Meet our experienced team
Rob Hart
Managing Director
Rob Hart had a 25 year international career in leadership positions in blue chip companies like Shell, Origin, Flight Centre and Norco.
Rob is founder of 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 Managing Director of Upscale Carbon, a carbon development business helping landholders develop their own 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.
In his spare time, Rob runs Angus cows and is gradually regenerating the family farm with his 3 kids and Kate. He is a notorious shower singer, slow squash player and old cricketer, and loves a red wine and rib fillet cooked on the open fire with good friends.
Ronald Thompson
Operations Director
As one of the founding directors of Upscale Funds 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 Upscale Funds 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.
A life on the land followed correspondence schooling, boarding, university, and international travel. He is an avid runner, water skier and outside person.
According to Ronald, life is best viewed at 45mph while barefoot skiing, something he has done since early adulthood and continues to do whenever he can. He has been president of the Chinchilla Melon festival and is a life member of the Chinchilla Sharks swimming club. He also has the Medal for Service to the Rural Fire Service for 25 years as Fire Warden.
In his spare time, Ronald enjoys family, international travel, cooking, gardening, running and being the Event Director for Charley’s Creek parkrun.
Rob Martyn
General Manager of Koala Farmland Fund
Rob Martyn has been involved in the Agricultural Industry for over 20 years. After growing up on a dairy farm, he attended Dalby Agricultural College.
Rob joined SunPork, one of Australia’s largest integrated food companies. Over 18 years, he worked in a variety roles ultimately as Operations Manager of a $100M business. Rob achieved significant success in improving production capacity, animal husbandry, water security, safety and biosecurity, and energy efficiency in a new bio-gas facility.
When not at work, Rob enjoys spending time with his wife & three kids getting out and about going camping, fishing and seeing new places. He is a big Rugby League fan who loves having a beer and watching the Broncos & Maroons get up for a win!!
Sarah Tune
Principal Ecologist
Sarah Tune is a Certified Environmental Practitioner with over 17 years’ experience undertaking environmental assessments throughout Queensland.
Having previously worked for the Queensland Government, a large blue-chip corporation and an international environmental consultancy firm, Sarah has gained experience working on projects of all scales to undertake various ecological assessments against Commonwealth, State and Local legislative requirements.
Sarah has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science and a post-graduate diploma in Rangeland Management from the University of Queensland. She has strong technical capabilities in undertaking desktop assessments, field surveys, sampling and analysis, spatial data interpretation, mapping and reporting.
Sarah is a Meliponist (native bee keeper) for Stingless Native Bees in her spare time.
Renee Mulholland
Financial Controller
Renee Mulholland has a strong business, accounting and finance background developed from over 14 years within the industry.
Renee’s experience has ranged from business advisory in public practice to SME management accounting and she now co-ordinates all financial, analytical and conformance requirements for UFM and the investment portfolios it manages. Renee prides herself on her astute attention to detail, and her meticulous modelling and reporting skills are incomparable. Renee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Accounting and Financial Management, and is currently studying towards her CPA.
In her spare time, Renee and her husband run a mixed grazing business and she enjoys being part of the agricultural industry both personally and professionally.
Teleitha Eves
Administration and Property Management
Teleitha is an experienced administration officer with a strong background in administration management and customer service, having worked in both fields for over 15 years.
She is responsible for the management of our company’s many rental properties and the day to day running of our office. She has a positive can-do attitude and is a versatile team contributor. Teleitha is also an advocate for continual learning and is currently studying her Bachelor of Commerce with the University of South Australia.
Having recently discovered the joys of hiking, when Teleitha isn’t running around after her two children, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors and spending time with friends.
Gary Brennand
Carbon Farmland Funds and KFF1s Property Manager
Gary is a highly experienced property manager, having managed medium and large scale properties in north west Qld, South west Qld and Central NSW.
After moving to Central NSW to manage a Stud Merino sheep station, he, together with his wife, started Springvale Farm Trees in central NSW. Here, they developed skills in propagating native trees from seed and raising them to planting stage. After moving back to Queensland, Gary joined Upscale Funds Management where he now manages koala offsets and cattle.
A mad union fan, when he isn’t out tending to our trees, Gary can be found clocking up the kilometers on his car traveling around Gatton and Brisbane to watch the QLD Reds and his sons rugby union games.