Our Executive Team
Wayne Sharpe
Founder & CEO
Wayne is a pioneer in the digital age, utilising the internet’s global reach to link people with products through electronic exchange platforms. Before the creation of eBay, Alibaba, AirBnB or Freelancer.com, Wayne designed and built a global business based on the premise that the internet can unlock unrealised economic value and create new markets.
He founded the listed company Bartercard now the world’s largest non-cash marketplace where members exchange goods and services on credit not cash via a unique alternative ‘currency’. Bartercard has operated for over 23 years and in 20 countries and has completed over US$40 billion in transactions. Bartercard’s fully electronic online auction platform predated eBay by 3 years, and its online wholesale/retail shopping mall predated Alibaba by 4 years.
After selling Bartercard’s flagship operation in Australia in 2007 ($25.5 million), Wayne attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, and shifted his technological and entrepreneurial skills to the global challenge of climate change. For the past 15 years Wayne has devoted himself to bridging the nexus between financial markets and the environment, creating marketplaces and platforms that make it simple, secure and transparent for finance to achieve environmental outcomes.
Wayne created Global Environmental Markets after successfully launching the world’s largest voluntary exchange platform Carbon Trade Exchange (CTX).
Lee Barton
Chief Operating Officer
Lee has 22 years’ experience in managing exchanges and exchange technology development. Previous Director and Executive Manager for Bartercard International for 18 years. Lee currently manages all of GEM’s technology as well as the operations at Carbon Trade Exchange (CTX), the world’s first voluntary exchange platform. An extremely efficient person capable of implementing and driving a wide range of business-critical initiatives and programmes, Lee oversees the delivery of all new development projects and enhancements to existing IP and ensures projects are scoped, built and delivered on time.
Juliet Turnbull
IT Project Coordinator
Juliet is a skilled and versatile all-rounder whose diverse professional experience includes transport and logistics, business systems and operations, design, and marketing.
With 3 years’ experience in the financial technology and environmental sectors, Juliet works closely with GEM’s COO, Lee Barton and their technology partners to scope and coordinate development projects, tech enhancements and bug fixes.
Being an excellent problem solver with a keen eye for detail, Juliet provides a high standard of user acceptance testing, technical support and training to the GEM and CTX team and their clients around the world.
Juliet also contributes towards the design and implementation of GEM and CTX’s graphic user interfaces, marketing campaigns and product presentations.