Our Team
Our Board and Executive Leadership Team bring together a diverse range of skills, experience and perspectives from across mining, oil and gas, energy, chemicals, engineering, finance, sustainability, and governance.
United by a shared commitment to building the world’s first lithium and integrated energy business, they provide the strategic oversight, technical expertise and leadership required to guide Vulcan through each phase of growth.
Meet the leader’s delivering excellence and creating value for our shareholders.
Board of Directors
Angus Barker
Independent Non-Executive Chair
Angus is the Independent Non-Executive Chair of Vulcan, Chair of Australian Rare Earths, and a Director of WAM Capital. Prior to these positions, he served as Chief of Staff or Senior Adviser to Australian Government ministers in the key economic portfolios of trade and investment, and superannuation and financial services. Previously, Angus held senior executive roles at top-tier global investment banks across Australia, the United Kingdom and Asia, including 12 years based in Hong Kong. He holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.
Cris Moreno
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Cris Moreno verfügt über mehr als 20 Jahre Erfahrung in der erfolgreichen Durchführung großer, einzigartiger und anspruchsvoller Projekte, unter anderem in den Bereichen Lithiumchemikalien, Kathoden und LNG. Im LNG-Sektor hatte er Führungspositionen bei Santos, Woodside und Shell inne und arbeitete unter anderem an den LNG-Projekten Browse, Gorgon und Prelude. Bevor er zu Vulcan kam, war Moreno im Bereich Lithiumchemikalien und Batteriekathoden in Europa tätig, und zwar als Senior Director Programs für die Geschäftseinheit Northvolt-Cathode Active Material (CAM) und als Vice President – Engineering and Development für Aurora Lithium, die Lithiumhydroxid-Raffinerie von Northvolt in Europa.
Felicity Gooding
Executive Director and Group CFO
Felicity is a senior finance executive and leader with over 20 years’ experience in strategic and financial analysis, debt funding, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, management and financial accounting and governance in Australia, Singapore, London, and Washington D.C. She has experience across multiple industries relevant to Vulcan including energy, mining and infrastructure. Prior to joining Vulcan Energy, Felicity was CFO and Global Head of Commercial at Fortescue Future Industries, where she led the finance team, including the specialist project financing team responsible for securing finance to enable financial investment decisions for green energy projects.
Dr Günter Hilken
Non-Executive Director
Günter has over 35 years' experience in the German chemicals, renewables and infrastructure investment sectors and in leading industry advocacy associations, and in the German Government at the state and federal level. Günter’s experience ensures that geothermal energy becomes a foundation of Germany’s supply of sustainable and secure renewable energy. Günter is also a member of the Board of the German Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers as well as a former Director of Currenta and member of the Supervisory Board of Currenta. He was previously CEO of Currenta for nine years, held senior executive roles with Bayer in Germany, the US, Canada and Asia, and was a member of the supervisory board of RWE Power AG.
Dr Heidi Grön
Non-Executive Director
Heidi is a chemical engineer and accomplished business leader with over 25 years of experience in the global chemical industry. She has held senior executive roles at Evonik, where she successfully led global specialty chemical businesses, initiated strategic transformations toward sustainable practices, and enhanced operational excellence across diverse business lines. Her expertise spans technology, production, M&A, and business development, with a proven track record in delivering large-scale CapEx projects, achieving efficiency improvements, and driving strategic repositioning. In addition to her executive roles, Heidi has served as president and board member of several European industry associations, contributing her leadership and vision to advancing the sector.
Josephine Bush
Non-Executive Director
Josephine was a senior partner at EY for 14 years specialising in the renewable energy sector. She built and led the UK and Ireland Renewables Tax Practice, including leading transactions such as structuring for the initial public offerings of several environmental yieldcos, and developed the EY global renewables business plan. She was a member of the Ernst & Young Power and Utilities Board and UK&I Governance Board. Josephine is a qualified solicitor, and chartered tax adviser, as well as earning the CFA ESG investing qualification and a sustainable finance certification. She has an MA in Law from Cambridge University.
Roberto Gallardo
Non-Executive Director
A civil engineer, Roberto has more than 30 years’ international experience in infrastructure investment, construction and business development across the Americas, Europe and Australia. Roberto has held roles with ACS companies – including as Chief Operating Officer of CPB Contractors and Managing Director of Pacific Partnerships – and with AZVI as Chief Executive Officer. He has led major projects and strategic initiatives in transport, resources and social infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Urban Planning from ETSI Caminos Canales y Puertos, Madrid, and has completed executive programs at London Business School, Cambridge University and Harvard Business School.
Amanda Lacaze
Non-Executive Director
Amanda is one of Australia’s most respected mining and resources executives. She was previously CEO and Managing Director of Lynas Rare Earths, where she guided the company’s transformation from an emerging rare earths producer into a globally significant supplier of critical minerals essential for advanced manufacturing, renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. Prior to this, she held senior executive roles in the telecommunications, technology and consumer goods industries, and currently serves as the Chair of the Minerals Council of Australia and is a member of Chief Executive Women, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and a postgraduate Diploma of Marketing from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Founders
Dr Francis Wedin
Founder
Francis is a battery raw materials and renewable energy industry executive, with an international career spanning four continents and multiple commodities. Francis founded Vulcan’s Lionheart Project in Germany's Upper Rhine Valley and was instrumental in driving Vulcan Group's successful growth as CEO, and latterly as Executive Chairman, over the last eight years. Francis was previously Executive Director of successful ASX-listed Exore Resources Ltd, where he defined and developed the Lynas Find Lithium Project, subsequently bought by Pilbara Minerals to become part of its Pilgangoora Lithium Project. Francis holds a PhD and BSc (Hons) in geology and mineral exploration, and an MBA in renewable energy. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society, London, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Dr Horst Kreuter
Founder
Dr Kreuter is a highly experienced businessman and engineering geologist, with an extensive and distinguished record of project development and consulting in the geothermal sector. He worked successfully in geothermal project development and permitting in Germany and worldwide and is a Co-Founder of Vulcan Energy, as well as Ex-CEO of Geothermal Group Germany GmbH and GeoThermal Engineering GmbH (GeoT). Dr Kreuter has a widespread political, investor and industry network in Germany and Europe. He is based in Karlsruhe, local to the project area in the Upper Rhine Valley.
Executive Leadership Team
Cris Moreno
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Cris Moreno verfügt über mehr als 20 Jahre Erfahrung in der erfolgreichen Durchführung großer, einzigartiger und anspruchsvoller Projekte, unter anderem in den Bereichen Lithiumchemikalien, Kathoden und LNG. Im LNG-Sektor hatte er Führungspositionen bei Santos, Woodside und Shell inne und arbeitete unter anderem an den LNG-Projekten Browse, Gorgon und Prelude. Bevor er zu Vulcan kam, war Moreno im Bereich Lithiumchemikalien und Batteriekathoden in Europa tätig, und zwar als Senior Director Programs für die Geschäftseinheit Northvolt-Cathode Active Material (CAM) und als Vice President – Engineering and Development für Aurora Lithium, die Lithiumhydroxid-Raffinerie von Northvolt in Europa.
Felicity Gooding
Executive Director and Group CFO
Felicity is a senior finance executive and leader with over 20 years’ experience in strategic and financial analysis, debt funding, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, management and financial accounting and governance in Australia, Singapore, London, and Washington D.C. She has experience across multiple industries relevant to Vulcan including energy, mining and infrastructure. Prior to joining Vulcan Energy, Felicity was CFO and Global Head of Commercial at Fortescue Future Industries, where she led the finance team, including the specialist project financing team responsible for securing finance to enable financial investment decisions for green energy projects.
Carsten Bachg
Chief Operating Officer
Carsten brings more than 25 years’ global project management experience in capital projects in the petrochemical and chemical industries for engineering contractors including Jacobs and Worley. Carsten managed the supply chain of one of the largest European IT companies and was heavily involved in developing Jacobs from a start up to approximately 350 people.
Thorsten Weimann
Chief Development Officer
Thorsten has 25 years’ professional experience across geothermal energy and drilling technology. As Chief Development Officer, he oversees the overall project development with responsibilities extending to management of drilling operations and securing all necessary permits. He is also the technical Managing Director of the German Geothermal Association.
Manfred Boeckmann
Chief Commercial Officer
Manfred is a senior energy executive with over 27 years’ international leadership experience across the oil and gas sector and the evolving energy transition. Prior to joining Vulcan, he was Managing Director at Wintershall Dea in Argentina, where he led major portfolio, operating model, and commercial transformation initiatives in a complex market environment. He has previously held senior leadership positions at DEA and RWE Dea in Germany and Egypt, with responsibility for global portfolio strategy, market entries, and post-merger operating model integration.
Andres Zöldi
Vice President Subsurface
Andres is a petroleum engineer and energy executive with over 20 years of international experience in reservoir development, operations, and strategic leadership. He began his career at Chevron, where he worked across Argentina, the US, Canada, and Asia in roles spanning engineering, project execution, and business planning. Most recently, Andres was Vice President of Operations at Parex Resources, leading large-scale field development, drilling and completions, facilities construction, and ESG initiatives in Colombia. He holds a Master of Petroleum Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires and an MBA from Rice University. Originally from Argentina, he is fluent in Spanish, English and Hungarian.
Gavan Sproule
General Counsel
Gavan is an experienced senior in-house lawyer and general counsel with broad industry experience gained across multinational corporations, large private organisations and ASX listed entities. He has proven expertise across the energy and resources value chain, with significant involvement in some of the largest energy projects in Australia, including the Gorgon, Wheatstone and Prelude projects. Most recently, Gavan has been a senior commercial lawyer with Hancock Prospecting, where he supported Hancock’s diverse interests across the mining, energy, agriculture and technology sectors. Throughout his career, Gavan has worked across international jurisdictions including Paris, The Hague, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Geoje, Tokyo and Kuwait.
“Our mission is clear: we are working hard to become Europe's leading lithium business while enabling energy security through geothermal renewable energy.”