Then and Now: 120 Bioeconomy Pioneers look at yesterday, today, inspirations and challenges

Steve Rogers

Then:  I was in Florence taking a sabbatical and wondering what next, would probably be having a coffee at the Canottieri di Firenze after a row down the Arno. Life was good we were living in the Pre Financial Crisis bubble that was to re-define our lives and retirement plans…When Licella was founded I started doing some market research for  them in Europe which led to me joining the company on my return in 2009, working on Capital Raising (boy had that changed) and our commercialisation strategy.

Now: Now based in Australia we’ve weathered the financial crisis and political vagaries of left and right, as well as the halving of the oil price and grown to be an organisation of 30 plus people with two significant projects under development with our strategic partners Canfor Pulp in Canada and Armstrong Energy in the UK.  Getting these projects commissioned is what we spend our waking hours focussed on see www.tinyurl.com/licella-video

Inspirations: I do this as I’m passionate about our need to re-invent our economies and transition away from a fossil based economy to a more sustainable low carbon future.  We live on a beautiful planet which is challenged with a rapidly rising population and dwindling resources with an emerging global middle class all wanting what we take for granted.  Massive opportunities exist for new enterprises, with associated wealth creation, employment – much of it in regional areas – as we reinvent and transition everything from a fossil, to a bio based sustainable economy.

Challenges: Policy certainty is the most challenging thing.  It effects everything, with no policy certainty investment is very challenging, with it far sighted organisations with strong balance sheets look to partner with innovative dynamic organisations that make up a large part of the bioeconomy.