15 Defence Leaders Worth Knowing in Melbourne 2026

Melbourne's defence ecosystem now reaches from government policy and research all the way through to advanced manufacturing, autonomous systems, guided weapons and space. Behind the headline programmes sit the specialist companies, engineers and public servants who keep that ecosystem moving.

These 15 people are useful names to know in 2026 if you work in Australia's defence industry, supply chain, technology, manufacturing or public policy community, or if you are trying to understand who connects Melbourne to the wider national effort.

Each entry below focuses on one distinct part of that picture, from sovereign drone manufacturing to precision gears, so the list works as a practical starting point rather than a single narrow niche. It is a starting point, not a ranking, and roles change, so check the linked organisations before using any name for a current brief.

The people to know

1. Amanda Holt

CEO and Managing Director, SYPAQ Systems

Amanda Holt leads SYPAQ Systems, the Melbourne company behind the Corvo X small uncrewed aerial system built for the Australian Army's DEF129 programme. Corvo X grew out of SYPAQ's cardboard drone work, which has already been exported to support Ukraine's armed forces.

Under her leadership, SYPAQ has kept design and manufacturing local, building sovereign capability in autonomous systems rather than relying solely on imported platforms. That combination of export success and local manufacturing is why she is worth following if autonomous systems interest you.

2. Teresa Tufano

Executive Director, Defence, Aviation and Aerospace, Victorian Government

Teresa Tufano leads the Victorian Government's defence, aviation and aerospace work, sitting at the point where state industry policy meets national defence investment. Her team helps shape how Victoria positions itself for major Commonwealth defence programmes and aerospace opportunities.

For anyone trying to understand how government policy and industry investment connect in Victoria, her role is a useful reference point, since it links directly to the state's broader advanced manufacturing and technology strategy.

3. Nick Williams

CEO, Corvus Technology Solutions

Nick Williams runs Corvus Technology Solutions, a Melbourne business working across defence, space and security technology. The company has been publicly active in Australia Korea business collaboration and has picked up innovation recognition in the sector.

His work sits at the intersection of defence and international partnership building, which makes him a useful name for anyone tracking how Melbourne businesses build technology relationships beyond Australia's borders.

4. Michael Quinn

CEO, APT Hosico

Michael Quinn leads APT Hosico, a business inside Melbourne's precision engineering and advanced manufacturing network. The company's work touches defence supply chains and broader industry collaboration across advanced manufacturing.

Precision engineering businesses like his rarely make headlines on their own, but they are the layer that turns major programme announcements into delivered equipment, which is why his work is worth understanding.

5. Karin Vosmansky

Executive Director, MACK VALVES

Karin Vosmansky leads MACK VALVES, a Melbourne manufacturer with defence capability and a track record in industrial collaboration. Her public activity has connected the business to women's defence networks and international industrial partnerships.

Specialist manufacturers like MACK VALVES sit deep in the defence supply chain, and her leadership is a useful lens on how mid sized Melbourne manufacturers support larger sovereign defence programmes.

6. Gavin New

Managing Director, Ronson Gears

Gavin New leads Ronson Gears, a Melbourne precision engineering business whose gears and components support Australia's defence manufacturing base. The business is a practical example of how specialist suppliers underpin sovereign manufacturing ambitions.

His work is a useful reminder that sovereign defence capability depends on a deep bench of precision suppliers, not only the prime contractors whose names appear on major contracts.

7. Sam Bell

CEO, A.W. Bell

Sam Bell leads A.W. Bell, an Australian casting and engineering supplier with defence and aerospace work. The business supports the manufacturing layer that sits behind major aerospace and defence programmes.

Anyone tracking how Australian manufacturing feeds into global aerospace and defence supply chains should know his name, since casting and engineering suppliers like A.W. Bell are often the least visible but most essential part of that chain.

8. Julia Dickinson

Chief Engineer, Lockheed Martin Australia

Julia Dickinson holds an engineering leadership role at Lockheed Martin Australia, a company with a substantial footprint in Melbourne's defence and space programme ecosystem. Her work connects systems engineering discipline to some of the country's largest defence programmes.

For anyone interested in the engineering side of major programmes rather than the commercial or policy side, her role is a useful point of reference into how systems engineering leadership operates inside a global prime contractor's Australian business.

9. Travis Reddy

Founder and CEO, DefendTex

Travis Reddy founded and leads DefendTex, a Melbourne defence technology company working on deployable systems and munitions technology. Building a defence technology company from the ground up in Melbourne is a distinctive path in an industry often dominated by large multinational primes.

His work is worth following for anyone interested in how homegrown Australian defence technology companies compete and grow inside a market that is usually associated with much larger established players.

10. Bryan O'Connor

General Manager APAC, Moog Space and Defense Group

Bryan O'Connor leads Moog's Asia Pacific work from the Melbourne region, with public activity connected to guided weapons and defence manufacturing. Moog's Australian operation sits inside the guided weapons and space systems part of the sector.

Given the national focus on building sovereign guided weapons manufacturing, his role overseeing Moog's regional work is a useful one to understand for anyone following that part of Australia's defence build up.

11. Joern Buelter

General Manager, Logistic Vehicles, Rheinmetall Defence Australia

Joern Buelter leads Rheinmetall Defence Australia's logistic vehicles work, connecting Melbourne to one of the country's largest military vehicle programmes. His current profile and Victorian Government diary evidence link him directly to that Melbourne defence conversation.

Military logistics vehicles rarely attract public attention, but they are essential to how the Australian Defence Force actually moves and sustains itself, which is why his leadership in this area matters.

12. Michael Flowers

Defence Council Victoria member, Defence Council Victoria

Michael Flowers is part of the current Defence Council Victoria network, the state's formal channel for connecting defence industry voices with government. That network is a useful entry point into the people and organisations shaping Victoria's defence sector from the ground up.

For anyone trying to map Victoria's defence advocacy landscape rather than just its major contractors, his involvement in the Council is a helpful starting point.

13. Andrew Garth

Managing Director, Defence Industry Advisory Services

Andrew Garth leads Defence Industry Advisory Services and also serves in the current Defence Council Victoria network. That combination gives him a practical, on the ground perspective on Melbourne's defence conversation that sits alongside the larger prime contractors.

His advisory work is a useful reference point for smaller and mid sized businesses trying to understand how to engage with Victoria's defence industry ecosystem.

14. Honi Walker

CEO, South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance

Honi Walker leads SEMMA, the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance, a network that connects manufacturing businesses with the broader defence and advanced industry ecosystem. SEMMA's role is to help smaller manufacturers find their place inside larger supply chains.

For manufacturing businesses trying to work out how to connect with Melbourne's defence sector, her leadership of that network is a genuinely practical starting point.

15. Craig Butler

Engagement Manager, Defence Science Institute

Craig Butler works at the Defence Science Institute, which connects research, industry and government across Victoria's defence ecosystem. His engagement role is about building the bridges between university research and the industry that can commercialise it.

Anyone interested in how Victoria turns defence research into applied industry capability should know his work, since institutes like this are where that translation work actually happens.

Conclusion

Three themes run through this group. The first is that sovereign manufacturing depends on a deep bench of precision suppliers, from gears and valves to castings, working quietly behind the largest programmes. The second is that government and advocacy roles, from the Victorian Government's own defence team to the Defence Council Victoria network, do real work connecting policy to industry rather than sitting apart from it. The third is that homegrown Melbourne companies, from SYPAQ's drone exports to DefendTex's technology development, are building genuine sovereign capability alongside the global primes.

For leaders and organisations trying to grow inside this ecosystem, the practical lesson is that influence in defence rarely comes from one relationship or one contract. It comes from consistently connecting research, manufacturing, government and delivery, which is exactly what this group does in different ways.

About the Author

Jonno White is the author of Step Up or Step Out and a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, a framework created by Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group. Jonno is Brisbane based and works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world, helping them build the kind of clear, connected leadership that industries like defence depend on.

Next Read or Related Reading

If you are building a leadership team around complex, high stakes work, the Working Genius culture guide is a useful next read on how to get the right people focused on the right kind of work. For more on the leadership challenges facing complex industries, the leadership category on the Consult Clarity site brings together related articles.

Leadership teams working inside complex, high stakes industries like defence face a particular kind of pressure, where technical delivery, government relationships and commercial outcomes all have to move together. If your leadership team is navigating that kind of complexity and wants a clearer, more energised way of working, I would be glad to help. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to start the conversation.