About the Guest Aymeric Maudous is the Co-founder of Lord of the Trees , an Australian-based environmental technology company pioneering drone-assisted reforestation. With over two decades in the environmental sector and a Master’s in Environmental Management from UNSW, Aymeric combines cutting-edge robotics and AI with Indigenous ecological knowledge to regenerate degraded landscapes. His work has taken him from the Daintree Rainforest to Borneo and beyond, where he collaborates with local communities to restore ecosystems and biodiversity at scale. Episode Summary In this episode of Shape the System, host Vincent Turner talks with Aymeric Maudous, founder of Lord of the Trees, about reimagining reforestation through technology and traditional wisdom. Inspired by a David Attenborough documentary and the natural cycle of birds dispersing seeds, Aymeric’s “lightbulb moment” led to a model where drones replace birds, dropping nutrient-rich seed pods to restore damaged ecosystems faster and more efficiently. Aymeric explains how Lord of the Trees blends high-tech solutions—AI, robotics, and drones—with low-tech, traditional ecological knowledge from Indigenous communities. This unique hybrid approach not only accelerates land restoration but also ensures cultural and environmental authenticity. Their process spans from detailed soil and species analysis to creating digital twins of landscapes and performing precision planting with military-grade drones. The discussion explores the enormous global opportunity—1.7 trillion hectares in need of reforestation—and the challenges that come with scale, regulation, and trust in the carbon credit market. Aymeric also delves into their upcoming plans to use blockchain to verify and bring transparency to reforestation projects. Beyond the tech, he shares the human side of the work: his joy in being on the ground, learning from local communities, and leaving behind a living legacy for future generations. Key Takeaways 1.7 trillion hectares of land globally could be reforested—an area roughly equal to the USA and China combined. Lord of the Trees combines high-tech drones and AI with local ecological knowledge to regenerate land sustainably. Each project begins with ecosystem mapping and creating a digital twin, allowing precision planting tailored to the environment. Transparency is key: blockchain and distributed ledger technology will enable public verification of reforestation progress and carbon credits. True regeneration requires maintenance and balance, not just planting—nature thrives through care, sequencing, and community collaboration. Notable Quotes “I was watching a David Attenborough documentary when I thought — why don’t we replace birds with drones and make our own seed pods?” — Aymeric Maudous “Not all land needs to be reforested. Plains and savannas are just as important as rainforests in maintaining balance.” — Aymeric Maudous “We use drones, AI, and robotics — but we also rely on thousands of years of local ecological knowledge. It’s a symbiosis of high-tech and low-tech.” — Aymeric Maudous “With technology today, including blockchain, we can trace every tree planted — creating a new source of truth for environmental restoration.” — Aymeric Maudous “I love being barefoot with Aboriginal people, walking through the forest, learning about trees and birds. That’s where the magic happens.” — Aymeric Maudous Resources Lord of the Trees Shape the System is  an independent podcast with support from KPMG High Growth Ventures More about KPMG High Growth Ventures Scale up for success. We’re here for that.
We navigate founders and their teams to the services they need to reach their next milestone.  From startup to scale and beyond. No matter where you are right now, we’ll get you the help you need to drive your business forward. We help founders fully realise their potential, as well as the potential of their team and their business, by connecting them to the expertise, skills and resources they need at every stage of their growth journey. Our extensive experience in partnering with evolving businesses means that we can provide you with tailored support as well as independent and practical insights.  Whether you are looking to refine your strategy, establish your operations, prepare for a capital raise, expand abroad or simply comply with regulatory requirements, we are here to help. Links: Website: About (highgrowthventures.com.au) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/kpmg-enterprise-high-growth-ventures/ Contacts: highgrowthventures@kpmg.com.au

Grant Gunnison - Zero Homes

Chris Hull - Otus

About the Guest(s) Nis Benn is the co-founder of Hyme Energy, a Copenhagen-based company pioneering solutions to decarbonise industrial heat at scale. With a background spanning sociology, consulting, political organising, and deep-tech startups, Nis has consistently chased high-leverage, system-level climate solutions — from nuclear innovation to Hyme’s molten-salt heat storage. Episode Summary In this episode of Shape the System, host Vincent Turner speaks with Nis Benn of Hyme Energy about one of the world’s biggest yet overlooked climate challenges: industrial heat. While most clean-energy discussions focus on electricity, heat accounts for roughly a third of global emissions — largely produced by directly burning coal, oil, or gas for steam and high-temperature processes. Nis traces his path from climate-centred politics and nuclear R&D to Hyme, where the team is commercialising molten-salt thermal storage. Hyme uses renewable electricity to heat a specialised hydroxide salt to ~520°C, storing energy as heat and dispatching it as steam — the medium many factories already use. That retrofit-friendly approach lets manufacturers decarbonise without ripping out existing systems. Beyond emissions, the economics matter: industry spends trillions annually on fossil energy for heat. Hyme’s model pairs lower, more predictable energy costs with reliability and innovative commercial structures (e.g., heat offtake agreements in partnership with asset managers), allowing customers to “buy heat” as a service. On the engineering front, Hyme’s corrosion breakthroughs enable long lifetimes using standard stainless steels in most of the system — a key step to bankability and scale. Hyme is targeting first commercial plants from 2026 and meaningful scale by 2030. Key Takeaways Industrial heat is massive: About one-third of global emissions come from process heat, much of it from direct fossil combustion. Store power as heat: Hyme heats molten hydroxide salts with renewables, then delivers on-demand steam for existing processes. Minimal retrofit: Because many factories already run on steam, Hyme can slot in with limited disruption. Compelling economics: Rising energy and CO₂ costs + access to cheap renewables = strong business cases and multi-market optimisation. Path to scale: First FID-ready projects in 2026, scaling via partnerships/licensing toward hundreds of plants through the 2030s. Notable Quotes “Around 30% of global emissions come from industrial heat — it’s the single biggest emissions sector.” — Nis Benn “If you already use steam, Hyme can just produce it another way.” — Nis Benn “Reliability is what industrial players care about most — our job is to deliver that with renewables.” — Nis Benn “You can ‘buy heat’ as an outcome — not worry about the kit behind it.” — Vincent Turner Resources Hyme Energy: https://hyme.energy Background reading on industrial heat, thermal storage, and energy markets

Nate Spiteri - Shopfront

Nick Hodges - Halcium

Heidi and Kristine - Diestel Family Ranch

Paul Bevan - Magic Valley

Rich (Raz) Razgaitis - FloWater

Josh Bloomfield - Givecloud

Don Weatherbee - regenx

Hugo Spowers - Riversimple

Wayne McIntyre - Relocalize

Peter Vranes - Nutromics

Paul Frasca - Sustainable Salons

Christa Stelzmuller - Charity Water

Aditya Nagrath - Elephant Learning

Kat Roma Greer - Microgalleries

Ari Tulla - Elo

Howard Pearl - Charitable Adult Rides