JFD appoints Harry Dunstall as non-exec Chairman in Australia
JFD today announced the appointment of Harry Dunstall as the new non-executive Chairman in Australia to oversee its future growth and direction in the defence sector and further strengthen its presence in the region.
Dunstall, a previous Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) in the Australian Department of Defence and currently the Managing Director of Canberra-based strategic advisory firm, Ngamuru Advisory, assumed the position on 1 November 2018.
“Harry’s appointment as non-executive Chairman in Australia comes at a significant and exciting time for our company as we continue to improve the safe, trusted and proven submarine rescue service we provide to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)”, said Toff Idrus, Managing Director of JFD’s Australian division.
“With advanced manufacturing centres in Western Australia and New South Wales, a workforce of highly-skilled tradespeople and plans to strengthen our commitment to the local defence sector, Harry’s experience and expertise will be critical in ensuring we continue to deliver world-class products and services in submarine rescue, hyperbaric chamber manufacturing, rebreathing and combat diving equipment.”
Harry Dunstall brings a wealth of insight and experience to the role having worked for many years in senior positions in the Australian Department of Defence. This includes responsibility for the division of the defence organisation that acquires and sustains the material capability for the Australian Defence Force.
“For the past decade, JFD has been a key strategic capability partner to the Australian Government and it continues to deliver world-class defence systems, including a hyperbaric equipment suite and transfer-under-pressure chamber, which earlier this year gave the RAN the ability to rescue and treat the entire crew of an Australian submarine - up to 88 crew members - at the same time”, said Harry Dunstall.
Dunstall continued: “Combine that with JFD’s global delivery of submarine rescue services to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), as well as to Singapore, Korea and India, as well as partnerships with 80 nations and 33 navies, and the company is perfectly positioned to expand and develop its Australian presence. I look forward to working in this role with the JFD team across Australia all of whom show great passion and expertise in what they do and who deliver such critical services and products to our nation's submariners.”
The appointment of a non-executive Chairman in Australia comes as the company prepares for the annual Black Carillon submarine rescue exercises due to take place off the coast of Western Australia in November 2018. During the exercise, JFD, in partnership with the RAN, will trial its submarine rescue system in a series of scenarios designed to replicate a real-life submarine rescue emergency.