Nigel Allan and Haakon Grunnan co-founded Brilliant Carbon, an MLM firm combining carbon credit purchases with network marketing. Allan previously served as President. Its formation follows Allan's departure from Ausante in June 2012, a similar venture he left over alleged fraud involving unpurchased carbon credits.
The company's website details Brilliant Carbon's origins, tracing back to the launch of Ausante. Tahir Ali and Mark Chadwick approached Allan in early 2011 to establish Ausante. Carl Mallinson of Ceejay Commodities Ltd in Zambia was to plant trees, providing a tangible backing for environmental sales. Allan became an equal shareholder and director.
Allan, with Grunnan, built a large global sales network for carbon footprint offsetting. But Tahir Ali forced Mallinson out of Ausante in October 2011. Mallinson was not paid for planted trees, removing the company's product backing. It became clear that real carbon credits needed purchasing and retiring in customer names for transparency.
Allan was deceived by other directors. Ausante never bought or retired carbon credits for its customers. Public registries show no record of these purchases, despite millions of dollars in sales of "nonexistent" credits.
Allan resigned from Ausante in June 2012, stating he did not wish to be part of a worldwide fraud. He and Haakon Grunnan then spent twelve months developing Brilliant Carbon's business and systems.
Before Allan's departure, Ali had already launched Ausante spinoffs. CO2 Rewards was one such venture, reviewed in March 2012. CO2 Rewards allowed members to acquire customers through the company. Members could purchase units, distribute them to company-provided customers, and earn returns on their initial investment.
The Ausante website remains active today, listing Mark Chadwick as CEO. CO2 Rewards, however, no longer exists. Allan claims on the Brilliant Carbon website that he created the new company to "learn from Ausante's mistakes."
Brilliant Carbon lists a "Brilliant Carbon Support" address in London and a UK contact number for Nigel Allan. It is unclear if the business itself operates from the UK. The company's product line remains under review.