Page 17 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
NEWS REVIEW INDUSTRY UPDATE 17
BECA AND IDIC FORM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
LEFT: The partnership was signed by Beca Australia Managing Director Craig Lee and CEO and founder of iDiC Adam Goodes.
ing program; partnering on the develop- ment of Beca’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP); the potential of supply chain inte- gration, and joint initiatives to partner in the delivery of future projects.
“We have over 100 Indigenous busi- nesses as part of the iDiC consortium that we will help Beca engage with, to create solutions as a supply chain aggregator and relationship manager,” Adam Goodes ex- plained.
“We want to be part of your family and to add value where we can. That’s the best form of partnership – creating value for each other.”
Goodes said that he wanted it to be clear that the partnership had been deliberately considered to ensure both organisation’s needs and wants were represented. “The process has also been a fantastic opportu- nity for Beca to better understand the cul- tures and experiences of First Australians and to pay respects to one of the oldest civilisations in the world.”
NIGEL PITTAWAY | MELBOURNE
INDEPENDENT consulting firm Beca and the Indigenous Defence and Infrastruc- ture Consortium (iDiC) have formed a strategic partnership to grow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander companies.
The partnership was announced on 17 January by Beca Australia Managing Di- rector Craig Lee and CEO and founder of iDiC Adam Goodes and is designed to fa- cilitate greater participation of Indigenous businesses in the delivery of long-term infrastructure projects. With the signing of the agreement, Beca becomes one of twelve iDiC strategic partners.
One of the initial joint projects under- taken under the agreement will see iDiC partner Origin Project Management (OriginPM) providing project manage- ment services to Beca for the Defence Aviation Safety Authority’s Regulation’s 139 (DASR.139) Aerodrome Transition program. Under DASR.139, all Defence aerodromes are required to be classified as Certified or Non-Certified and Beca and OriginPM will work together to assist certification of each one.
“Supporting the growth and develop- ment of Australian communities is already a cornerstone of our business, but it’s criti- cal to be partnering with iDiC to commit to supporting and nurturing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned busi- nesses,” Beca’s Craig Lee commented.
“We also have a lot to gain from pur- chasing from Indigenous businesses be-
yond products or services. Sharing of knowledge and culture shifts the para- digm and provides First Australians with strength and success.”
Several areas have already been identi- fied that will benefit the Beca workforce in this regard, including the roll-out of an education and cultural competency train-
CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP AT BAE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA
GABBY Costigan has been promoted to Group Managing Director of Business De- velopment for BAE Systems and will hand over the reins of BAE Systems Australia to Ben Hudson.
Gabby will move to the UK in Q2 follow- ing handover to Ben, previously the CTO in the UK. Ben previously led the global vehicle systems portfolio for Rheinmetall in Germany, held senior roles with Gen- eral Dynamics in Switzerland, and served as an officer in the Australian Army.
Gabby joined BAE Systems Australia as CEO-designate on 2 October 2017 and be- came CEO on 1 January 2018. During her tenure, the Australian business has grown from about 3,000 employees to more than 5,500 as major programs such as JORN upgrade, F-35 sustainment and Hunter- class frigate program ramped up.
She was awarded an MBE in 2019 for ser- vices to relations between the UK and Aus- tralia. In 2021, she was invited by PM Scott Morrison to join the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation Business Advisory Council. She is a Princes Trust Board member, AM- CHAM NSW Honorary Governor, Chair of the Council for Women and Families United by Defence Service, a member of the CSIRO Manufacturing Advisory Group and a member of the University of Adelaide Defence Cyber and Space Advisory Board.
“I have loved leading Australia’s most diverse defence company over the past four years. The breadth of the work un- dertaken by the business and the capa- bilities and commitment of employees is really quite exceptional," Costigan said. “I am really looking forward to continuing to support the Aus-
tralian business in my new role.” ■
RIGHT: Gabby Costigan is moving to a new role in BAE Systems.
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