About Us

About BIO-GILL

Sydney-based BIO-GILL Environmental Pty Ltd was formed to commercialise award-winning, leading-edge wastewater treatment technology developed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). ANSTO fi rst developed bio-gills in 2004 in its Materials Engineering Institute.

The technology has a wide range of applications – in particular, waste water treatment and recycling. Bio-gills have already been successfully demonstrated at various scales with grey water, grease-trap wastewater, sewage and with many different industrial wastewater streams such as effluent from breweries, wineries and a detergent factory.

Key Personnel

• John West Chief Executive Officer
• Dr Anthony Taylor Chief Scientist and Head of Research & Development
• Mark Smith Director of Business and Marketing
• Louise West Director Finance & Administration
• Dr Philip Myers Director of Business Development & Corporate Affairs

John West (ACM, AIMM)
Chief Executive Officer

As a Director and CEO of BIO-GILL Environmental, John is responsible for the day-to-day running of the business and holds overall responsibility for the sales and marketing functions. John drives sales, business growth and ensures profit margins are within expected thresholds, while overseeing operations and researching new products.

Throughout his career John has worked in many aspects of the building and construction industry – from a qualified tradesman when he started his career to senior management positions within a variety of organizations related to the construction industry. His grassroots knowledge of construction and his ability to work with and motivate people have assisted him to continually drive revenue growth for many organizations.

John’s management experience spans organizations such as White International, Stegbar, Siddons Ramset Industrial, Ramset and Cromford. John holds a Graduate Certificate and Post Graduate Certificate in Management from Deakin University. He maintains memberships with the Australian Institute of Management, Housing Industry Association and Australian Water Association.

Dr Anthony Taylor (Ph.D., B.Sc. Microbiology)
Chief Scientist and Head of Research & Development

As the inventor of the technology that underpins BIO-GILL Environmental (the nano-particulate membrane bioreactor), Tony is the Chief Scientist and Head of Research and Development. As part of his role he continues to develop the Bio-Gill system and to customize its use for specific industries.

Tony is a multi-disciplinary scientist with experience in microbiology, biochemistry, physics, chemical engineering, astrobiology, nanotechnology and mineralogy. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. (Microbiology) from The University of Queensland.

While studying for his PhD, Tony collaborated with some of NASA’s most senior researchers in order to identify the presence of microfossils in the Martial meteorite ALH84001. This work disproved previous theories and was reported on globally.

Also during his PhD studies, Tony helped characterize nanobacteria that grew out of sandstone from Western Australia, proving that nanobes as small as 20-30 nm in diameter are actually a life form and are not mineralic features or artifacts of specimen preparation.

For his Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Tony worked at ANSTO as a nanobiotechnologist on encapsulation of microbes to make living rocks. It was a spin-off of this research that led to his invention of the nano-particulate membrane bioreactor (NMB).

Tony has also set records – that still hold today – for the smallest biological structure imaged (2.4 Å), the smallest bimineralic structure imaged (1.05Å), and the smallest life form (20 nm). Earlier in his career, Tony invented Morphed Entropy, based on fl uid dynamics, emulsion and polymer chemistry, and chaos theory.

Keen to share his knowledge, Tony has also worked as a lecturer in microbiology at Griffith University and still regularly reviews manuscripts on topics such as wastewater treatment, nanobiotechnology, biochemical engineering, chemotherapy and electron microscopy for leading scientific journals.

Mark Smith (BBus Marketing)
Director of Business & Marketing

In his role as Director of Business & Marketing, Mark works with our licensed operators globally to develop BIO-GILL in their regions. His expertise is utilized to identify opportunities and develop the strategies that will allow BIO-GILL and our business partners to harness them effectively.

Mark has a career spanning over 20 years in marketing and senior management. Working for News Limited, Murdoch Magazines and S. Hudson & Associations, Mark has assisted numerous organizations to develop business opportunities, increase revenue and drive product innovation.

Mark’s strategic focus and customer-centric approach have been utilized more recently in his role as a business consultant. His consulting expertise has assisted many SME’s across a range of industries to devise business plans and strategies that support their long-term growth targets.

Mark obtained a Bachelor of Business Degree majoring in Marketing from the University of Technology in Sydney. As well as being a talented marketer, his broad ranging skills in management and business strategy development are transferrable across all industries, as well as the private and public sectors.

Louise West
Director Finance & Administration

As the Director of Finance & Administration, Louise is a key member of the BIO-GILL Management Team. Using her extensive business experience, Louise defines the organization’s branding strategies and manages the finance and administration functions within BIO-GILL.

Since 2005, Louise has been a Director of Watershed West where she oversees finance, administration and marketing. She also works with the management team on business development and planning. Prior to joining BIO-GILL, Louise held management positions with a variety of private and public sector organizations.

Louise holds a Bachelor of Communications and maintains memberships with both The Housing Industry and Australian Water Associations.

Dr Philip Myers (PhD, BSc Microbiology)
Director of Business Development & Corporate Affairs

As Director of Development & Corporate Affairs, Dr Myers has the important task of ensuring the organization complies with all legislative requirements as well as maintaining system patents and developing alliances with key corporate and government bodies.

With a career spanning 39 years, Dr Myers has a wealth of expertise in all aspects of commercializing technology, IP management, licensing, mergers, acquisitions, divestments and capital raising. Prior to joining BIO-Gill, Dr Myers was a Director and CEO of Australian Membrane Technologies, the company responsible for the development of the nano-particulate membrane bioreactor technology that underpins BIO-GILL Environmental.

Dr Myers holds a Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) and PhD in Microbial Biochemistry from the University of Reading, UK. As well as being a scientist, Dr Myers is a respected business leader and visionary, having held senior management or director positions with organizations such as TECRA, CeramiSphere Pty Ltd and Australian Membrane Technologies.