Australian Army
Brigadier Davis joined the Army in 1995. His formative experiences were in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment which he commanded from 2014-2016. He served on operations in East Timor in 2003 and in Iraq in 2008/2009. From 2017 to 2018 he was the liaison officer to the United Kingdom Land Forces.
Brigadier Davis’ staff appointments include Army Headquarters as Staff Officer Grade One – the Army Plan, Director of the Chief of Army’s Initiatives Group and Director of Joint Concepts.
Brigadier Davis is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College (2011) and the School of Advanced Military Studies (2012).
He assumed his appointment as Director General Future Land Warfare in September 2022 and leads Army design, innovation, land concepts, history, research and experimentation. Outside of Army, Brigadier Davis is an Australian Rules Football tragic and has been the chair of the ADF Aussie Rules Association since 2022.
Research and Development Manager
Hanwha Defence Australia
Glenn Halupka is the Research and Development (R&D) Manager at Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA), where he is responsible for the establishment of Hanwha’s R&D capability in Australia. His innovative approach sees him prioritising key technologies that aim to enhance the operational effectiveness of the warfighter, enabling them to complete their mission and come home safe. He joined HDA as a Senior Engineer on the LAND8116 Self-Propelled Howitzer project in 2020.
Commencing his career at the Department of Defence, Glenn Initially contributed to the LAND121 G-Wagon project, and later worked with capabilities such as the Giraffe Ground-Based Air Defence Radar, M777 Howitzer, and F2 Mortar. His expertise led him to the Weapons Testing, Evaluation, and Certification cell, where he conducted safety and suitability for service testing, and ammunition and ancillary device integration assessments for ADF weapon systems.
Glenn holds an Advanced Diploma of Engineering, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with Honours, from RMIT University. During his studies, he was recognised with the Pro Vice Chancellor Award and the RMIT Award, and fast-tracked his career with a Technical Traineeship through the Defence TAFE Employment Scheme. His final year research project focused on the analysis of weapon recoil dynamics, aimed at enhancing the assessment of ADF weapon systems and developing valuable training tools.
A Chartered Professional Engineer and member of Engineers Australia, Glenn is committed to driving the development of innovative defence technologies.
Program Leader – Australian Defence Science and Universities Network
Defence Science and Technology Group
Dr Robert Hunjet serves as the Program Leader for the Australian Defence Science and Universities Network at the Defence Science and Technology Group. In this role he drives engagement between academia, industry and the Defence Innovation, Science and Technology ecosystem.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 2014 and serves as an adjunct Associate Professor with the Trusted Autonomy Group in the School of Systems and Computing, University of New South Wales, Canberra.
He has served as the Australian lead for the AUKUS Pillar II AI and Autonomy Working Group and on numerous boards and panels within the Defence IS&T ecosystem including the Steering Committees for the Centre of Advanced Defence Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems and the Defence AI Research Network.
General Manager Major Service Provider Governance
Nova Systems ANZ
Kristen Raby is the General Manager Major Service Provider Governance for Nova Systems ANZ and has held senior leadership and management roles within Nova Systems including General Manager Operations and General Manager People.
She was responsible for delivery of the the Land Domain IWP Portfolio and leads the Team Nova Major Service Provider PMO and Industry Engagement team. As a qualified long-course Flight Test Engineer, Kristen has worked as a Test Director and Flight Test Engineer on the Australian Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) Production Acceptance Test and Evaluation Programs for the Australian Army, and has supported Maritime, Land, Aerospace, Space and Communications Projects throughout her 18+ year tenure at Nova Systems.
Prior to joining Nova, Kristen spent 13 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an Aerospace Engineering Officer, she was selected as the first female in Canada to attend EPNER Test Pilot School in France and graduated as a long-course qualified Flight Test Engineer on both fixed wing and rotary wing platforms. In addition to her Bachelor of Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Flight Test Engineering qualifications, Kristen is a graduate of the Melbourne Business School Advanced Management Program, the AICD Company Directors Course, and the Harvard Leadership Program.
Kristen is a Director and Deputy Chair on the board of Aviation/Aerospace Australia and the Nova Employee Company, and a volunteer Trainer for the Yarra Junior Football League and participates on a number of advisory boards including RMIT’s Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre and the Monash University Aerospace IAB.
Principal
Axant Advisory
Geoff Thomas is the principal of corporate advisory firm, Axant Advisory, which supports connecting Defence companies with finance – whether it be a capital raise, grants or proposal development. He has led over 50 investments and divestments over his career, including sales of companies to billion-dollar listed companies on the New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Australian stock exchanges.
He is currently the Senior Investment Manager at the Paspalis Innovation Investment Fund, a balanced fund with $160m under management. Paspalis’ investments include into Defence and dual-use companies, such as drone companies Praetorian Aeronautics and Blueflite, and rocket and space companies.
Geoff is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an experienced company director in listed and private companies.
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