CEO of the Year profile: Dr Matthias Raab, CO2CRC

In the 27 years since he first arrived in Australia, Matthias Raab has established himself as a leading figure in the nation’s energy transition and positioned CO2CRC, the research and development organisation he leads, as a critical player in the international emissions reduction effort. We take a closer look below as Matthias is awarded with the esteemed title of Carbon Capture and Storage CEO of the Year 2025 by us at CEO Monthly.

CO2CRC is Australia’s leading carbon capture, utilisation and storage research organisation with over 20 years of experience reliably capturing, storing and monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2).

“The world’s pathway to meeting ambitious emissions reduction targets gets more challenging with every week that passes, and as the cost of energy uncertainty rises by the day,” Matthias says.

“It is becoming increasingly obvious that carbon capture and storage must be part of any near-term net zero solution. In fact, it can’t be rolled out soon enough if energy security is not compromised in the drive to bring emissions down.”

Matthias joined CO2CRC in 2011 and has led the organisation since 2021.

As the Chief Executive Officer of CO2CRC, the Managing Director of professional services firm CO2Tech, a director of the Hydrogen Society of Australia, and a board member of the IEA’s Greenhouse Gas Program (IEAGHG), Matthias serves on four different boards in Australia and overseas.

It’s a long way from backpacking in Bolivia to running one of the world’s leading emissions reduction research and development organisations. Along the way, Matthias collected multiple black belts in Korean martial arts (Taekwondo and Hapkido), competed internationally for Germany in Taekwondo, founded a German International School in Melbourne, ran marathons and raised his children as a single dad at the peak of his career.

With a strong focus on education and achievement, Matthias truly worked his way up. He worked as a geologist in remote parts of Namibia, studied for his PhD in the world-renowned thermochronology labs at the University of Melbourne and drove taxis to pay the rent.

His studies and work experience have given Matthias a deep knowledge of chemistry and geology that have become essential to understanding the CCUS value chain, and setting him up to lead one of the world’s best CCS research groups.

Matthias’ high-level contribution to CO2CRC over the past 14 years and his leadership as CEO of CO2CRC for the past four years has had a major global impact, with CO2CRC being recognised as a world-leading collaborative platform for carbon capture and storage (CCS) research and technology validation.

Under his stewardship, CO2CRC has consistently delivered scientific rigour, commercial and international relevance in its work. CO2CRC also instigated and manages an important storage research facility, the Otway International Test Centre in western Victoria, which has injected some 100,000 tonnes of CO2 since 2008 and produced scientifically leading results with very many papers published in international journals.

Under Matthias’ leadership, the success of this unique international facility and its enduring industry-research collaboration has gone from strength to strength, including continuing operating during the COVID lockdown using remote monitoring techniques.

With a doctorate in Maths and Sciences from Germany’s Georg-August University of Göttingen, Matthias came to CO2CRC from GeoScience Victoria where he was responsible for managing geological carbon storage initiatives and exploration program operations in the Gippsland Basin in state’s southeast. He had earlier worked with consulting firm SRK and held various posts in Germany and Australia, which included building and documenting the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

As a dedicated leader in the geoscience, energy, and resource sectors, Matthias is deeply committed to advancing Australia’s scientific capabilities and contributing to a sustainable future.

“In my 30 years of international experience spanning academia, government, and industry, I have had the privilege of leading transformative projects that address complex challenges in energy transition, and resource management.

“Throughout my career, I have worked at the intersection of science, technology, and public policy, collaborating with global leaders, governments, and industry experts to deliver impactful outcomes.”

Driven by a deep passion for science and a commitment to Australia’s future, Matthias is focused on addressing national resources, climate, and innovation priorities through scientific excellence and collaboration.

The internationally acclaimed Otway International Test Centre is one of the world’s foremost CCUS research and demonstration facilities and directs significant national research investments in carbon management technologies. It is playing an increasingly significant role in the development and demonstration of new emissions reduction technologies.

CO2CRC is proposing a 10-year action plan, the Future Program, to address the nation’s needs to store carbon dioxide irrespective of origin or industry.

“CO2CRC is preparing to play our part in the increasingly urgent carbon abatement effort with a future works program over the next 10 years that will augment Australia’s ambition to roll out CCS across many more sectors and provide the necessary technology developments to equip the industry with the next generation of technologies it needs,” Matthias says.

“We have aligned twelve of Australia’s preeminent research organisations behind our leadership to drive Australia’s largest, and most needed, CCS research, development, and demonstration program.”

Under Matthias’ leadership, CO2CRC has forged successful partnerships with leading academic institutions like the University of Melbourne, Stanford University and Curtin University; the Australian Federal Government, international science leaders such as Korea’s geoscience institute KIGAM and Japan’s Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE); and energy industry majors including Chevron, BHP, BP, and ExxonMobil.

“Across my career, I have learned that persistence, confidence and endurance are essential, not just in science, but in leadership,” Matthias says. “CCS is a long-game discipline, like running a marathon. It demands high-quality work, scientific integrity, and the determination to keep advancing even when the pathway is complex.”

Matthias prides himself on building and empowering high-performing teams drawn from many nations and disciplines, reflecting the global nature of CCS. “I believe in hiring the best people, scientists, engineers, technologists, and strategists from around the world, and giving them the room to excel. CO2CRC’s success is their success. Their commitment, creativity, and integrity are what make our work world-class.”

CCS is now established as an essential part of several flagship policy platforms of the Australian Government: the Safeguard Mechanism for emissions reduction, as well as the Future Made in Australia and Future Gas Strategy initiatives.

CO2CRC’s future works program is a vital missing link to create pilot-scale demonstrations that ensure we can make operating CCS projects more cost-effective and compliant with regulations – while enabling Australia to retain global leadership on innovation in emissions reduction technology.

“Our demonstration and pilot projects are done in Australia, but the impact is global,” Matthias says. “CCS matters, and I am privileged to work alongside some of the finest scientists in our global research community, all driven by the shared belief that we can deliver the deep emissions cuts the world urgently needs.”

Cost reduction, operational efficiency and maintaining public confidence are prime among the challenges CCS must meet, and while technology is more needed than ever, Matthias is campaigning to restore support for CCS to the historic highs it enjoyed over ten years ago.

“Industry and government must work together to meet all these challenges or Australia will lose its leadership role in this vital technology.”

“CO2CRC’s future works program is a vital missing link to create pilot-scale demonstrations that ensure we can make operating CCS projects more cost-effective and compliant with regulations – while enabling Australia to retain global leadership on innovation in emissions reduction technology.”

Matthias says the role of CO2CRC’s research and development work, and the demonstration capacity of its Otway International Test Centre, places the organisation at the forefront of Australia’s emissions reduction efforts.

CCS is now established as an essential part of several flagship policy platforms of the Australian Government: the Safeguard Mechanism for emissions reduction, as well as the Future Made in Australia and Future Gas Strategy initiatives.

“To reach net zero, we have to deploy all existing technologies and acknowledge that we will still need technologies that may not even been invented yet. As Australia’s innovation powerhouse, CO2CRC has a critical role in turning this around, and I am proud to be leading it.”

“If we succeed in doing this, CO2CRC will have played a meaningful role in supporting a meaningful Australian energy agenda with global impact.”

Company: Co2Crc Limited

Website: https://co2crc.com.au/