Management team
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Jake Dingle
CEO, Managing Director
- Started at Carbon Revolution in 2008 as one of the initial investors and founders
- Background in engineering, operations, strategy and M&A within Australian listed companies
- Former head of M&A and Corporate Development for Goodman Fielder and has also held positions at, BCG, L.E.K. and Tenix Defence Systems
- Mechanical Engineering degree from RMIT with First Class Honours and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School (Deans List and Rupert Murdoch Fellow).
Gerard Buckle
Chief Financial Officer
- An experienced senior executive, with a demonstrated capacity to develop and implement strategic plans and improve business performance
- Previous roles at Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Olex, Repco, Jetstar and Orica, with previous CFO roles at Jetstar, Orica and Olex
- Chartered Accountant, with a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance qualifications
Dr Ashley Denmead
Chief Technology Officer
- Founder of Carbon Revolution.
- More than ten years of experience in virtual and physical prototyping of composite parts for motorsports, marine and industrial applications.
- Double degree in Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honours) and Computer Science (Software Development) and a PhD in composite materials at the Deakin University Centre for Materials and Fibre Innovation.
David Nock
General Counsel, Company Secretary
- Joined Carbon Revolution in August 2017.
- Previous roles within listed Australian, US and European entities including Regional Commercial Director, Oakley Asia Pacific (Luxottica Group S.p.A.), Regional General Counsel, Quiksilver Asia Pacific (Quiksilver, Inc.), and roles at Publishing & Broadcasting Limited and Village Roadshow Limited.
- Arts and Law Degrees from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from the Melbourne Business School (Dean’s List).
Andrew Higginbotham
Operations Director
- An operations leader with Ford Motor Company progressing to Operations Director and Plant Manager leading up to 1400 employees with an operating budget of $90 million.
- Leadership roles in assembly, machining, stamping and quality operations with experience in the United States and Japan and also a member of the Australian Executive Committee.
- Divisional General Manager of Motorised Division at Jayco leading production, R&D, purchasing and sales functions.
- A specialist in leading substantial change, continuous improvement and lean manufacturing.
- Masters in Advanced Manufacturing from RMIT, and First class Honours in Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at Monash University.
Dave French
Vice President, Operations
- Joined in February 2022.
- Globally experienced automotive executive with an extensive background in business planning and strategy, vehicle program delivery, product development systems and manufacturing plant management.
- Over 35 years’ experience with Ford in Australia, China, US and Thailand including positions as global Vehicle Line Director (T6 products), Director of Cycle and Product Planning (Asia Pacific and Africa). Member of the PAC Group (USA) advisory board with a special interest in business alliance development.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from Adelaide University (Hons).
Sam Casabene
Director of Procurement and Supply
- Globally experienced purchasing executive with an extensive background in strategic procurement, product development, supply chain management and start-up operations.
- Focused on supplier relationships, quality and people development.
- Over 42 years in automotive including Ford Australia as Vice President of Purchasing, Director of Purchasing – Ford ASEAN region. based in Thailand, and Vice President Purchasing at Vinfast LLC, Vietnam.
- Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from RMIT University Melbourne, Certificate in Logistics, Mt Eliza Business School.
Jesse Kalkman
Vice President, Sales and Business Development
- Joined in August 2022
- An experienced Sales Executive with over 30 years in the Automotive Industry at multiple Tier 1 suppliers varying in size and products manufactured. Extensive experience supporting a global Customer base.
- Began career in Engineering and Program Management prior to transitioning to Sales. Led the Global Sales and Marketing Team at Nexteer Automotive. Most recently led the Sales team at Mobex Global.
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, MBA from Northwood University.
