Luerssen Australia appoints head of strategy, government relations

Matt Moran Luerssen Australia announced it has appointed Matt Moran as its Head of Strategy and Government Relations. Moran joins Luerssen Australia at a pivotal point and will lead strategy development, and government and media relations. The company sees Australia as a critical market with excellent opportunities for growth. Luerssen Australia is currently contracted as part of the Federal government’s naval shipbuilding program to deliver the Royal Australian Navy’s new capability of 12 Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessels, 10 of which are being built in Henderson, WA. CEO of Luerssen Australia, Jens Nielsen, said Mr Moran will play a critical role in delivering current contracts and expanding the company’s footprint domestically and internationally. “Matt is a fantastic addition to the Luerssen team. We welcome his unique skill set and important leadership experience,” said Nielsen. “He is well regarded in the defence industry from his time in Canberra and more recently in Western Australia. With the Federal Government spending $270 billion on defence capability, we want to make sure we make the most of the opportunities on offer for Luerssen. Matt has an important role to play at Luerssen.” Moran said he was looking forward to joining Luerssen as part of the leadership team. “There is huge opportunity for growth in Australia, and across the Indo-Pacific region for Luerssen. I’m enthusiastic about working with such a dynamic and vibrant team,” said Moran. “Henderson will continue to evolve and grow as more projects head west to meet the demand expected from the Federal Government.” Prior to joining Luerssen, Moran was the inaugural Executive Director of Defence West. He deployed to Afghanistan with the Australian Army as a public affairs officer in 2009 and East Timor in 2007. Moran was a federal political reporter for Network Ten from 2011 to 2015 and won a Walkley Award. He left Network Ten in 2015 and joined former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office as a media adviser. In 2016 Mr Moran joined the Minister for Defence Industry’s office as a policy adviser. He was promoted to senior adviser in 2017 and worked on Defence’s most complex and nationally sensitive projects. In August 2018 he was appointed a senior adviser to the Minister for Defence. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]