DENNIS DONALD
Executive Chairman
Co-founded Warrego Energy Limited (a formerly ASX listed E&P company) in 2019 where he served as CEO until its sale to Hancock Energy for $440m cash in 2023. Warrego posted the largest percentage increase in value on takeover (takeover premium % uplift) on the ASX for over 20 years.
Founded and developed, and in many cases sold, several energy related businesses, from E&P exploration through oil field polymer products to natural hydrogen (Earth Source Hydrogen Limited, a work in progress). Spent 25 years with Shell introducing new technologies into, inter alia, the Brent Field.
Owain Franks
Chief Financial Officer
Mr Franks became a director of Warrego Energy Limited in 2011 and engineered the company’s ASX listing via an RTO in 2019 working closely with Dennis Donald. Post the listing he was an Executive Director of the Company and for a period, its CFO.
Mr Franks has an LLB(Hons) from the University of Southampton, a Post Graduate Diploma in Corporate Strategy from Harvard Business School and read for the Bar with the Inns of Court School of Law.
For a large part of his career (from 1984 to 2010) Mr Franks was a partner in PwC LLP in the UK. being a member of its UK Management Board for eight years from 1998 to 2008 as managing partner of one of its six lines of service and then as Head of Strategy for the firm.
In his professional practice, Mr Franks specialised in the oil & gas industry and was lead relationship and engagement partner for one of the world’s largest international oil companies and worked on other large, midcap and start-up exploration and production companies.
Walter Jennings
Co-Founder / Non-Executive Director
Walter Jennings, Co-Founder and visionary of Noble Helium, was instrumental in identifying the significant strategic potential of helium as a critical global resource. He has been a vocal advocate for geopolitical stability in securing reliable access to this essential gas, recognising its pivotal role in the advancement of 21st-century technologies. His vision and dedication remain central to Noble Helium’s positioning and marketing philosophy.
Mr. Jennings holds a Bachelor of Marketing from the University of Adelaide and brings extensive experience from senior executive roles at some of the world’s most prominent multinational corporations, including Mars, Kellogg’s, Quaker, and Holeproof, a division of Dunlop. Following a distinguished corporate career, he established his own advisory practice, through which he developed and implemented disruptive marketing strategies for major multinational clients. These initiatives drove transformative change across entire industries, delivering substantial cost efficiencies and meaningful revenue growth. He is widely regarded as an authority in brand positioning.
In retirement, Mr. Jennings remains fully engaged with Noble Helium Limited, where he continues to apply his expertise in strategic and disruptive marketing to support and advance the Company’s long-term growth objectives.
Jamie Clarke
Non-Executive Director
Mr Clarke is a highly experienced energy executive who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Clarke Energy Limited Group from 2010 to 2025, before stepping aside in a planned transition, taking up the role of Senior Executive Adviser. Clarke Energy is a privately held global engineering and power-generation business originally founded 1989. The company was later acquired by the US-based Kohler Company in 2017 (recently re-organising and rebranding its Energy Division as Rehlko).
Mr Clarke joined the family business in 2000 after graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with a marketing degree. He led Clarke Energy’s international expansion, helping to grow its operations into 27 countries and navigating private equity transactions through major growth phases. Under his leadership, Clarke Energy achieved substantial growth, with annual revenues exceeding £600 million by 2025.
Mr Clarke has been a long-term financial supporter of the Noble Helium. He brings extensive experience in international energy operations, facilitating strategic growth. He has built a global network across the energy sector, which will be invaluable as Noble Helium advances its helium projects toward production.
Amanda Burgess
Company Secretary / Non-Executive Director
Ms Burgess is an accounting and company secretary professional with over 30 years’ experience. She graduated from University of WA with a Bachelor of Economics degree and is a member of CPA Australia (CPA). She specialises in corporate compliance, statutory reporting and financial accounting. Ms Burgess currently holds CFO and Company Secretary positions with various Australian companies and is currently Company Secretary for ASX listed company Nico Resources Limited (ASX: NC1).
Key Management
JUSTYN WOOD
Chief Exploration Officer / Co-Founder
A petroleum geophysicist and highly successful explorer, Justyn Wood brings more than 25 years of E&P industry experience to Noble Helium.
Mr Wood has an outstanding track record of value creation with a global career in technical and managerial roles with majors and super-majors Chevron and Repsol and at juniors Hardman Resources and Jacka Resources Australia.
He has designed and executed numerous international frontier exploration projects and is recognised as having played key roles in unlocking the then frontier petroleum provinces of the East African Rift and the Guyana basins of NE South America.
As a proven contrarian opportunity finder and highly successful explorer, Mr Wood became aware of the importance of helium and the potential for a Tier-1 helium resource in the East African Rift System. Following extensive research, he has committed his full attention to applying his skills and experience in securing the global supply chain of this critical, high-value, rare and unique, technology-enabling gas.
Dermot O’Keeffe
COO
Mr. Dermot O’Keeffe is a Chief Operating Officer at Noble Helium Ltd. and a Member at Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining Ltd. He is on the Board of Directors at M3 Mining Ltd. Mr. O’Keeffe was previously employed as a Chief Operating Officer by Tende Energy Plc, a Managing Director by IPS Australasia Pty Ltd., a Manager-Global Drilling by Harbour Energy Plc, a Chief Operating Officer by Add Energy Group AS, a Principal by BP Plc, a Principal by Norske Shell AS, and a Principal by Sun International Investments Ltd. He received his undergraduate degree from Newcastle University, a graduate degree from The Royal School of Mines and an MBA from Australian Graduate School of Management.
JOSEPH UISSO
Country Manager – Tanzania
Joseph is an accomplished and creative Executive Manager possessing multifaceted experience and proven ability to energize and communicate with the government, mining and resources sector of Government, ministerial and mid management levels, as well as communities effected by mining operations. He has 9 years of executive roles in the mining and resources sectors including over a year with our previous country representatives as their account manager responsible for Rocket Tanzania our Tanzanian subsidiary.
Joseph now joins us as our Country Representative working directly for our organisation. He is a results-oriented, decisive leader, adept at forging lucrative relationships with key partners, vendors and clients.
Advisory Board
We have assembled an exceptional group of individuals whose combined expertise in energy exploration, helium geoscience, and corporate leadership is directly aligned with our objectives in Tanzania. Simon brings a proven track record in building and commercialising world-class energy assets, while Chris and Jon are quite simply the most respected scientific voices in helium and hydrogen exploration on the planet. Their counsel will be invaluable as we approach what is a defining period for the Company.
Mr Simon Potter
Chairman
Mr Simon Potter brings a distinguished career spanning senior executive roles at BP and the broader global energy industry. As Chief Executive Officer of Hardman Resources, Mr Potter led one of the most significant frontier exploration success stories of the past two decades, overseeing the discovery of multiple commercial oil accumulations in Uganda’s Albertine Basin in 2006 — discoveries that put Uganda on the global energy map and collectively attracted billions of dollars in subsequent investment. Mr Potter has since served as Chief Executive Officer of a number of international exploration and oil and gas production companies, bringing a wealth of operational and commercial expertise to the Advisory Board.
Professor Chris Ballentine
University of Oxford
Professor Chris Ballentine holds the Statutory Professorship of Geochemistry at the University of Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences, a position he has held since 2013. He is one of the world’s foremost authorities on helium and natural hydrogen, with over 30 years of experience in subsurface multi-phase systems. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and a CIFAR Fellow and holds a prestigious ENI industry award for his application of gas isotopic tracers to oil and gas systems, carbon dioxide storage, groundwater security, and commercial helium accumulation. Professor Ballentine has held major research contracts with ExxonMobil, Statoil, Total, and the UK, European, and US governments. He is co-founder of Snowfox Discovery Ltd., a natural hydrogen exploration company established to commercialise his breakthrough research in geological hydrogen accumulation.
Professor Jon Gluyas
Durham University
Professor Jon Gluyas is a leading authority in petroleum geoscience and energy geoscience at Durham University’s Department of Earth Sciences and the Durham Energy Institute. He is a globally recognised expert in helium exploration strategy and natural hydrogen, having co-authored landmark research published in Nature establishing a first-principles exploration framework for helium accumulation — work with direct relevance to Noble Helium’s operations in Tanzania. He is co-founder of Snowfox Discovery Ltd., a natural hydrogen exploration company established to commercialise his breakthrough research in geological hydrogen accumulation. He is also founder of the U.K. National Geothermal Centre and President of the Geological Society.
