The people at Ornatas drive change and focus on the future.

Ornatas is led by a team driven by building a sustainable future for seafood. We are dedicated to doing this, whilst creating real opportunities in global communities, and taking care of our environment.

Collectively the skilled team offer a wealth of enthusiasm and experience in science and innovation, a deep knowledge and understanding of the ocean environment and aquaculture systems, as well as financial, strategic and creative thinking to drive the company forward.

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  • Chief Executive Officer

Scott Parkinson

Scott is passionate about science and the sea. He has worked in aquaculture for over 30 years, across research and development, commercial operations and sales. Scott is dedicated to a sustainable future for aquaculture,  building the skills and expertise of the Ornatas team and engaging with communities to reach this goal.

Senior Management Team

Senior Management Team

Simon Davis

Site Manager Townsville

Simon is our site manager in Townsville. Simon has a vast and varied background and brings extensive experience in site and project management to the North Queensland site. He is responsible for managing and coordinating the construction and operation of the facility as it develops.
Senior Management Team

Jennifer Blair

Hatchery and Research & Development Manager

As the Hatchery Manager Jen is responsible for overseeing the commercialisation of the lobster hatchery technology at our Toomulla Beach site, that has been developed at UTAS over the last few decades. As the Research & Development Manager is responsible for managing special projects and guiding Ornatas’ strategic research and partnership needs, with the core focus in overseeing and managing the establishment of Ornatas’ grow-out operations, which has become a top priority for the business moving forward.
Senior Management Team

Jo Tonacia

Office Administration Manager

Jo's role is to keep the site office running smoothly and provide support for the staff and on-site visitors. Jo supports the Site Manager, plans and coordinates administrative procedures and systems, and devises ways to streamline the Ornatas processes.

Technical Team

Technical Team

Simon Davis

Site Manager Townsville

Simon is our site manager in Townsville. Simon has a vast and varied background and brings extensive experience in site and project management to the North Queensland site. He is responsible for managing and coordinating the construction and operation of the facility as it develops.
Technical Team

Jennifer Blair

Hatchery and Research & Development Manager

As the Hatchery Manager Jen is responsible for overseeing the commercialisation of the lobster hatchery technology at our Toomulla Beach site, that has been developed at UTAS over the last few decades. As the Research & Development Manager is responsible for managing special projects and guiding Ornatas’ strategic research and partnership needs, with the core focus in overseeing and managing the establishment of Ornatas’ grow-out operations, which has become a top priority for the business moving forward.
Technical Team

Jo Tonacia

Office Administration Manager

Jo's role is to keep the site office running smoothly and provide support for the staff and on-site visitors. Jo supports the Site Manager, plans and coordinates administrative procedures and systems, and devises ways to streamline the Ornatas processes.
Brandon Panebianco Senior Hatchery Technician

Brandon Panebianco

Hatchery Team Leader

Brandon is our Hatchery Team Leader, who coordinates the hatchery staff tasks. Brandon is responsible for the construction of RAS systems and supporting infrastructure around the farm. He also plays an important role in assisting with managing the operation of RAS systems, animal husbandry and health management, water quality management and feeding.
Technical Team

Lachlan Davison

Nursery Team Leader

Lachlan is our Nursery Team Leader who coordinates activities with our juvenile lobsters in the nursery. Lachlan works across all areas of our hatchery operations including juvenile production, larval rearing, broodstock and systems maintenance. His major focus however is managing the juveniles in our hatchery which includes the operation of the recirculating aquaculture systems, animal husbandry and health management, water quality management and feeding.
Technical Team

Kate Bowie

Senior Broodstock Technician

Kate works in the broodstock area of the hatchery. The role includes system management, water quality monitoring, animal husbandry and bacterial sample collection.
Technical Team

Bianca Davis

Juvenile Feed Technician

Bianca's role is to undertake the manufacturing of high quality juvenile diet to ensure our juveniles lobsters move through their benchmarking stages. Bianca is also in charge of stock management for the juvenile feed ingredients.
Ben Smith

Benjamin Smith

Resident Hatchery Technician

Ben is employed as our onsite Resident Hatchery Technician who is on-call for 5 days out of 7. Ben’s role involves working with the water treatment systems, hatchery operations and contributes to everything from broodstock to live feeds.
Emerson Shearin

Emerson Shearin

Hatchery Technician

Emerson is responsible for looking after our larval lobsters by ensuring the larvae have the right water quality during their early stages of development, and that their tanks and hatchery systems are kept clean. Emerson also monitors larval growth and feed consumption to ensure they are healthy and achieving known growth benchmarks.
Technical Team

Tessa Ramshaw

Larval Technician

Tessa is responsible for looking after our larval lobsters by ensuring the larvae have the right water quality during their early stages of development, and that their tanks and hatchery systems are kept clean. Tessa also monitor’s their growth and feed consumption to ensure they are healthy and achieving known growth benchmarks.
Technical Team

Melissa Royan

Feed Technician

With a background in lab management, Mel has the important role of working in our feed manufacturing area to ensure our feed is of the highest quality, is manufactured clean and is free of unwanted bacteria for the growth of our Tropical Rock Lobsters. Mel works closely with our site manager to help upscale our feed manufacturing plant and equipment as we expand and grow our Hatchery.
Technical Team

Jordan MacRae

Larval Technician

Jordan is responsible for looking after our larval lobsters by ensuring the larvae have the right water quality during their early stages of development, and that their tanks and hatchery systems are kept clean. Jordan also monitors juvenile growth and feed consumption to ensure they are healthy and achieving known growth benchmarks.
Technical Team

Breanna Osborne

Biosecurity Technical Officer

Breanna is our Biosecurity Technical Officer. She provides technical support for the commercial production of Tropical Rock Lobsters aligned with the company Biosecurity Plan, through collaboration with hatchery and farm operations to ensure optimum health and quality of our lobsters by collecting, monitoring and reporting farm water quality conditions, lobster health and bacteriology, and undertaking day-to-day general hatchery operations as required.
Technical Team

Joseph Dukes

Hatchery Technician

Joseph is responsible for looking after our larval lobsters by ensuring the larvae have the right water quality during their early stages of development, and that their tanks and hatchery systems are kept clean. Joseph also works with the team to monitor their growth and feed consumption and ensure they are healthy and meeting their growth benchmarks.
Technical Team

Andrew Lange

Juvenile Technician

Andrew is responsible for looking after our Juvenile lobsters to ensure they are healthy and meet their growth benchmarks. This includes keep the Juvenile systems at optimal conditions, and managing their water quality, daily animal husbandry, health management and feeding.
Technical Team

Harrison Gardiner

Juvenile Technician

Harrison is responsible for our Juvenile lobsters to ensure they are healthy and meet their growth benchmarks. Harrison’s role is to keep the Juvenile systems at optimal conditions, which includes managing water quality, daily animal husbandry, health management and feeding.
Technical Team

Sam Mason

Maintenance Technician

Sam is employed as our onsite Welder/Fabricator/ Maintenance Technician. His role is welding, fabrication and assembly of the structural stands and racking systems. Sam is also a good All-Rounder who can assist in plumbing, mechanical and general farm maintenance.
Technical Team

Brian Mealor

Site Caretaker

Brian is the site groundsman, his role is to keep the farm clean and maintained. He works with the team to assist with equipment maintenance and the operation of light machinery when needed for construction activities.

Ornatas Board

martin-rees

Executive Director

Martin Rees

Until 2015, Martin was a partner in KPMG Tasmania for 25 years specialising in corporate finance and commercialisation of new technologies. He was responsible for the establishment of In-tellinc, a Hobart based IT incubator/seed investor which over the past 15 years has invested in over 40 start-up companies generating a number of national and global successes.

Martin has been a founding Director of a number of these ventures and brings these skills to Ornatas. He is also a Director of Foundry Pty. Ltd, TasmaNet Pty. Ltd, St. Lukes Health Ltd and Pets Domain Ltd. Martin and his family own and operate a vineyard and wine business in Relbia and he is currently Chair of Wine Tasmania.

brian-kohl

Director

Brian Kohl

Brian is the shareholder represenative on the Board. He is a born and bred Tasmanian with a long history in community and environmental areas of work. He has an Economics degree from the University of Tasmania, and has worked in all levels of Government before moving to private industry. He is currently a shareholder and Director of a number of Tasmanian companies and spends much of his time sailing throughout the South East Asian region.

Brian’ s professional career has included roles of Senior Economic Advisor to both the Labour and Greens parties. Brian is currently the Director and CEO of one of Tasmania’s largest private equity hedge funds.

peta-sugden

Director

Peta Sugden

Peta holds a senior role in the Tasmanian State Service where her primary focus is to enable investment into Tasmania through investment matching. Peta’s State Government Experience includes investment attraction and facilitation and food and agri-business development. Peta has also held Ministerial Office roles including as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff with the former Government.

Peta’s private sector experience includes senior management positions within the Tasmanian poppy industry and a global inspection where she held qualifications as a Senior Lead Auditor, specialising in quality assurance auditing in the food industry and undertook food safety training nationally and globally.

Ornatas

Our People

Ornatas is lead by a team dedicated to a sustainable future for seafood, with a shared ambition to create opportunities in global communities, and respect for our environment. Collectively the team and board provides a wealth of enthusiasm and experience in science and innovation, a deep knowledge and understanding of the ocean environment and aquaculture systems, as well as financial, strategic and creative thinking to drive the company.

Scott Parkinson Ornatas CEO

Scott Parkinson, CEO

Scott is passionate about science and the sea, he has worked in Australian aquaculture for 30 years, in senior positions across research and development, commercial operations and sales.  Scott has built greenfield facilities and redeveloped many land based aquaculture facilities through-out Australia.  He was instrumental in the recovery of the Tasmanian oyster industry from POMs in 2015 and was responsible for implementing the first 3rd part biosecurity audit of any shellfish facility within Australia.

The Ornatas Board

Martin Rees Ornatas Executive Director

Martin Rees, Executive Director

Until 2015, Martin was a partner in KPMG Tasmania for 25 years specialising in corporate finance and commercialisation of new technologies.  He was responsible for the establishment of In-tellinc, a Hobart based IT incubator/seed investor which over the past 15 years has invested in over 40 start-up companies generating a number of national and global successes.  Martin has been a founding Director of a number of these ventures and brings these skills to Ornatas.  He is also a Director of Foundry Pty. Ltd., TasmaNet Pty. Ltd, St. Lukes Health Ltd and Pets Domain Ltd.  Martin and his family own and operate a vineyard and wine business in Relbia and he is currently Chair of Wine Tasmania.

Brian Kohl Ornatas Director

Brian Kohl, Director

Brian is the shareholder representative on the Board.  He is a born and bred Tasmanian with a long history in community and environmental areas of work.  He has an Economics degree from the University of Tasmania, and has worked in all levels of Government before moving to private industry.  He is currently a shareholder and Director of a number of Tasmanian companies and spends much of his time sailing throughout the South East Asian region. Brian’s professional career has included roles of Senior Economic Advisor to both the Labour and Greens parties.  Brian is currently the Director and CFO of one of Tasmania’s largest private equity hedge funds.

Peta Sudgen Ornatas Director

Peta Sugden, Director

Peta holds a senior role in the Tasmanian State Service where her primary focus is to enable investment into Tasmania through investment matching. Peta’s State Government Experience includes investment attraction and facilitation and food and agri-business development.  Peta has also held Ministerial Office roles including as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff with the former Government.  Peta’s private sector experience includes senior management positions within the Tasmanian poppy industry and a global inspection where she held qualifications as a Senior Lead Auditor, specialising in quality assurance auditing in the food industry and undertook food safety training nationally and globally.

Strength in partnerships

Research Partners

Commercial Partners

Funding Partners

FRDC
CRCNA