AmCham Business Luncheon

Doing Business with Defence

South Australia has a strong and growing defence industry - what are the challenges facing it? Defence SA is the lead government agency for all defence matters and the nation’s only standalone state defence organisation. Naval Group Australia is Australia’s international design and build partner for the Future Submarine Program. The Defence Teaming Centre is a member organisation enabling and supporting Australian industry to develop capability and increase overall competitiveness in domestic and global defence markets.

Addition to the panel:
Andy Keough, Managing Director, Saab Australia

Andy completed 22 years in the Australian Navy which included command of two Collins Class submarines and a three-year exchange posting with the US Navy’s Submarine Force in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) for his leadership whilst in command of HMAS SHEEAN in 2006.

Andy retired from the Navy in 2007 and joined ASC where he was responsible for establishing a business improvement capability and managing ASC’s operations in WA, which included maintenance and training for the Collins Class fleet.
After a two-year stint as Chief Executive of Defence SA, Andy commenced as the Managing Director of Saab Australia in November 2017.

Andy has an MBA, is an Adjunct Professor with The University of South Australia and is the Chair of the South Australian Defence Indigenous Employment Cluster.


Brent Clark, Interim Chief Executive Officer & Australian Program Director, Naval Group Australia

With a career spanning over 20 years in both the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and defence industry, Brent has held a variety of senior roles from project management to executive management in small, medium and large Defence companies including BAE Systems Australia, Thales Australia, SAAB Systems and Sonartech Atlas.

Prior to being appointed as interim CEO in March 2016, Brent was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Director for Strategy and Communications and Human Resources (HR) at Naval Group Australia. In his role as COO, Brent was responsible for managing Naval Group’s relationships with the Department of Defence and State and Federal Government officials. Brent also acted as the spokesperson for the organisation and liaised regularly with Australian trade and daily media and presented on behalf of Naval Group at external conferences and industry briefings.

Prior to joining Naval Group, Brent worked for the largest defence contractor in Australia, BAE Systems, as the Head of Business Development, Strategy and Communications, Maritime. In this role Brent was responsible for the Maritime Business Unit (BU), a BU made up of over 1,500 employees with an annual turnover
of AUD$560M. Brent was responsible for delivering a variety of programs including; AUD$100M Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Training Package; AUD$270M Anzac Class ASMD Modification; AUD$100M LHD Initial in-service Support package; AUD$50M Commercial Oil & Gas work; and AUD$30M Commercial Ship repair work.

Prior to BAE Systems, Brent was the Vice President, Thales Naval Business Group for Thales Australia. In this role Brent was responsible for the Thales Australia Naval Business Group which had an annual turnover of AUD$270M and over 900 employees.

Brent has also worked for SAAB Systems and Sonartech Atlas.

Prior to joining the private sector, Brent served in the Royal Australian Navy for 11 years on HMA Submarine Onslow, NUSHIP Farncomb, HMAS Ovens and HMAS Otway.

Brent is a graduate of Queensland University and holds a Masters of BusinessAdministration.

Margot Forster, CSM,  Chief Executive Officer, Defence Teaming Centre Inc.

Ms Forster joined the Defence Teaming Centre in December 2016 after a long and distinguished career in the Australian Defence Force.

Born in Adelaide, Ms Forster joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in August 1982. On graduation from the RAN Naval College and completion of Supply Officer training, she undertook a number of Supply Officer roles ashore and at sea before transferring to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in late 1988.

Ms Forster took a three year leave of absence from the RAAF in 1992 and worked as Senior Administrator with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Australian Embassy, Washington DC. In May 1995 Ms Forster returned to the RAAF to work in Air Force Materiel Division.

Over the next ten years Ms Forster specialised in organisational reform and design, and workforce transition, supporting a number of workforce reform projects including the Chief of Air Force's Rebalance and Reshape Program. January 2007 saw Ms Forster's focus shift to combat support when she was appointed as the Base Commander RAAF Base Williams and Commanding Officer Combat Support Unit Williams, for which she was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal on the 2009 Queens Birthday Honours List.

In 2009, Ms Forster joined Aerospace Operational Support Group as the Staff Officer Personnel, and later the Chief of Staff. Ms Forster deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations in November 2010 as the Commanding Officer Combat Support Unit, Al Minhad Air Base. Her efforts on this deployment saw her awarded a Chief of Joint Operations Gold Commendation for 'contribution to significant improvements to support for forces engaged in combat operations'. Other awards include commendations from the Chief of Air Force and Assistant Chief of Materiel - Air Force for her contribution to workforce reform and for project management.

In May 2012 Ms Forster was promoted to Group Captain and appointed as Director, Pathway to Change. In this position she was responsible for coordination, reporting and oversight of Pathway to Change implementation within Air Force. Ms Forster served in this role until January 2013 when she took up the position of Chief of Staff Air Force Personnel Branch. Ms Forster is a graduate of the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies (2015), with a Masters of Arts in Strategic Studies. Ms Forster was promoted to Air Commodore and appointed to the post of Commandant, Australian Command and Staff College in December 2015 before retiring from the Air Force in December 2016 to take up the position of CEO of the Defence Teaming Centre.

Event Partner  

Invitation transferable: feel free to forward this invitation to anyone within your organisation or networks who you think might be interested in this event.