After a decade with Hanwha, inaugural Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) Managing Director Richard Cho has stepped down from the company. HDA’s Director of Operations Dean Michie became Acting Managing Director on May 3, 2024.
Founded in 2019, HDA has experienced exponential growth, being awarded two multibillion dollar programs from the Commonwealth of Australia for the Australian Army in the Huntsman self-propelled howitzer and the Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle programs in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
“It is time for the next generation of leadership to guide HDA into the future,” Cho said. “I’m very proud of the work we have done in Australia, bringing significant expertise and investment from South Korea to Australia. The hard work and dedication of the team will continue to develop and deliver capabilities to our customer. Developing and working with the HDA team has been an honour. In less than five years, HDA has been able to enter the Australian market to compete and win against the best the world has to offer. The $200 million investment in the Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) will open later this year and will stand testament to the long-term value that we have brought to the Geelong region, Australia and the growing relationship between Australia and South Korea.”
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