BNET Industries

Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.

is in the Manufacturing Industry

Last Fiscal Year Sales:$328.1K
  • Private
  • US
Dow Jones Description

Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc., ("SES"), is an energy and technology company that builds, owns and operates coal gasification plants that utilize its proprietary U-GAS fluidized bed gasification technology to convert low rank coal and coal wastes into higher value energy products, such as transportation fuel and ammonia. The U-GAS technology, which we license from the Gas Technology Institute, gasifies coal without many of the harmful emissions normally associated with coal combustion plants. The primary advantages of U-GAS relative to other gasification technologies are greater fuel flexibility provided by our ability to use all ranks of coal (including low rank, high ash and high moisture coals, which are significantly cheaper than higher grade coals), many coal waste products and biomass feed stocks, and our ability to operate efficiently on a smaller scale, which enables us to construct plants more quickly, at a lower capital cost, and, in many cases, in closer proximity to coal sources. SES currently has offices in Houston, Texas and Shanghai, China. Our principal business activities are currently focused in China and the United States, areas which are estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy to represent a combined 40% of total global coal reserves. For more information on our projects, please visit Our Projects page.

President, CEO, Asia Pacific
Donald Bunnell
Number of Employees 201
Contact Information

Three Riverway Ste 300

Houston, Texas 77056

www.synthesisen...

(713) 579-0600

NAICS Code All Other Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing: 324199

Recent Events

  • Synthesis Energy Systems Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results

    10/29/09 - Financial Announcement - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems Announces Fourth Quarter 2009 Financial Results

    9/15/09 - Financial Announcement - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems President and CEO Robert Rigdon Appointed to Company Board of Directors

    8/18/09 - Mgmt. Change Entering - Vice President - View Story

News & Analysis

synthesis energy systems inc. - All News and Analysis

Decision Makers

Name (plus bio) Position
Donald Bunnell President, CEO, Asia Pacific
Robert Rigdon President and Chief Executive Officer
David Eichinger Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development
Gregory Golden Chief Technologist
Kevin Kelly Chief Accounting Officer & Controller
Rober W. Rigdon COO & Senior Vice President, Global Dev
David Nicoll Senior Vice President of Engineering
J. Mathew Whitaker Senior Vice President, Business Dev
Ann Tanabe Vice President of Investor Relations
Lee Khee Yoong Asia, Pacific Director of Finance
Terry Dorsey Director of Corporate Finance and Strategic Planning
Gary Yang Asia, Pacific Procurement Manager
Suzanne McLeod Manager, Investor Relations
Bartho van Otterdyk Controller
Carol Pearson Corporate Controller and Secretary
Caroll Pearson Controller & Secretary
Edward Zhuang Asia, Pacific Controller
Rick Dekreek Network Support Engineer

Board of Directors

Name (plus bio) Position
Denis Slavich Board of Directors
Harry Rubin Board of Directors
Michael Storey Board of Directors
Timothy Vail Board of Directors

Organization Position Status
Ecoworld, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc President, CEO, Asia Pacific Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Board of Directors Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Board of Directors Current
BHP Billiton Limited Asia Business Development Vice President for Bhp Billiton's Aluminum Group Former
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Co-Founder Former
Coastal Power Corporation Manager Former
Miami University J.D. Former
Miami University B.A. Former

Mr. Rigdon was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of SES in March 2009. Mr. Rigdon previously served as the Company's Chief Operations Officer since November 2008. Mr. Rigdon joined SES in May 2008 as Senior Vice President of Operations and was responsible for overseeing the implementation and operation of the Company's coal gasification projects worldwide. From June 2004 until joining us, Mr. Rigdon worked for GE Energy in a variety of capacities, including Manager Gasification Engineering, Director IGCC Commercialization, and Director Gasification Industrials and Chemicals Business. For the 20 years previous to this, Mr. Rigdon worked for Texaco, and later ChevronTexaco, as an engineer and in the Worldwide Power & Gasification group, where he ultimately became Vice President Gasification Technology for the group. Mr. Rigdon is a mechanical engineer with a B.S. from Lamar University.

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc President and Chief Executive Officer Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Senior Vice President of Global Development Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Senior Vice President of Global Development Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Senior Vice President of Global Development Former
Texaco Engineer Former
GE Energy Former

Organization Position Status
Ecoworld, Inc. Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Current
Exxon Chemicals Analyst Former
Carnegie Mellon University M.B.A. Former
Carnegie Mellon University B.S. Former

Mr. Golden is our Chief Technologist and a co-founder of the Company. Mr. Golden has 30 years of experience in the power industry developing, designing, building and operating power plants, including experience with IGCC power and utility plants. Mr. Golden worked for Enron Corporation from 1991 through 2001. From March to November 2001, Mr. Golden led Enron Corporation's technical definition and estimate phase of a solid fuel power generation initiative. This solid fuel initiative helped Mr. Golden to better understand the competitiveness of IGCC power utility plants and led him to the U-GAS technology. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Golden led several technical proposal teams for "inside-the-fence" utility supply facilities and was also general manager of development engineering responsible for technical support for the development of several large power plants in China. From March 1994 to June 1996, Mr. Golden managed the construction of a 150 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant in Hainan, China. Mr. Golden also assumed responsibility during this period for the review and oversight of a 550 MW poly-generation facility for the Saras Oil Refinery in Italy. When Mr. Golden joined Enron in 1991, he initially managed the development and construction of power plants in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. Of Mr. Golden's 30 years in the power industry, he has spent most of the past 10 years developing and building power and poly-generation plants. Mr. Golden graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Chief Technologist Current
Rice University B.S. In Mechanical Engineering Former

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Chief Accounting Officer & Controller Current
W-H Energy Services, Inc. Corporate Controller Former

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc COO & Senior Vice President, Global Dev Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Senior Vice President, Global Operations Former

David J.H. Nicoll . Mr. Nicoll has served as our Senior Vice President of Engineering since June 1, 2007, and is responsible for the Company s engineering and technology acquisition and development activities. For the previous 14 years, Mr. Nicoll managed his own consulting group providing project development and financing services on a worldwide basis to companies in power, petrochemical, oil refining and minerals processing sectors. Prior to these activities, Mr. Nicoll served as Vice President Project Finance for the Fluor Corporation and Combustion Engineering, and Managing Director of a grass roots petrochemical company in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mr. Nicoll is Chemical Engineer with a Bachelors Degree from the Loughborough University of Technology in Loughborough, England.

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Senior Vice President of Engineering Current
Fluor Corporation Vice President Former

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Senior Vice President, Business Dev Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Vice President of Investor Relations Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Yoong Asia, Pacific Director of Finance Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Director of Corporate Finance and Strategic Planning Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Asia, Pacific Procurement Manager Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Manager, Investor Relations Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Controller Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Corporate Controller and Secretary Current
Cornell Companies, Inc. Corporate Controller Former
Northeast Louisiana University B.B.A. In Accounting Former

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Controller & Secretary Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Secretary Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Asia, Pacific Controller Current

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Network Support Engineer Current

Organization Position Status
Global Capital Group, Inc. Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Board of Directors Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Director Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Director Current
Bigmachines, Inc. Cfo Former
Bigmachines, Inc. Vice President Former
Leading Edge Technologies, LLC Chairman Former
University of Pittsburgh M.B.A. Former
University of California, Berkeley B.S. In Electrical Engineering Former

Mr. Rubin has been a Director since August 5, 2006. Mr. Rubin is currently Chairman of Henmead Enterprises, in which capacity he advises various companies regarding strategy, acquisitions and divestitures. He currently serves as a Director of Image-Metrics Plc, and has held board positions at a number of private and public companies such as the A&E Network, RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video and the Genisco Technology Corporation. He was a founding partner of the Boston Beer Company (maker of Samuel Adams Beer). In the 12 years prior to 2006, Mr. Rubin held various senior management roles in the computer software industry, including Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Atari, and President of International Operations and Chief Financial Officer for GT Interactive Software. Mr. Rubin entered the computer software business in 1993 when he became Executive VP for GT Interactive Software as a start-up company, and played a leadership role in GT's progression as the company went public in 1995 and became one of the largest industry players. Prior to 1993, he held various senior financial and general management positions at RCA, GE and NBC. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Business School, and resides in New York City.

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Board of Directors Current
Image Metrics Plc Director Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Director Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Director Current
Gt Interactive Software Executive Vice President Former
Boston Beer Company, Inc. Partner Former
Stanford University Former

Mr. Storey has been a Director since November 7, 2005. Mr. Storey has over 25 years of experience pioneering dynamic, early growth businesses and directing successful long-term strategic planning at the highest levels of various global communications industries. From 2000, he served as President and CEO of Inmarsat Ventures, creators of the world's first total global satellite system for mobile and remote communications services, with revenues of $500 million. Mr. Storey was recruited to lead the former intergovernmental consortium reorganized as a private company to commercialize operations and to set the strategic vision for the next decade. Due to the groundbreaking nature of Inmarsat structure and operations, Mr. Storey's work charted important new territory in the global communications industry. He prepared the company for several public offerings before, due to market conditions and certain unique aspects of the business, recommending to the board and then conducting an extremely competitive private equity sale of the company. In what was described by the firm's investment bankers, Morgan Stanley, as "the most complicated transaction our team has ever been involved with," the sale raised $1.5 billion -- a 50% premium to what Morgan Stanley expected in a public market transaction. Under his direction, annual revenues and operating profit both increased by more than $100 million and a fourth generation of satellites were developed at a capital cost of $1.6 billion. His mission solidly accomplished, he resigned in March of 2004, and continued for 2 years as Advisor to the Chairman. Prior to his position at Inmarsat, Mr. Storey ran several telecommunications businesses during European deregulation that eventually became Verizon Europe. Under his direction, the businesses operated in eight national markets with over 1300 employees, and grew annual revenues from $5 million to $1 billion in the period from 1994 to 1999 through an even mixture of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Mr. Storey also established a business in cable television and telecommunications in the early 1980s, leading the push to create the required regulatory framework for an entire industry. With a partner, he grew this business and acquired several franchises before selling his interests in 1992 to Videotron and Bell Canada. He served as a Director and then Chairman of the Cable Communications Association from 1983 to 1990, representing all the investors in the U.K. cable industry. Mr. Storey served for 10 years as a Vice President and Partner of Booze Allen Hamilton International Management Consultants, directing more than 100 strategic consulting assignments globally across a wide range of industries. Prior to entering the communications industry, he worked in the healthcare industry, operating hospitals in the U.K., Middle East, and North America. Mr. Storey obtained his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1968.

Organization Position Status
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Board of Directors Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Director Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Director Current
Inmarsat plc CEO Former
Inmarsat plc President Former
University of Chicago M.B.A. Former

Organization Position Status
Ecoworld, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs President and Chief Executive Officer Current
Ecoworld, Inc. Board of Directors Current
Environmental Defense Fund Blogs Board of Directors Current
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc Board of Directors Current
Enron Energy Services Vice President Former
The New Power Vice President of Product Development Former
Synthesis Energy Systems Inc President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Former
Andrews Kurth Llp Lawyer Former
University of Houston Law Center J.D. Former
The University of Houston J.D. Former
The University of Texas at Austin B.A. In Economics Former

Executive News

  • Synthesis Energy Systems to Present at the Deutsche Bank 2009 Alternative Energy...

    Reuters - 6/02/09 - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems to Present at the Deutsche Bank 2009 Alternative Energy Conference

    PR Newswire - 6/02/09 - View Story

  • Accelergy lures Vail, Eichinger from Synthesis Energy

    Houston Business Journal - 5/12/09 - View Story

  • Accelergy Appoints Energy Veterans as CEO and CFO

    RBC Dain Raushcer - 5/12/09 - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. F3Q09 (Qtr End 03/31/09) Earnings Call Transcript

    Seeking Alpha - 5/08/09 - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems Announces Third Quarter Financial Results

    PR Newswire via Yahoo! - 5/08/09 - View Story

  • Synthesis Energy Systems Announces Third Quarter Financial Results

    PR Newswire - 5/08/09 - View Story