ULTRA CORAL AUSTRALIA

Managing Director of Ultra Coral Australia Pty Ltd, has over 25 years of experience diving most areas of the Great Barrier Reef using SSBA. Nic spends up to 260 days per annum diving the Great Barrier Reef and is familiar with a number of the priority reefs identified in the target areas and observes first hand the impact COTS has on these reefs. Nic has conducted well over 10,000 dives on the Great Barrier Reef. Nic has also carried out reef health surveys including transects, water quality testing, video footage and utilising the ‘Eye on the Reef’ app.

As the CEO of Ultra Coral, Aaron Sellentin oversees the strategic direction of the business and manages day to day business operations. Aaron joined Ultra Coral in early 2019, bringing over 18 years’ experience as a lawyer in private practice and executive experience as managing director of several companies. In addition to his extensive business and legal experience, Aaron has worked in heavy industry manufacturing, on mine sites and at two separate coal terminals. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from James Cook University.

Chief Financial Officer of Ultra Coral Australia Pty Ltd, a qualified accountant and will oversee all commercial aspects of the project. Michael will ensure the project remains on budget through the provision of timely financial reports and information to UCA management. Michael has many years of experience working in medium to large companies at CFO and Director level.

Ivy is a co-owner supporting the executive team with project development and coordination. Ivy brings 15+ years of Finance broking business management, holds a HR truck licence and diving qualifications. Ivy loves getting out on the water with her husband Nic, she is passionate about the environment and committed to being a part of the solution to help our oceans.

Dr. Caballes is the Principal Research Scientist for UCA’s Research and Development Department. Concurrently, he is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University. He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications on coral reef ecology and crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) biology. He received his Masters in Biology degree from the University of Guam in 2009 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Biology degree from James Cook University in 2017. Much of his work during his masters and doctorate studies have been dedicated to improving our understanding of COTS outbreaks. Dr. Caballes was part of the team, led by Dr. Jairo Rivera-Posada and Prof. Morgan Pratchett, that developed novel COTS control methods and identified bile salts as an efficient alternative for directly controlling COTS outbreaks. He has conducted extensive underwater surveys and field experiments in Micronesia and the Great Barrier Reef. He is a professional member of the International Society for Reef Studies and the Australian Coral Reef Society, and an executive committee member for the North Queensland Branch of the Australian Marine Sciences Association. His research at UCA examines the abundance, distribution, growth, and reproductive biology of species targeted by the coral fishery, with the ultimate goal of developing sustainable harvest strategies and best practices for sexual and asexual propagation of corals.

Barbra’s goal is to empower our teams and make them more effective at their jobs. Ensuring we as a team are emotionally and mentally fit. Spending most of her time advocating for both the business and for my teams to have the right tools and resources to succeed. This role ensures the business and staff have adequate certifications, conduct human resource and administration functions. Her role includes human resources of staff which includes, marine biologists, aquarist’s, researchers, divers and administration staff. It involves the implementation of policies procedures, health and safety, employment agreements, annual leave, team building, job roles, staff inductions, confidentiality agreements and corrective placement of personality types. Including accommodation, rosters, travel management, recruitment, leave, event and training co-ordination. Barbra is a professional member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, QUT and a Work Health and Safety Certificate IV BSB41415

For the last decade Ryan has been employed in the Aquarium industry. Working with public aquariums learning about a variety of marine life, specialising in coral husbandry and care. He has also worked with a number of import and export coral companies. Previously from Melbourne, an Open Water Scuba Diver instructor with over 1500 dives in places such as the Great Barrier Reef, Port Phillip Bay and the odd Aquarium Tank. He has extensive knowledge of coral species and their husbandry and how to care for them within an aquaculture atmosphere.

Yoshi’s love for coral began in 2015 and he is now the proud owner of a 130 gallon reef aquarium. He has experience in keeping SPS, LPS, soft corals, propagation, fragging and their identification. Additionally Yoshi holds aquascaping skills and has an understanding of coral mounting, and his passion for photographing coral can be observed on the UCA Facebook page.

When Yoshi is not taking care of the marine life he can be found negotiating with UCA clients using his extensive experience in sales and multicultural competency. Relationship building and working with various stakeholders is what he excels at the most, with the ability to deliver to clients their requirements consistently. Yoshi’s educational background includes a Master of Commerce, HR (University of Western Sydney), Bachelor of Science Psychology (University of New South Wales).