Orange-based agricultural biotechnology company Loam Bio has appointed Rob Hranac as its new chief executive officer effective 1 July, with co-founder Guy Hudson transitioning to the role of executive chairman as the company looks to accelerate its international growth.
The leadership change marks a significant inflection point for the soil carbon startup, which has raised more than $150 million since it was founded in 2019 and is now pushing deeper into the US market.
Hranac will be based in the United States, underscoring the strategic importance of North America to Loam Bio's expansion plans.
Hudson, who co-founded Loam Bio alongside Tegan Nock, Mick Wettenhall and Guy Webb, will shift his focus to long-term strategy, partnerships and governance as executive chairman.
Loam Bio was founded to apply the work of University of Sydney Professor Peter McGee, who had examined the role microbes play in the functional role of carbon sequestration in the soil, pinpointing the most stable ways for plants to take carbon out of the atmosphere for storage in the ground.
Since then it has built two research and development hubs in Australia and the US, and run hundreds of field trials in both countries in addition to Canada and Brazil.
Hranac brings extensive experience across agricultural technology and climate-focused ventures.
He most recently served as CEO of PatternAg, an agricultural genomics and predictive agronomy company, before its merger with soil-sensing firm EarthOptics in August 2024.
"Loam was founded on a bold idea, the idea that we could harness microbiology to store carbon in the soil at scale, all while helping farmers improve their land, and their bottom line," says Hudson.
"Over the past few years, we've turned that idea into a reality, with products in market on two continents and growing demand.
"Rob is exactly the right person to lead the company through this next chapter. His experience with agricultural technology businesses in the US, combined with his deep understanding of the industry, makes him a natural fit.
"I'm looking forward to continuing to support the company and the team in my new role."
Hranac says he has admired Loam Bio and what the company has been doing in the world of soil science, agriculture and carbon for years.
"The company has world-class science, a product that delivers for farmers, and a scalable climate platform," he says.
"I'm thrilled to be joining at this moment and excited to work with the team to get Loam's products into the hands of farmers globally."
Alongside the CEO appointment, Loam Bio has promoted Robbie Oppenheimer to chief operating officer.
Oppenheimer will remain based at the company's headquarters in Orange, NSW, maintaining the operational centre of gravity in regional Australia even as the executive leadership extends its footprint into the US.
Loam Bio's core technology uses naturally occurring soil microbes to help farmers sequester carbon in agricultural soils.
Its flagship product, CarbonBuilder, has become the first broadacre cropping system in Australia to generate soil carbon Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) on active farmland.
A May 2026 market report noted that a NSW farm using CarbonBuilder generated about $200,000 worth of ACCUs across 880 hectares.
The company operates across research, product development and commercial functions from its Orange base where it has direct access to the regional faming community.
Despite its growing international presence, Loam Bio says it remains "deeply connected to its Australian roots" with Orange to remain its headquarters and the heart of its research, innovation and Australian operations.
Loam Bio, which closed a $105 million Series B round in 2023, is backed by Lowercarbon Capital, Wollemi Capital, Main Sequence Ventures, At One Ventures, DCVC and Time Ventures.
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