About Us
GRETALS was incorporated on the 13th April 2015 primarily to pursue significant opportunities in combating the rapidly escalating & global antimicrobial resistance crisis by identifying & developing innovative antimicrobial formulations.
We have assembled a team of executives, advisors & research participants with significant expertise in science, biotechnology & manufacturing. This team will be working directly—& indirectly—across GRETALS four key divisions to help commercialize the group’s significant inventory of intellectual property. Our Scientific Advisory Committee (details below) will help with the development & scientific validation within the animal & human health sectors.
Mr Alistair Cumming – CEO/Managing Director
As the founder, Mr Alistair Cumming has been instrumental in bringing together the necessary elements of GRETALS to form an international team of professionals & executives. Alistair was pivotal in the development & growth of associations within China building key relationships that gives directions towards entry into this dynamic & surrounding ASEAN markets. Alistair has a background in general management, marketing & business development with a heavy focus on the fields of medical, complementary & veterinary pharmaceuticals. He has been responsible for the introduction of major drugs within these fields. He is a member of the Health Advisory group within the Australia China Business Council (ACBC).
Dr Grant Richards – Research Director & Principle of Parafarm P/L
Dr Grant Richards is a veterinarian who graduated from Massey University, New Zealand, in 1980. His expertise is in producing products for the organic chicken industry, aquaculture & the intensive livestock industry. He is the proprietor of ParaSite Diagnostic Services, a boutique animal health diagnostic facility. He is also the principal of ALLFARM Animal Health, a GMP approved manufacturing facility licensed by the Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), located in Hastings, Victoria. Dr Richards has been recognised with awards from the poultry industry & has co-authored scientific papers published in International Journals & the Australian Veterinary Journal. He is an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne.
Professor Enzo Palombo – Swinburne University of Technology
Professor Palombo is a Professor of Microbiology in the Department of Chemistry & Biotechnology at Swinburne University of Technology. Enzo received his PhD from La Trobe University after studying the genetics of bacterial conjugation. He then spent 10 years working at the Royal Children’s Hospital investigating the genetic epidemiology of gastroenteritis viruses, particularly rotavirus & astrovirus.
His research interests include food microbiology, identification of bio-active compounds from medicinal plants & fungi, environmental microbiology, bio-polymers & virology. He teaches microbiology, biotechnology, biochemistry & molecular biology & is a Member of the Australian Society for Microbiology. He has served on the Victorian Branch committee (1996-2014) & is a member of the Dairy Industry Association of Australia & AusBiotech.
Professor Palombo is the company’s, Chief Scientific Officer.
Professor Glenn Browning – The University of Melbourne
Professor Browning is a veterinary microbiologist with interests in developing & applying solutions to problems in animal health. He is Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, a multidisciplinary research centre within University of Melbourne committed to improving animal health, welfare & production. Professor Browning gained his veterinary degree at the University of Sydney in 1983, worked at the University of Sydney’s Rural Veterinary Centre as a clinical officer in 1984, completed a PhD in veterinary virology at The University of Melbourne in 1988, worked as a Veterinary Research Officer at the Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh, Scotl&, from 1988-1991, & has been a member of staff at The University of Melbourne since 1991.
Professor Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck - The University of Melbourne
Professor Scheerlinck has a long list of accolades and a distinguished career as a scientist and author. He is currently Honorary Professor in Animal Biotechnology at the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences (FVAS) at The University of Melbourne.
Among other roles, Professor Scheerlinck was also Co-Editor-in-Chief of “Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology”, subject coordinator for Animal Disease Biotechnology (VETS30011-VETS30012), Associate Dean Graduate Research of the FVAS, Biomedical scientist & manager with experience in immunology, vaccine develp\opment & animal models for human diseases. He was the Founding Managing Director of Allergenix Pty Ltd (2003-2008).
Dr Ross Walker - Cardiologist & Author
Dr Walker is an eminent practicing cardiologist with a passion for people & health with 40 years’ experience as a clinician. For the past 20 years, he has been focusing on preventative cardiology & is one of Australia’s leading preventative health experts.
Considered one of the world’s best keynote speakers & life coaches, he is the author of seven best-selling books & a regular health presenter in the Australian media. Dr Walker also appears weekly on the national Macquarie Radio network & the Super Radio network.
Dr Walker runs the Sydney Heart Health Clinic in Lindfield on Sydney’s North Shore, a clinic that focuses on all aspects of non-invasive & preventative cardiology.
Professor Ian Woodrow – The University of Melbourne, Biosciences
Professor Woodrow is the head of the School of Ecosystem & Forest Science at The University of Melbourne. Ian undertook his BSc (Hons) at The University of Melbourne & his PhD at the University of Sheffield (UK), where he was a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Scholar.
He stayed in Europe for 3 more years, in positions at the University of Munster & the Technical University of Berlin, before returning to Australia as a QEII Fellow at the ANU. He then went to the U.S.A as a Harkness Fellow & CSIRO Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University. This was followed by an academic appointment at the James Cook University. Ian came to the School of Botany in Melbourne in 1995 as an ARC Senior Research Fellow. Ian has published widely on plant biochemistry. His group’s main interest is in the way plants use biologically active chemicals to defend themselves against herbivores. Many of the research findings have commercial applications, & the group has collaborated on these with several companies over the last few years.
Dr Jason Goodger – The University of Melbourne, Biosciences
Dr Goodger is an authority on Eucalyptus species. He is a lead investigator of the ARC Linkage grant received from the Federal Government. His expertise is a valued contribution to the R&D program. His in-field activity identifying key species for production & extraction of different flavanones, with combinations thereof, is a major contributing factor for the GRETALS research program.
GRETALS has forged research partnerships with a formidable range of prestigious local & overseas research organizations. Utilizing the expertise within these institutions, GRETALS will lead collaborations to enable the creation & development of new & innovative products & services.
