Colleen Hayward joins the board of Eddie Rigg and Brendan Grylls’ carbon credit company Salubris

Prominent Aboriginal businesswoman Colleen Hayward has hopped aboard a venture that aims to transform fire-ravaged bush into cash. Ms Hayward has been appointed as a non-executive director of the privately-owned Salubris, which counts former Nationals WA chief Brendon Grylls and Argonaut boss Eddie Rigg as major backers. Ms Hayward currently serves on the board of Mineral Resources and the Fremantle Dockers, following a long career in legal advocacy and higher education that culminated in a role as the pro-vice-chancellor of equity and Indigenous issues at Edith Cowan University. Mr Rigg, who is the chair of Salubris, said Ms Hayward was “already” adding value with her relationships. In late July, Salubris and the Marlinyu Ghoorlie entered into a partnership which will give the WA-based carbon credit business access to the Indigenous group’s native title claim that covers nine million hectares of Goldfields land. Salubris’ is regenerating vast swathes of forest razed by bushfires in the Great Western Woodlands and protecting the land from future destruction. By doing so the company receives carbon credits from the Government, which it then sells to miners looking to offset their carbon emissions footprint. The carbon credit revenue will be split 50/50 with the Marlinyu Ghoorlie and Salubris is also in the process of adding three pastoral stations to its portfolio. Salubris was originally planning to list on the ASX later this year in a float valued at around $50 million, but has decided to stay private. Mr Grylls, who is an executive director of Salubris, told The West Australian in July the company was targeting an injection of capital within the next six months.