The Hon Kim Beazley AC

The Honourable Kim Beazley AC is the 33rd Governor of Western Australia. Prior to being installed as Governor on the 1st May 2018, Mr Beazley had dedicated almost three decades to a career in Federal Parliament, representing the WA seats of Brand and Swan. In 2009, Mr Beazley was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for service to the Parliament of Australia through contributions to the development of government policies in relation to defence and international relations, and as an advocate for Indigenous people, and to the community.

The Hon Mark McGowan MLA

The Honourable Mark McGowan MLA is the 30^th Premier of Western Australia. Under his leadership the State Government is focussed on creating and securing jobs for Western Australians, delivering quality education and health care and delivering the METRONET public transport vision. In the McGowan Labor Government’s first year in office, Mr McGowan has introduced significant reforms such as amalgamating government departments from 41 to 25 to drive change across the public sector. He has also driven State-wide job creating initiatives such as Infrastructure WA, which sets out a new approach to long term infrastructure planning and WA Industry Link – to give WA businesses more opportunities to tender and apply for government work.

General Angus J Campbell AO DSC

General Angus Campbell joined the Australian Army in 1981, graduating from the Royal Military College – Duntroon in 1984. He has served in troop and squadron command appointments within the Special Air Service Regiment, in a range of staff appointments, in senior roles in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and as Major General and Deputy Chief of Army in the Australian Defence Force. On 16 May 2015, he was appointed Chief of the Australian Army. General Campbell was subsequently promoted and appointed to command of the Australian Defence Force on 7 July 2018.

The Hon Linda Reynolds CSC

Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds was elected to the Australian Senate in 2014 and is a passionate representative for her state of Western Australia.  She has more than 20 years’ experience at the national political level working for Ministers, Members of Parliament and the Liberal Party of Australia.  Senator Reynolds served for 29 years in the Australian Army as a Reserve Officer, in a wide range of part and full time appointments. Senator Reynolds is pursuing new defence and space industry opportunities for WA, innovation, gender equality and federation reform.

The Hon Richard Marles

Richard Marles is currently the Shadow Minister for Defence, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Federal Member for Corio. Richard’s previous appointments include Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Minister of Trade, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, and Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Affairs. 
Throughout his career he has served at sea in RAN, Canadian, Malaysian and US Navy warships, and on operations in the Middle East and Border Protection. He has served as the Executive Officer onboard Australia’s national tall ship STS Young Endeavour and he has been posted overseas to Canada, Malaysia, Bahrain and the USA.
 
He commanded the Anzac Class frigate, HMAS Parramatta, from 2006 to 2008 and was then selected to attend the US Naval War College in Newport RI, where he joined the Naval Command College, graduating in June 2010 when he was awarded the War College’s International Leadership Prize. He was subsequently asked to remain at the War College as an International Fellow, teaching within the Department of Strategy and Policy at the Masters level.

Matt Keogh MP

Following the 2019 Federal Election Matt Keogh took on the Shadow Portfolio areas of Defence Industry and WA Resources, as well as assisting the Shadow Minister for Small & Family Business. He is also the Federal Member for Burt.

Matt was elected as the first member for the Federal Division of Burt in the south-eastern suburbs of Perth at the 2016 Federal Election. Matt grew up in the Kelmscott Hills, attended school in Armadale and has strong ties to the local community. Matt has worked closely with community organisations throughout his life in what is now known as the seat of Burt in Perth’s south eastern suburbs. He continues to strive to “change the story” in the area.
Prior to taking on his portfolio responsibilities, Matt served on a wide range of committees including the House of Representatives standing committee on Economics, Agriculture and Water Resources and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

Rear Admiral Lee Goddard

Rear Admiral Lee Goddard has been fortunate to have experienced many ‘careers within a career’ during more than 30 years in the Navy.  Prior to assuming his current role as Commander, Maritime Border Command, he was seconded as Branch Head (International) within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2017, and Head of the Australian whole of government APEC PNG Taskforce in 2018.  Throughout his career he has served at sea in RAN, Canadian, Malaysian and US Navy warships, and on operations in the Middle East and Border Protection. He has served as the Executive Officer onboard Australia’s national tall ship STS Young Endeavour and he has been posted overseas to Canada, Malaysia, Bahrain and the USA.  He commanded the Anzac Class frigate, HMAS Parramatta, from 2006 to 2008 and was then selected to attend the US Naval War College in Newport RI, where he joined the Naval Command College, graduating in June 2010 when he was awarded the War College’s International Leadership Prize. He was subsequently asked to remain at the War College as an International Fellow, teaching within the Department of Strategy and Policy at the Masters level.

Admiral (Ret.) Mike Rogers

Mike Rogers retired from the U.S. Navy in 2018 after nearly 37 years of naval service rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He culminated his career with a four-year tour as Commander, U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency – creating the DoD’s newest combatant command and running the U.S. government’s largest intelligence organization. In those roles he worked with the leadership of the U.S. government, the DoD and the U.S. Intelligence community as well as their international counterparts in the conduct of cyber and intelligence activity across the globe. He also assisted in the development of national and international policy with respect to cyber, intelligence and technology – including extensive work with corporate leadership in the Finance, IT, Telecommunications and Technology sectors. Admiral Rogers is currently supporting companies in the private sector, serving as a member of various Boards or acting as a Senior Advisor. He also speaks globally to various business and academic groups and is working internationally in the cyber and national security arenas. He is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Managements’ Public Private Initiative and a member of the advisory board of the Australian American Leadership Dialogue and NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. He is also a member of the United States Naval Institute Board of Directors.

Mark Lippert

The Honorable Mark William Lippert is vice president at Boeing International, based in Washington, D.C. Lippert joined Boeing in 2017. Prior to joining Boeing, he had a distinguished career in the United States government that included serving as United States ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea (2014-2017), chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (2013-2014) and as assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (2012-2013)

The Hon Melissa Price MP

Admiral (Ret.) Scott Swift

Vice Admiral (Rtd) Chris Ritchie had a career of more than 40 years in the Royal Australian Navy retiring as the Chief of Navy in July 2005.   
 
Since leaving the Navy, Vice Admiral Ritchie has maintained an interest and involvement in defence issues and has served on defence related reviews and committees, both for Government and not for profit organisations.  He has been chairman of the Australian Defence College Advisory Board, chairman of ASC Pty Ltd, national president of the Royal United Services Institute of Australia, and chairman of the Federal Advisory Council to the Navy League of Australia.
 
He is currently a director and Chair of the Aerospace Maritime, Defence and Security Foundation of Australia, the organisers of the Avalon air show, the Pacific maritime exposition, the Land Forces exposition and the Civsec Congress.  He is a non executive director of Lockheed Martin Australia Pty Ltd, a director of Luerssen Australia Pty Ltd and Chair of the Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group. He is patron of the Naval Warfare Officer’s Association and the Australasian Hydrographic Society, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a visiting Professorial Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong.

Kate Longhurst

 Kate Longhurst commenced as Director of the DFAT Western Australia State Office in December 2018. She is responsible for managing the Department’s engagement with its diverse stakeholders in Western Australia, across government, business, academia and civil society.

Ms Longhurst was Executive Officer to the DFAT Secretary, Frances Adamson, from January 2017 to September 2018. She has held a number of other positions in Canberra, including Director of DFAT’s ASEAN and Regional Programs Section where she coordinated Australia’s engagement with ASEAN and oversaw Australia’s regional aid investments. Ms Longhurst served in the Political Section at the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. during the Obama Administration, with reporting responsibility for U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Ms Longhurst spent a year on exchange to the U.S. Department of State in 2011-12, working on the U.S. ‘rebalance’ strategy and the East Asia Summit. Her first posting was to Belgrade, Serbia. Ms Longhurst is from Perth, Western Australia. She has a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Melbourne.

Chris Deeble AO CSC

Chris Deeble is chief executive, Northrop Grumman Australia. Deeble is responsible for supporting the company’s longstanding programs in Australia, as well as exploring new business pursuits. He reports to the company’s chief global business officer.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Deeble worked for Airservices Australia as the program executive for OneSKY, responsible for delivering the Civil Military Air Traffic Management System for Australia. As the program executive, he led a joint Airservices and Defence team in managing the acquisition and delivering the infrastructure of the most complex, world-leading air traffic management system.

Previously, Deeble served for 37 years in the Australian Defence Force, most notably as an Air Vice-Marshal. As a senior program manager in the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, he managed over $25 billion of complex acquisition and sustainment programs. These programs included the Joint Strike Fighter, Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control, Multi Role Tanker Transport and Collins Class Submarine. His performance in leading these significant programs was recognized in 2016 when he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Prior to serving as Air Vice-Marshal, Deeble undertook senior roles in Air Force capability management and aerospace development. As the Director General Aerospace Development, Deeble was responsible for leading the development of submissions to the Australian government for all joint aerospace capability. As a result of his efforts, he was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) in 2007.
Deeble earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Sydney, New South Wales.

Rear Admiral Raydon W Gates AO CSM (Ret.)

Appointed as the Defence Advocate for Western Australia in August 2017 and reporting directly to the Minister for Defence Issues, Raydon provides independent advice and assistance to the Western Australian Government in promoting WA’s defence industry capability.  As well as providing strategic advice to Government on defence matters, in the role of Defence Advocate, he provides advice to the Minister and Defence West to enable WA to secure a greater share of work in naval shipbuilding and other capability streams through actively promoting WA’s capability and capacity.

Michele Clement

Michele Clement is currently establishing the Western Australian Defence Science Centre (DSC WA) on behalf of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. The DSC WA aims to build strong collaborations across Defence, universities and industry, facilitating defence-relevant research and technology connections that supports defence and national security outcomes. It will support the commercialisation of defence-related research outcomes and cultivate an internationally engaged and competitive local defence industry.

Tony Routledge

Tony Routledge is the Managing Director of specialised communication systems company AVI. With a 30-year company history, Tony has positioned AVI to deliver end-to-end solutions that include advanced design, manufacture and support of communications and security systems for discerning global customers and difficult environments – including combat zones, critical media and shielded systems for Governments. The company’s Perth-based Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility technology is deployed in machines, aircraft, military and mining vehicles. AVI’s electronic systems are trusted to deliver critical data to the world’s largest autonomous machines in zero-fail environments.

Darryl Hockey

Darryl Hockey is Deputy Chairman and spokesperson for the Henderson Alliance, a progressive industry group which develops and promote the capabilities of small businesses in WA’s defence industries.  They have also collaborated to establish a national body known as the Australian Defence Alliance, with over one thousand members. He has worked in senior executive roles in mining and resources, major infrastructure and engineering projects, public policy, agribusiness, international trade, media and communications, government relations and regulatory affairs – as well as defence industry business development.  He has also worked as a senior adviser to state and federal Cabinet Ministers. Darryl holds a Masters in International Business from Monash University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  He is a past WA Citizen of the Year for Community Service and a recipient of the Centenary Medal and Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal.

Major General Seo Young Lee (Ret.)

Major General (Ret.) Seo Young Lee is an Adjunct Professor of the National Defense University. He serves as the Policy Advisory Committee Member and the Pol-Mil Advisor for JCS, and a Board Member of Council on Korea and U.S. Security Studies. MG Lee was a Visiting Researcher of RAND Corporation in 2015, a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the Ministry of National Defense, and a Visiting Professor of the National Defense University from 2015 to 2017. He served as the Defense Attaché to the United States from 2011 to 2013. MG Lee was the Chief of Plans Division, C-5, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command. He was the JCS Senior Liaison Officer to Multi-National Force–Iraq. MG Lee graduated from the Korea Military Academy and the U.S. Joint Forces Staff College, received a M.A. from Yonsei University, and M.S.M. from Troy University.

Lieutenant General Agus Widjojo (Ret.)

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Agus Widjojo, graduated from the Indonesian Armed Forces Academy in 1970. He holds degrees from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), U.S. National Defense University and George Washington University. After retirement from active duty in 2003, he served as Chief of Staff to the Commanding General, and Deputy Speaker in the National Consultative Assembly, representing the Military and National Police Faction.  He has served as Deputy in the Presidential Delivery Unit for Program Management and Reform (UKP-PPR) and as Commissioner of the Commission of Truth and Friendship Indonesia-Timor Leste. He is currently Governor of the National Resilience Institute of Republic of Indonesia (Lemhannas RI) and a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta.

Professor Colleen Hayward AM

Colleen Hayward is a senior Noongar woman with extensive family links throughout the south-west of WA. She comes from a teaching family with her father having been the first Aboriginal teacher, and Principal, in WA. For more than 30 years, Colleen has provided significant input to policies and programs on a wide range of issues, reflecting the needs of minority groups at community, state and national levels. She has an extensive background in a range of areas including health, education, training, employment, housing, child protection and law & justice as well as significant experience in policy and management. In 2012, Colleen was inducted into the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame and was recognised as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia.

Todd Alder

Todd Alder is Managing Director and CEO of Orbital UAV. Since his appointment in August 2017, Todd has focused the Company’s strategy to deliver superiority in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propulsion systems and flight critical components. Orbital UAV supplies its integrated propulsion systems and associated technologies to a global customer base, including Insitu Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, and Textron Systems – both world leaders in the supply of tactical defence UAVs. Todd is a qualified CPA and holds a Bachelor of Economics and Accounting Degree from Flinders University in South Australia, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance through Chartered Secretaries Australia.

Professor Stephen Smith

Professor Smith was Federal Member for Perth for the Australian Labor Party from March 1993 until September 2013. In a distinguished career spanning 20 years in the Australian Federal Parliament, Professor Smith served as the Minister for Defence, and prior to that, as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Professor Robert Somerville AM

Robert Somerville is a Martu man from Jigalong in the Murchison-Gascoyne region of Western Australia. His family owned and ran one of Australia’s first Aboriginal owned cattle stations, Beyondie. A part of his Grandmother’s story is portrayed in the book and later movie the “Rabbit Proof Fence”. Robert is a Wing Commander with the Royal Australian Air Force’s National cadet program that comprises of over 8,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 20 all of whom have a passion for aviation and defence. Robert is a qualified pilot and parachutist.

Ian Irving

Ian has more than 30 years’ experience at senior executive levels within the Australian defence and aerospace industry, and in 2019 was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute, responsible for the delivery of Australia’s Naval Shipbuilding College. Most recently Ian was Chief Executive for Northrop Grumman Australia, with responsibility for leading the development of Northrop Grumman within Australia, taking the company from inception to one of the major ongoing contributors to Australia’s national security capabilities.

Terry Durant

Terry Durant is the Managing Director of South Metropolitan TAFE. Terry is passionate about the value and role of quality training and education in equipping individuals with skills for employment or further education. In 2016, Terry led the amalgamation of two major training colleges under the Training Sector Reform Project. Her leadership during this time guided the newly formed South Metropolitan TAFE college towards a transformative period of driving strategic change, strengthening industry partnerships and evolving an outcomes focused staff culture. Prior to her time in the VET sector, Terry worked across the public and private sector, in senior positions within banking, superannuation and taxation. Terry holds a Master of Business Administration from Curtin University and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Matt Moran

Matt is the inaugural Executive Director of Defence West, a Walkley Award winner and an Australian Army Afghanistan veteran. Matt has extensive knowledge of Defence, having experience as a senior adviser to the Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Defence. He worked on Defence’s most complex and expensive projects over the last few years. Matt was also a media adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.  He deployed to Afghanistan as a public affairs officer in 2009 and East Timor in 2007.  In a previous life, he was a journalist with the ABC and Network Ten.

Admiral Robin Dhowan (Ret)

Admiral RK Dhowan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College and the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The Admiral has commanded three frontline warships of the Western Fleet and was the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. He has served as the Indian Naval Advisor at the High Commission of India, London, Chief Staff Officer (Operations), Western Naval Command, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy and Plans), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff before being promoted as the 22nd Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy on 17 Apr 14. He retired from the role on 31 May 16 and took over as the fifth Chairman of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi

Admiral Scott Swift (Ret)

Adm. Swift served in the U.S. Navy for more than 40 years, rising from his commission through the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate program to become a Navy light attack and strike fighter pilot.  He commanded at all levels including F/A-18 weapons school, aircraft carrier-based squadrons, Carrier Air Wing, Carrier Strike Group and the U.S. Seventh Fleet forward deployed to Japan, finally completing his uniformed career as the 35th Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet in 2018. During his years of service, he participated in combat Operations Praying Mantis, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and received a master’s degree from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. He is a graduate of San Diego State University and the U.S. Naval War College. Selected as the MIT Center for International Studies Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow, Admiral Swift continues to explore opportunities to serve where his interests, abilities, experience and national need align.

Lieutenant Colonel Jasmin Diab

Jasmin joined the Australian Army in 2001. After graduating from the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College Duntroon, she was allocated to the Royal Australian Engineers as a Combat Engineer. Jasmin has spent the majority of her career providing operational and training support in countering chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.  Jasmin is a big advocate for thinking differently and is a co-founder of the Defence Entrepreneurs Forum Australia (DEF Aus) which encourages bottom up conceptual innovation through pitching ideas to Defence senior leadership. She is also the Vice-President of Women in Nuclear Australia and the Australian representative on the Women in Nuclear Global board.

Dr Jeffrey Wilson

Dr Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre. He provides leadership and strategic direction in developing the Centre’s research program across its publications, policy and dialogue activities. Dr Wilson specialises in the regional economic integration of the Indo-Pacific. He has particular expertise in the politics of trade agreements, regional economic institutions, and Australia’s economic ties with Asia. He has been featured in local and international media outlets, contributed to a range of track two dialogues between Australia and key regional partners, and supported policy development through consultancy, publication and advisory work.

Vice Admiral Yoji Koda (Ret)

Vice Admiral Koda is a Japanese naval officer, academic, writer and a fellow at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University focusing on the direction of the US-Japan alliance in the coming decades and Chinese naval and military expansion. He is the former Commander-in-Chief of the Self Defence Fleet and has served on several Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force ships including the Yudachi (DD-108), the Shirayuki (DD-123), and the Sawayuki (DD-125). He has a career in maritime defence spanning over 30 years.

Dr Lynn Kuok

Dr Kuok has held fellowships at Brookings Institution, Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. She has served as editor-in-chief of the Cambridge Review of International Affairs and the Singapore Law Review, both peer-reviewed journals. She is an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore and has worked as a senior news producer at a television news station. Dr Kuok speaks regularly at international conferences and leading universities. Her analysis has featured in Foreign Affairs and The Wall Street Journal, amongst others. She has been interviewed by and quoted in various broadcast and print media, including the BBC, CNBC, Al Jazeera and The New York Times. She has taken part in the World Economic Forum, Global Future Council on International Security; the IISS Southeast Asian Young Leaders’ Programme; Munich Young Leader, Munich Security Conference; and has been awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for doctoral studies.

Joel Nevin

With a background in banking and finance, Joel is a co-founding director of Blacktree Technology, established in WA for 17 years as an RF Communication Systems Integrator.  Blacktree joined the Western Australian Defence Industry in 2015, as a manufacturer and sustainment partner for UHF SATCOM products to the Australian Defence Force, through the acquisition of another WA based SME.  Continued support from State and Federal Governments has assisted Blacktree to grow and they now provide products and services to domestic and overseas defence markets.

Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie AO, RAN (Ret)

Vice Admiral (Rtd) Chris Ritchie had a career of more than 40 years in the Royal Australian Navy retiring as the Chief of Navy in July 2005.   Since leaving the Navy, Vice Admiral Ritchie has maintained an interest and involvement in defence issues and has served on defence related reviews and committees, both for Government and not for profit organisations.  He has been chairman of the Australian Defence College Advisory Board, chairman of ASC Pty Ltd, national president of the Royal United Services Institute of Australia, and chairman of the Federal Advisory Council to the Navy League of Australia. He is currently a director and Chair of the Aerospace Maritime, Defence and Security Foundation of Australia, the organisers of the Avalon air show, the Pacific maritime exposition, the Land Forces exposition and the Civsec Congress.  He is a non executive director of Lockheed Martin Australia Pty Ltd, a director of Luerssen Australia Pty Ltd and Chair of the Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group. He is patron of the Naval Warfare Officer’s Association and the Australasian Hydrographic Society, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a visiting Professorial Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong.

Kris Constantinides

Kris has been with Airflite, an Australian Defence Contractor, since he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce double major in Corporate Administration and Management in 2003. In 2016, Kris became a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has recently completed his Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Kris is the Chairperson of the Australian Industry Defence Network in Western Australia (AIDN-WA), which seeks to promote the interests of the Defence industry. He is also the Chairperson of Megaturbines, a newly formed business focussing on the energy, oil and gas sector in Australia and Asia.