Chris Tindal, PE
NextGen Consulting
Chris Tindal co-founded NextGen Consulting, Pte Ltd with LT Leong in 2016, providing strategic advisory services to companies expanding into new markets or enhancing their market share. He currently serves as an independent consultant for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, leveraging his extensive network to build regional supply chains and support emerging entities with feedstocks, technology providers, and policy issues.
From 2018 to 2024, Chris was the Assistant Director for the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), promoting sustainable aviation fuel options that prioritize safety and cost-effectiveness while ensuring energy security and environmental improvement. In 2017, he was appointed Biofutures Strategic Advisor to the State of Queensland, facilitating connections between the Queensland Government and global stakeholders to establish biofutures operations in the region.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) since 2017, he explores research opportunities and the potential for commercial-scale biorefineries in Queensland. Chris is also on the Board of Directors for Advanced Biofuels USA, advocating for the adoption of advanced biofuels as a solution for energy security, economic development, and climate change mitigation.
Before his time at CAAFI, Chris served as the Director for Operational Energy under the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy from 2008 to 2017, overseeing energy policy for the Department of the Navy and fostering relationships within the energy sector. He was instrumental in leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Department of Energy/U.S. Navy Alternative Fuels Initiative, which launched advanced biofuels programs, including the Great Green Fleet project that successfully deployed renewable diesel for Navy ships.
With over 40 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Chris graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and retired as a Captain in the Navy Reserves in 2010. He has received recognition in the "Top 100 People in the Advanced Bioeconomy" Awards from 2013-2017 and the “Top 500 People in the Bioeconomy” Award in 2023 and 2024 by Biofuels Digest.