, a carbon development business helping landholders develop their carbon credits.

Rob has a strong affinity for the land and environment, whether growing up on a farm, managing environment/land/cultural heritage teams for corporates, winning an Earthwatch Fellowship in Costa Rica, working with the Apudthama Indigenous Rangers in Cape York to “rediscover” the Jardine River Painted Turtle or managing an unfenced safari camp in the wilds of Zambia.

Rob is currently Chair of the Advisory Board for Food Leaders Australia, a Director and Deputy Chair of Toowoomba & Surat Basin Enterprise, and Chair of the AGL-led Coopers Gap Wind Farm Community Committee.

Ronald Thompson

Executive Director & Operational

Bachelor of Engineering & Post Graduate Certificate of Agribusiness, Finance & General Studies

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Ronald Thompson is the Operational Director for both Upscale Funds Management and Upscale Carbon. With a background working with Australia’s largest carbon developer as well as an extensive career in land access management with large blue chip corporates, his ‘on the ground’ and general agricultural/operational knowledge are key to the implementation of all environmental projects.

Ronald, having an agricultural background became interested in regenerative farming and for 30 years implemented practices on his properties with much success and practical learnings which he brings to the team. In addition to this, his ability to speak and gain trust with landholders has been crucial to the ultimate success of the Upscale Group.

John McLaughlin

Carbon Project Manager

Bachelor of Science, Master’s Degree in Environmental & Resource Economics & Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Science

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What drove you to Upscale Carbon?

My background is in Grazing Land Management consulting – a job that exposed me to the growing opportunities that carbon offers landholders. My ‘mission’ is to ensure that landholders who want to explore these opportunities can work with like-minded professionals to develop projects that benefit their livestock business and the environment at the same time.

Where has your career taken you?

In my role as a researcher and extension officer, I’ve worked all across Queensland and spoken at Agricultural events in most states in Australia. I’ve spent time working in Cape York, the North QLD Gulf, The Mitchell Grass Downs country in the west and the Mulga Country in the southwest, and just about anywhere else with a grazing animal on it.

What is your connection to the bush?

My family has a long history of grazing in Queensland – including operating a small beef operation for almost 150 years in the Lockyer Valley region. Most members of my family have owned or worked on properties throughout the state, from Grandchester to Emerald, Longreach and Barcaldine, just to name a few.

What is a career highlight?

I was a finalist in the Queensland Government's ‘Emerging Leader Award for Agriculture’ in 2020 – and the only finalist representing the livestock industry. This was a great acknowledgement of the work I was undertaking at the time – leading a grazing extension program for Beef Producers in the QLD Gulf when I was living in Georgetown.

Away from work, what excites you?

I’m a mad keen sports fan. I rarely miss the chance to watch my beloved (and heartbreaking) Brisbane Broncos and am more than happy to watch all 5 days of a Cricket Test Match over the holidays.

Sara Tune

Principal Ecologist

Bachelor of Applied Science (Protected Area Management) & Postgraduate Diploma of Rangeland Management

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What drove you to Upscale Carbon?

After working for the Queensland Government, a large blue-chip corporation and an international environmental consultancy firm, I was eager to work with a small team of like-minded professionals who understand the correlation between biodiversity and agricultural productivity.

Where has your career taken you?

I have conducted Vegetation Management assessments in the Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands Bioregions, working primarily around Roma, Charleville and Cunnamulla. 

Followed by a move to Longreach, undertaking Land Condition Assessments everywhere between Birdsville and Bowen, within the Channel Country, Mitchell Grass Downs and Desert Uplands Bioregions. I later moved to Miles to undertake Ecology and Environmental Constraints Assessments in the Surat and Bowen Basins. 

Currently, my fieldwork is predominantly in the Gulf Savannah region around Georgetown. and occasionally you might find me on a Koala Farmland Fund (KFF) property east of the Great Dividing Range.

What is your connection to the bush?:

The best part about working as an Ecologist, is that my office is the bush! My career has been focussed on Queensland’s Rangelands and I have been fortunate to live in Roma, Longreach and Miles.

What is a career highlight?:

Working with our Director Rob Hart and the Apudthama Indigenous Rangers in Cape York, to record the Jardine River Painted Turtle, which was thought to be extinct.

Away from work, what excites you?:

Being a Meliponist (Stingless Native Bee Keeper) and recording wild hive locations.

Colleen Spalding

Senior GIS Specialist

Bachelor of Applied Science (Protected Area Management) & Postgraduate Diploma of Rangeland Management

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What drove you to Upscale Carbon?

My last project involved an extensive highway upgrade. This project held great importance for the community, as it had been advocated for over the past two decades due to fatalities. 

The primary focus was on improving safety, and the positive impact and commitment I witnessed inspired me to seek a company with similar values. 

I was thrilled to have joined Upscale Carbon, which aligned with my passion for meaningful projects and shared commitment to impactful work.

Where has your career taken you? (locations)

While at the Department of Resources, I was involved in the implementation of 'The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP). This role took me to various regional offices, from Rockhampton, and Emerald up to Mareeba. 

I have also had the opportunities to contribute to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIS) on a harbour development project in Darwin, conducted image and data analysis for fire scar mapping on Defence sites in and around Townsville and spent several years working in Grafton, New South Wales.

What is your connection to the bush?

My father and his family have roots in Casino, NSW, where my grandfather initially worked on the rail before acquiring farming land. The prospect of working on the highway in the same region where my grandfather contributed to the rail industry was particularly appealing to me. 

For fun, I have volunteered at the Welford National Park, located southwest of Longreach.

What is a career highlight?

A significant career highlight for me was acting as the GIS lead on the Resilience Study for Queensland Urban Utilities, which emerged in response to the devastating floods in SEQ in 2011.

I played a key role in the development of the Mitigation Planning for Bushfire Risk Assessment & Management Plan for Gladstone City and Calliope Shire Council which earned Awards from the Planning Institute of Australia in the Disaster Mitigation category.

Away from work, what excites you?

I always enjoy the opportunity to explore whether it’s in the regions I work in remotely, working away at or back home in Queensland from visiting the local peach farm, going for a kayak, or taking my border collie on long walks.