Peter Bond is an Australian mining and energy executive, best known as the former Executive Chairman of

Linc Energy Linc Energy was an Australian energy company that specialised in coal-based synthetic fuel production, as well as conventional oil and gas production. It was engaged in development and commercialisation of proprietary underground coal gasifica ...

and creator of the world's first synthetic crude oil. He is now a director of renewable energy company Infinite Power and ranked among the most influential business executives in Australia in ''Who's Who Business''.

Early life

Bond was raised in

Camden, New South Wales Camden is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, located 65 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Camden was the administrative centre for the local government area of Camden Council until July 2016 a ...

. His father was a truck driver and his mother was a teacher. He finished high school in 1981 and became a metallurgist with

BHP BHP Group Limited, founded as the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, is an Australian multinational mining and metals corporation. BHP was established in August 1885 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. As of 2024, BHP was the world� ...

Career

After leaving BHP, Bond began buying quarries, and soon started making $17,000 a month trucking coal. He became a millionaire by age 26. Bond debuted on the Australian '' BRW'' rich list in 2008 with a net worth of $352,000,000, made it to number 21 on the ''Sunday Mail'' Queensland Top 150 Rich List and peaked as the 10th richest business person in Australia, with a net worth of $572,000,000. As a metallurgist, Bond always had an interest in mining technology and renewable energy, and in 2005 he took over

, signing a memorandum with

Syntroleum Syntroleum Corporation was a United States company engaged in development and commercialization of proprietary gas to liquids (GTL) process known as the Syntroleum Process. Renewable Energy Group acquired the company on June 4, 2014 and was in tur ...

granting a licence to use the company's proprietary gas-to-liquid technology. This technology was used to build a GTL pilot plant in November 2007 at Linc's Chinchilla facility. The plant was commissioned in August 2008. The first

synthetic crude Synthetic crude is the output from a bitumen/extra heavy oil upgrader facility used in connection with oil sand production. It may also refer to shale oil, an output from an oil shale pyrolysis. The properties of the synthetic crude depend on the ...

oil was produced in October 2008. In 2012, in a world-first, Bond flew 4,000 km across Australia in a jet powered by the fuel produced at Linc Energy's gas to liquid plant in Chinchilla. The company a signed memorandum of agreement with BP for its jet fuel and was heralding the ability to produce 250,000 litres of jet fuel a year. The following year Bond signed a deal with Russian Billionaire

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment com ...

to explore gas to liquid opportunities in Russia, after the two met in a Brisbane restaurant – a meeting which was even covered by major international news outlets, including

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

. After Linc Energy entered voluntary administration in 2016, following a court case which was later dropped, Bond put his energy into the restoration of

Dunk Island Dunk Island, known as ''Coonanglebah'' in the Warrgamay and Dyirbal languages, is an island within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies off the Australian east coast, opposite the town of Missio ...

, before starting renewable energy business, Infinite Power.

Personal life

Bond has six children with his ex-wife Louise. He has no relation to Australian business person

Alan Bond Alan Bond (22 April 1938 – 5 June 2015) was an English-born Australian businessman noted for his high-profile and often corrupt business dealings. These included his central role in the WA Inc scandals of the 1980s; the biggest corporate co ...

Television

Bond appeared on the Australian version of ''

The Secret Millionaire ''The Secret Millionaire'' is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds (or tens of thousands of dollars in the Americ ...

'', a television program in which prominent millionaires go undercover in impoverished communities and give away substantial sums of money to help those in need. Bond’s appearance and $300,000 donation were widely praised as being among the most generous of the series. His experience on The Secret Millionaire led him to strike up a friendship with

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...

and launch a television production company called Rough Diamond. Rough Diamond also included a community foundation which received part of the company's profits. Rough Diamond, under Bond's guidance, was best known for producing the documentary series 'Where it all Began' – a series of "Real life, true stories of "the Aussie battlers" who against all odds came out on top".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Peter Australian businesspeople Australian mining businesspeople Year of birth missing (living people) Living people