Our Executive Team

Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Gavin Turnbull (Retired) is a fighter pilot with 37 years of experience in Defence. He has over 15 years of executive and board level experience across the public sector with particular experience in Defence, including appointments as Air Commander Australia (2014) and Deputy Chief of Air Force (2017).

Major General Tim McOwan AO, DSC, CSM (Retired) is a former Commanding Officer of the Special Air Service Regiment, the Special Operations Commander Australia, the Head of Defence Staff in Washington DC and has worked in the intelligence and national security community for many years.

Satish Ayyalasomayajula is the Managing Director at Secure & Innovate Pty Ltd.

Air Marshal (Retired) Mel Hupfeld, AO, DSC is an accomplished senior executive who commanded at every level within Air Force. Notably, on promotion to Air Marshal, Mel was appointed as Chief of Joint Operations in May 2018 and subsequently Chief of Air Force in July 2019. He transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in July 2022.

Mike Milford is a seasoned senior public executive renowned for his adept leadership in ICT and operations management across Defence and Home Affairs in fields including business operations, strategy development, and change management. With a wealth of experience spanning various high-profile roles, he has proven instrumental in driving pivotal outcomes in challenging environments.

With 30 years of experience and as a senior officer in the Australian Defence Force, Ian Langford has had the challenge and opportunity of leading large and small teams in complex and ambiguous environments. Ian has held a range of appointments in the Army and Special Forces throughout his career.

Greg is a Defence acquisition and sustainment specialist who has recently retired after over 37 years of service with the Royal Australian Air Force and in that time achieved the rank of Air Vice marshal. He is an accomplished leader with expertise across aviation maintenance, complex procurement, management of major projects, contract management and independent assurance reviews.

A Fifth Generation Entrepreneur with a fiercely strategic brain, Jacqueline Nagle’s diverse career criss-crosses professional services, mining services, civil construction, manufacturing, and industrial relations.

Brigadier Mark Smethurst DSC, AM (Retired) is an accomplished senior executive leader, with a highly successful track record commanding large and diverse teams both in Australia and overseas.

Commodore Martin Brooker (Retired) is a trusted strategic advisor, leadership expert and executive coach. He is passionate about people leading people in constructive cultures, leveraging ethical people strategies to achieve high performance and improved business outcomes.

Air Commodore Marty Smith (Retired) is a recognised expert in Defence logistics. As the Director General of Air Force Logistics, he was responsible for the strategic direction of all engineering, infrastructure, supply chain and support systems during the RAAF's transformation to a 5th generation Air Force.

After a distinguished 35 year Army career, Stephen has undertaken a variety of advisory and NFP board roles. Stephen Is Chairman of CI-ISAC Australia, a NFP company providing Cyber Threat Intelligence sharing services to critical Infrastructure owner and operators and facilitates leadership and management workshops for Ethos CRS, a Canberra-based training company.

Mr Peter Lambert has had an extensive career across a range of information, intelligence and communications technology areas.

Alasdair Gordon is a highly regarded senior executive of over 30 years experience both in government and industry. He sits on Industry advisory boards in Australia and the US, provides strategic direction to Industry and has also headed government reviews.

Peter Wishart is a seasoned IT industry executive with extensive experience in developing, leading and delivering large scale IT system integration projects and managed services. His experience includes engagements in government, manufacturing, resources and financial services industries.

An experienced and values based senior executive with a proven ability to lead and manage complex and dynamic organisations during periods of sustained pressure and rapid technological change.

Commodore Michael Houghton (Retired) is a senior executive with significant experience in major defence acquisition and sustainment programs involving ships and submarines. He also has experience with complex international programs and defence industry boards.

Air Vice-Marshal Peter Yates (ret’d) is a highly respected and seasoned executive leader with a career spanning over four decades in enterprise resource planning, aviation engineering and maintenance, and logistics management. Known for his innovative thinking, energy, and strategic acumen, Peter has consistently demonstrated his ability to navigate complex organisational landscapes and bring about positive change.

Carl Herse specializes in strategic planning, conducting business needs analyses, designing holistic structures and capabilities, and ensuring the effectiveness of existing planning and capabilities.

Andrew is a highly experienced leader with proven management abilities in leading multi-disciplinary teams. His Defence experience as a Naval Officer spans more than 35 years including extensive operational and strategic level international experience.

Air Vice-Marshal Time Innes (Retired) is an Air Force pilot with 42 years of experience in Defence. He has over 15 years of executive leadership across the public sector with experience in Australian and international Defence, including Defence Advisor New Delhi (2010), Commander of Combat Support Group (2012), Deputy Air Commander Australia (2015).

Lindsay is a distinguished professional with experience in senior government roles, industry collaborations, and parliamentary engagements within the Australian context.

Dave is a former strategic advisory Partner at Tier 1 consulting firms PwC, Strategy&, and Booz & Company. He supported a range of both Government and Industry clients with large scale enterprise-wide transformations and business improvements across strategy, new operating model, business improvement, capability development, and the conduct of independent strategic reviews.

John is a PSAB Principal Consultant and also the cofounder and managing director of Cambrian Executive, an Australian veteran owned consultancy based in Adelaide and serving defence and space industry clients across Australia and New Zealand, focused on strategic business development campaigns and innovative research and development.

Dylan Nagle has over 15 years’ experience across Defence and defence industry, including executive roles in Defence Industry Policy, Defence Science and Technology, Austrade, government relations and operations management in industry.

Pedro is an experienced senior management consultant with a background in strategic, commercial, and operations management advisory gained from 10 years across the defence, space, national security, and ICT spheres. Pedro holds a Master of Security & Defence Management and Master of Business (Strategic Procurement) from UNSW, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce (Management) and Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Adelaide.

Tom is a management consultant with experience across Defence and National Security strategy implementation and capability programs. He is also the co-founder and co-director of the Youth National Security Strategy Inc. Tom holds a Master of National Security Policy and Bachelor of International Relations from ANU.