Darren co-founded Hydra Consulting with Ron van Buuren in 2015, merging their businesses to pursue their passion to help businesses and sectors grow quickly and sustainably. The have since grown Hydra into a successful growth and advisory company servicing food, agriculture, wine, manufacturing and startups.We believe deeply in collaboration, which helps us create great teams and projects to deliver unique projects as well as help other business work effectively in pursuit of their growth goals. The FOMENT wine and tourism tech incubator, the award winning Growing Wine Exports and Tourism learning programs and China Wine Academy are great examples of some of our recent collaborations. We are passionately committed to industry learning as a model for education and are excited that our tailored learning programs are so well received.We love helping companies deliver on great projects like procuring new packaging lines, improved intake management, developing new tech, developing new manufacturing and tourism facilities, improved software and software systems and improved manufacturing systems.Our clients include AVL, Yalumba, Mt Jagged Wines, Tasman Sinks, Wine Australia, Murdoch Hill Wines, Riverland Wine, Brown Brothers, Vinehealth Australia, Fore, National Wine Centre, Adelaide University, Flinders University, Dudley Wines, New Venture Institute, PIRSA, DEW, Innovyz, TE Storage and Logistics, Fore, Elixir Himalayan, 100 Carribee, Defence Teaming Centre, and Playford Council.www.hydraconsulting.com.au

South Australia’s wine and tourism tech revolution

Unique wine encounters with the best of Australian and international wines. Three great approaches:Unique - Australia’s most exclusive wine adventuresPlatinum - Impossible to find wine adventuresSublime - Unrestrained, beyond your imagination

One of a group of active industry specialists working with the Wine Business program at the University.

Lead facilitator (pracademic) at Flinders Enterprise Consulting, a program of facilitated learning through live paid consulting projects undertaken and run by senior undergraduate and post-graduate business students from Flinders University's School of Business.Mentor in Venture Dorm Program Pitch coach for Envision Incubator

Developing self-serve image processing AI for applications in agriculture and medicine, built around mobile phone photography and microscopy. GoMicro units.

Mentor/business coach in the health and wellness and waste minimisation programs.

Accelerating provides businesses with access to expert advice and matched funding of up to $1 million to cover eligible commercialisation costs to help them to take novel products, processes and services to market.The Expert Network"The Expert Network is a network of experienced people who can help you make importantbusiness connections and create opportunities for you to raise capital and enter new markets.Members of the Expert Network include successful entrepreneurs, domain experts, professionalinvestors and strategic corporations. They have extensive experience in management,commercialisation, capital markets and business development. Members offer knowledge, skills,insights and links to help you in bringing your novel product, process or service to market."

Surfacing and visualising operational data. Exited 2018.

Until merged with RVB Consultancies in 2015, DO consulting specialised in water management projects. These included:Working on a range of recycled water projects for utilisation of water in agriculture adn the development of remote and alternative water supplies, including agricultural opportunity assessments and treatment plant design.Leading the science review of forestry water allocation in South Australia - resulting in world first legislation to manage water abstraction by forestry as part of the water allocation process.Leading the Science reviews of the Murray Darling Basin Plan - resulting in an additional 3500GL of water being allocated to the lower Murray River.Managing the South Australian CSG and Large Coal Mining development program, examining the water and ecological risk management processes that need to be accounted for sustainable resource development.Developing the water resources implementation approaches for the Eastern and Western Mount Lofty Ranges and working on the detail of water resource allocation.

Provisor was a product development company, analysis and asset management business for R&D organisations, specialising in services to the Australian and international wine sector It was owned by the CSIRO, the University of Adelaide, SARDI and the Australian Wine Research Institute. From 2003 to 2010 we developed a unique offering as the first business to specialise in engineering-based product development for the wine industry. It pioneered global packaging trials, wine engineering R&D and wine lifecycle analysis. Wine industry engineering R&D projects included refrigeration management, lean and six-sigma implementation, transportation impact models, energy efficiency and winery performance benchmarking, Provisor supported pioneering private-sector product development in synthetic closures, oxygen exclusion, non-glass packaging, membranes, irrigation, agricultural sprays and emulsions, product recovery/extraction, grape pressing, centrifuges and other separation technology, blending, irrigation management, carbon neutral wine, wastewater treatment and management, berry sorting, wine style development, wine-making additives, sensory evaluation of berries, wine, food and wine-based products.Our research capability included purpose built sensory facilities, LCMS, GCMS, GCFID and specialised trial wineries in Merbein and Adelaide.In 2010, Provisors operations were integrated into the Australian Wine Research Institute, which continues Provisor's legacy of engineering oriented wine industry research, development and implementation and commercially driven product development trails through its' Analytical Services.

I led the R&D partnership between Veolia and Thames Water/RWE and the local operations joint venture; United Water. We were responsible for linking a local team with the international networks of our owners in order to facilitate a high level of technology and knowledge transfer to the Australian and NZ operations.We led Veolia and Thames' international research interests in Australia as well as supporting international developments. Our activities included a SE Asian hub for CFD analysis, SE Asian regional trials for US Filters immersed membrane systems, research on community perceptions of water in Aboriginal communities, community perceptions of effluent reuse, management and control of algal byproducts including biotoxins, odour control, sludge management, sludge digestion, aquifer storage and recovery, effluent reuse and lagoon-based treatment systems.The R&D team also contributed to developing bids for major infrastructure projects in Australia and South Ease Asia, undertook private contract research for SA Water and other clients. We actively supported a range of Economic Development initiatives in South Australia.

Had a great time with Jose and the team in Townsville. So many projects in water, wastewater, reuse, networks, pipelines, cultural heritage and working with great people in FNQ.

Research on the management of invasive species in ship’s ballast water, specifically on eradication of microbial ‘passengers’ including dinoflagellate alga and vibrio cholerae using ozone, UV, chemical manipulation. Also extensive work on characterising the chemical and physical composition of ballast water. Published 5 peer reviewed papers, lectured in fluid mechanics and environmental engineering.

Managed all engineering R&D for then Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries. Strong focus of harvest of sesame, zero tillage and post harvest management of mango. Also had a lot of fun with fire intensity trials.