The latest cohort of aspiring defence leaders have graduated from the Defence Industry Leadership Program (DILP). Participants included representatives from some of defence industry’s biggest brands such as Raytheon, BAE Systems, ASC and REDARC as well as some of the sector’s rising stars like DeStefano & Co, PMB Defence and Ascent Pty Ltd.
A Defence Teaming Centre initiative and now in its 15th year, DILP is one of the 22 initiatives funded under the South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Action Plan. It is designed to nurture and elevate core leadership abilities in the Australian defence industry sector and is delivered in collaboration with SkillsLab, a Tetra Tech company, and Defence SA.
DTC CEO Libby Day said that the role of DILP is firmly that of a ‘leadership accelerator’ in an industry fraught with challenges but alive with opportunity. “Defence industry is under unprecedented pressure with workforce and skills shortages, our exciting but daunting AUKUS requirements, and the influence of rapid technological change,” explained Day. “DILP is a fast-track mechanism for producing and developing leaders to meet industry demand. There is no time to develop the next generation of leaders organically. We need them now.”
The course takes place from March to December each year and offers participants the opportunity to grow their leadership capability by enabling them to contribute to industry knowledge through a variety of rigorous ‘industry research projects’ as well as face-to-face workshops, presentations from senior Defence and industry specialists, and site several visits which included a trip to parliament in Canberra. This year’s industry research projects included ‘Improving Australia’s competitiveness in export markets,’ ‘Bridging the gap between support programs and industry engagement’ and ‘Navigating over-compliance in SME’s – Unlocking creativity and innovation by redesigning regulatory ecosystems.’
DILP participant Scott Woolatt of MacTaggart Scott said the course was an incredibly valuable experience in his leadership journey. “The opportunity to engage and learn from senior defence industry leaders, politicians and peers participating in the program has been excellent,” explained Scott.
Day said that quality leadership programs like DILP are vital to the growth of the sector and that the promotion of several of the 2025 cohort in their respective roles during the course was indicative of the efficacy of the course in achieving its objectives. “It is very gratifying to learn that several of the DILP cohort this year have been promoted in their respective companies of employment and that DILP has helped pave the way for this to materialise.”
DILP participant Kian Ballard Manning of Raytheon said that he is ‘miles apart’ from where he was at the start of the course. “My understanding of industry has grown far beyond my expectations of myself,” explained Ballard Manning. “The ability to deliver our research project to industry leaders was an exceptional opportunity.”
The 2026 curriculum is expected to be the most engaging to date and like past years will expose participants to key decision-makers in Government and Defence whilst also empowering them to contribute meaningfully to defence industry through the development of industry research projects.
For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected]
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Group Sales Director Simon Hadfield at [email protected]
