Page 32 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2022

32 DEFENCE BUSINESS GABBY COSTIGAN
JUNE 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
REFLECTIONS – AN INTERVIEW WITH GABBY COSTIGAN
Formerly the Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems Australia, Gabby Costigan has taken over the role of Group Managing Director of Business Development for the company and is now based in the UK.
NIGEL PITTAWAY | MELBOURNE
GABBY has been replaced in her former role by Ben Hudson but in her last few days before formally handing over the reins, she took time to speak with ADM Editor Nigel Pit- taway about her time in the chair.
ADM: How do you feel about stepping up to your new role? GABBY COSTIGAN: It’s really kind of bittersweet for me. It’s very exciting on one hand to be given the opportunity to join the executive committee of the global business and to take on a role with a global remit, but it’s also quite hard to leave this business. I’ve invested an enormous amount of my own personal time and effort with the team here in the
last four and a half years, and so I’m very proud and excited with all the things we’ve been able to achieve but it is also quite difficult to leave.
ADM: How do you look back on your tenure?
GABBY COSTIGAN: It has been an unbelievable four years. In that time, we’ve seen massive changes across defence industry in Australia, a significant focus by the government in investing in defence capability and obviously with that comes the requirement for industry to step up and support our customer. I’d like to think we’ve done that very well in the time I’ve been leading this business.
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