Andrew Cornejo, Vigorous Limbo and BOLA

What has been the process for taking a research topic to commercialisation??

What is the future of decarbonisation and the prospects for hydrogen?

Where is the next phase likely to be?

These were some of the questions put to Dr Andrew Cornejo when he led a conversation for Band of Leaders Australia (BOLA) members and guests entitled Vigorous Limbo, at the group’s monthly meeting on Friday 18 October at Casa Nostra in Osborne Park.

BOLA is a peer membership group for business owners and chief executives.? We seek to take our members beyond achievement to success—the essence of leadership.? Inviting Guest Conversations is a key activity in our group meeting.

Andrew is an Australian engineer and entrepreneur, renowned for his contributions to renewable energy and advanced technologies.? He is the co-founder and ex-Chief Technology Officer of Hazer Group, a company focused on producing low-emission hydrogen and graphite from methane using iron ore as a catalyst.

The Hazer Process was invented by Andrew during his PhD studies at UWA, where he combined his technical knowledge and passion for commercial innovations to develop this globally disruptive technology.?

Under his leadership, Hazer Group has evolved from a promising research topic to a publicly listed company with a valuation exceeding $200m—a venture that took over 16 years.? In recognition of his achievements and impact, Andrew Cornejo was honoured as a 40 under 40 winner in 2019.?

In the in-depth conversation he revealed the story of his surprising chemical process and a fascinating career—which is about to enter a new phase.

Andrew finished his PhD in 2013 and worked for Rio Tinto as a mechanical engineer while looking for funding.? Hazer (hydrogen and zero emissions research) was able to list on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2015, likely because graphite was in demand at that time.? Initially they raised $<1m through family and friends, then $5m through brokers and the Initial Public Offering.

The key innovation was the use of iron ore as the catalyst, which eliminated the complexity and expense of other forms of catalyst.?? The Hazer technology is now in the 5th scale up stage, extracting about 1tonne/hour of carbon from methane.

Andrew said that: “With a lot of innovators the biggest failing is the commercialisation—it can be difficult to find partners with the requisite skill set and vision. The technical guy may have a lot of passion but may be na?ve commercially to begin with.? Having the right team around you is therefore crucial.”

As for the future of the process, Andrew said that: “to be economical the process will require value from at least 2 of the 3 product outcomes [graphite, decarbonisation and hydrogen]— The process will also need developed to a commercial scale.”

And the next phase for Andrew?

“Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics interest me, but at this stage I am just doing it for me – this is my ‘vigorous limbo’ opportunity,” he said, “to explore for the joy of exploring.”

“For the next opportunity, I would rather do it and fail than not try and regret it. There is brilliance out there through podcasts and courses where we can learn amazing stuff directly from the originator—I can touch stuff that would otherwise we well out of my reach: AI, philosophy, physics are my areas of interest.”?

BOLA members will next meet on Friday 15 November, again at Casa Nostra in Osborne Park.? Our Guest Conversation will be with Bruce Dodd, commercial dispute resolution specialist and former Regional Commissioner of ASIC.

Typically, our agenda includes such a Guest Conversation as Andrew’s, processing of strategic opportunities raised within the group and leadership development tools and activities.

Prospective members and referrers are invited on request as Paul Manning is continuing to build his BOLA Growth group.

In the meantime, each BOLA Prime member will have a monthly coaching session with their BOLA Chair, Jeff.

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Next week:? Moving Through Our World

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About the Author

Jeff Bell?is Principal of executive consultancy ResultsWise in Perth, WA.?To boost your leadership, ask Jeff about Band of Leaders Australia (BOLA) [email protected] and his consulting, coaching and strategy facilitation, or his Advanced Leadership Course [email protected] Mobile 0439 988 662.?