The board of DroneShield announced Oleg Vornik has stepped down as managing director and CEO and Chairman Peter James has decided to retire from the board and not seek re-election at the upcoming annual general meeting. The company also announced the appointment of Angus Bean as Managing Director and CEO, and Hamish McLennan as independent chairman-elect. Vornik will continue at the company as an adviser for the next three months to support a smooth transition.
Bean is one of DroneShield’s earliest employees, joining in 2016 and has held C-level executive roles at DroneShield since 2018 when he was appointed Chief Technology Officer. He has played a central role in the development of the company’s core technologies and engineering strategy.
Commenting on the appointment, James said: “Appointing Angus to lead DroneShield’s next stage of growth is a natural next step in our succession plan, and we are pleased that an executive of Angus’ experience and capability was able to be appointed from within the executive team. Angus led the development of the products that we are best known for in the market, and is the key architect of our current and next generation of technologies. He has built DroneShield’s 350-plus engineering team and has been a prominent representative of the business to many of our major customers over the years.”
Commenting on his appointment, Bean said: “I joined DroneShield as its sixth employee and have had the privilege of leading the technical team’s growth from a small, ambitious team into a global leader. We are fortunate to have developed a strong depth of talent across DroneShield, including world-class leaders in engineering, physics, defence, intelligence and aerospace. Together the team continues to build technology that supports critical safety and security operations around the world. I’ve had the opportunity to work side by side with Oleg and Peter since those early days, so I’m honoured to step into the CEO role. Under Oleg’s leadership, DroneShield has transformed from a fledgling start up into a global leader in Counter-Unmanned Systems. These systems now protect key government and military personnel, sites and critical infrastructure every day, and I am committed to leading the talented team here in Australia and around the world as we embark on the next stage of growth.”
Outgoing CEO Vornik said: “It has been an experience of a lifetime to serve as DroneShield’s CEO. I joined DroneShield as its first employee in 2015 and have led its growth from a market capitalisation of $27 million at its Initial Public Offering in 2016 to entering the ASX200 in September 2025 with a market capitalisation of nearly $4 billion. With over 500 employees across the globe today, I am proud to have led DroneShield during a period of exceptional growth, and to have established the momentum for the next stage. Leading a rapidly growing public company from inception has been incredibly demanding. After 11 years I am looking forward to taking some time off, and reconnecting with family and friends before I decide what’s next. Angus has been working closely with me as the driving force in the next stage of DroneShield’s growth, and is an excellent choice for this role. I look forward to supporting him over the next three months to ensure a seamless handover and wish him and all the DroneShield team only continued success in the future.”
McLennan is an experienced executive and board director across private and public organisations with strong focus on building companies and driving superior corporate governance. He was Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ten Network Holdings until July 2015 and, before that, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman, at News Corp. As Chairman of REA, he has overseen growth in the company from approximately a $2 billion to a $20 billion market capitalisation business.
Commenting on his appointment, McLennan said: “I have followed DroneShield’s trajectory closely and am looking forward to contributing to the next phase of the Company’s development both within Australia and abroad. Strengthening governance, discipline and operational maturity will be central to supporting DroneShield’s continued growth as an Australian technology success story and an important national defence partner during a period of elevated global security challenges. The Company has achieved significant progress under Peter and Oleg’s leadership, and I will work closely with Angus to build on this strong foundation.”
Commenting on the appointment, James said: “Hamish is uniquely equipped to lead the Board of DroneShield through this next stage of growth. He has a depth of experience as a director and Chairman of fast-growing technology companies in highly regulated sectors, and the perspective of an experienced global executive. He also has led companies with multinational interests and has substantive cross-border experience. Leading DroneShield from pre-IPO through to the ASX200 has been a privilege, as has working closely with Oleg over this period. The opportunities that have been created, not just for our team, but for Australia’s growing defence technology sector, are a legacy that we are proud of. Having served over 10 years on DroneShield’s board, I believe now is the right time to commence the transition to a new Chair. I am confident that these changes set the Company up for its next stage of growth, with refreshed leadership and new energy to capture the momentum in the rapidly growing market for counter-drone technology.”
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