Our Board
Country Asset Management’s leadership team is backed by an experienced Board with expertise in funds and risk management, property development, law and Board governance.
Rob Hart
Managing Director
Rob spent the first 25 years of his career in blue chip companies like Shell, Origin, and Nutrien. He has managed crises and issues for companies at an international and local level as well as developing profitable and sustainable business units. He even managed a world class safari camp in Zambia during a sabbatical.
But you can’t take the country out of the boy, and after growing up on a farm in Chinchilla in western Queensland, Rob yearned to get back into agriculture. In 2015, he started a funds management business that adds new income streams to traditional agriculture. Rob’s family has experienced the highs and lows of agricultural life, but his curiosity and corporate experience led to questioning whether the highest and best use of farmland was being achieved. He also knew that the world is rapidly changing and ag needs to find some sort of co-existence with nature. Rob is also Chair of Upscale Carbon, a carbon and asset management business helping large landholders develop carbon projects on their land.
Ronald Thompson
Operations Director
As one of the founding directors of Country Asset Management, Ronald knows our business inside and out. A Nuffield Scholar and 25-year operator and owner of grazing and farming country in Queensland, Ronald has cultivated a deep understanding of developing carbon income in co-existence with holistic agriculture. He has skillfully managed a $200m agricultural portfolio of properties for Origin Energy and is experienced at implementing integrated carbon projects due to his previous role at Australia’s largest environmental carbon project facilitator.
Here at Country Asset Management, he is responsible for identifying and analysing property upscaling opportunities as well as carbon application and looking for appropriate land. Ronald is key in strategy and understanding how to keep property production efficient and profitable while implementing environmental offsets. The deep knowledge of both these areas is unique.
Shane Charles
Director
Shane Charles is an experienced Non-Executive Director and has based most of his career from his home in Toowoomba in regional Queensland. He is passionate about the ability and capability of regional Australia and has been at the forefront of many advocacy efforts to ensure regional Australia thrives and prospers.
Shane Charles current roles include amongst others, President of the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland, CEO of Upscale Carbon, and Managing Director of Charles Legal Group. He has a strong interest in corporate governance and to that sits on the Darling Downs and Southwest Queensland regional committee for the Australia Institute of Company Directors.
Previous significant roles include periods of service as Chairman of Stanwell Corporation Limited, Deputy Chairman and Commissioner of the GasFields Commission of Queensland, Chairman of Sunrise Way Rehabilitation Limited, Chairman of Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Pty Ltd, Chairman of the Endeavour Foundation and a Non Executive Director of Energy Resources of Australia Limited.
Tom McVeigh
Director
As a Senior Partner and owner of Murdoch Lawyers in Brisbane/Toowoomba, Tom has spent much of the past 25 years specialising in estate planning, asset protection and taxation management.
He also delivered a number of highly successful residential and commercial projects in South West Queensland. He has also managed significant investment funds in relation to these projects. Tom brings strong legal, AFSL, governance and property development experience.
Ivan Walls
Director
Ivan is a senior businessman and much admired entrepreneur, having successfully developed multiple companies.
He now owns and sits on the Board of two commercial construction related businesses and has significant property interests.
With an accounting background, Ivan brings a focus on financial performance, property development and Board governance.