A highly regarded engineer who worked on systems for Dreadnought submarines in the UK has joined the Australian team at Frazer-Nash Consultancy, a KBR company. Stephen Ritchie is the latest recruit to Frazer-Nash’s Engineering and Asset Management division, based in Adelaide.
Prior to joining Frazer-Nash, Ritchie worked in the UK for more than six years, where he was a principal engineer for an external communications systems team – part of the combat system destined for the Dreadnought class submarines. The Dreadnoughts will be the Royal Navy’s biggest, most powerful and technically advanced submarines when they begin to enter service in the early 2030s.
“I led the development of technical specifications and placement of contracts for the design and supply of various mission-critical communications systems. I also managed subcontractor technical delivery across the design, development, and qualification engineering lifecycle,” Ritchie said. “At Frazer-Nash, I’m currently working in the maritime domain to support the cross-enterprise management of risk for acquisitions by the Department of Defence.”
Ritchie said he made the move from the UK to join Frazer-Nash to be at the heart of Australia’s burgeoning defence and technology industry. “I’m looking forward to gaining exposure to the varied and impactful projects Frazer-Nash is undertaking, and developing my technical and consulting skills base to be of most value to clients,” he said.
Group Leader Mick Ahern said: “Stephen’s considerable domain experience, including what is needed from a submarine communications system provider, is highly valuable in today’s context. I am looking forward to integrating Stephen into my team to further expand our offering.”