XTEK announced Monday (30 November) that it has named Christopher Pyne as a non-executive director. Pyne is a former minister for Defence and the company said the appointment “complements XTEK’s strategic focus on commercialising its proprietary products in global markets”.
Uwe Boettcher, XTEK’s chairman, said “we are delighted to welcome Christopher to the XTEK board. His extensive experience and expertise, and his vast knowledge of the Australian defence Industry, will be of immense value to the company as it continues to execute its strategy to commercialise its proprietary technologies globally, as well as further strengthen its domestic capabilities. We look forward to working with Christopher going forward and his contribution to XTEK.”
Pyne brings a wealth of commercial, political and global defence experience to XTEK, having served as a member for Parliament (MP) for over 25 years, from which he retired early last year. Pyne served as the 54th Australian defence minister and was responsible for delivering the A$200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history. He assisted in developing the 2016 Defence White Paper and implementing the Integrated Investment Program.
“XTEK is on the verge of significant growth as it continues to develop and commercialise its IP globally, building on its domestic distribution networks and capabilities. I look forward to contributing to this next stage of growth and being part of this market leading company,” Pyne said.
Pyne was elected to Parliament in 1993 and served as the member for Sturt for 26 years. During this time, he was in the Liberal Party Leadership Group for 10 years, leader of the House of Representatives for six years, and served in Cabinet for six years. Pyne has worked to ensure the growth and sustainment of Australia’s Defence Industry, and helped implement Australia’s Defence Export Strategy, Defence Industrial Capability Plan, and the Naval Shipbuilding Plan. He also created the Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, the Defence Innovation Hub, and the Next Generation Technology Fund. Additionally, he is the driving force behind the recent establishment of the Australian Space Agency.
Pyne is the current chairman of Pyne and Partners and principal of GC Advisory, consulting to business in the domain of government and political engagement. Both are headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia but operate nationally and globally. He is an industry professor in the University of South Australia Business School specialising in defence and space. Before entering Parliament, Pyne practised as a solicitor at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Thomson Geer.
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