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parari 2022
Australian Explosive Ordnance Safety Symposium
Supporting Australia Manufacture
8019 November 2022
National Convention Centre Canberra, Australia

Speakers

PARARI 2022 will include keynote speakers from across the Australian EO enterprise and international EO community, presentations, workshops and a range of networking events and opportunities. This year invited keynote speakers will address current Explosive Ordnance Safety challenges focusing on the theme of supporting Australian manufacture.

Keynote Speakers

  • James Nash

    CDRE James Nash, RAN

    Director General Explosive Ordnance within the Joint Capability Group

    Commodore James Nash is a Weapons Electrical Engineering officer with a sub-specialisation in Armaments Engineering. His shore postings have included acquisition, waterfront engineering, Navy, Joint and Overseas Headquarters positions. He has held Armament engineering positions in both Joint Capability Group and Navy as Technical Staff Officer (Navy), and Assistant Director Armaments, respectively.

    His sea-going postings have included postings in the frigate HMAS Adelaide (FFG-Oliver Hazard Perry Class), Deputy Weapons Engineer in the destroyer HMAS Perth (DDG-Charles F. Adams Class) and his last sea posting as the Weapons Engineering Officer in HMAS Stuart (FFH- ANZAC Class). His operational postings have included the Naval Assistant to Australian Ambassador Cairo and being deployed in support of OP CATALYST whilst on HMAS Stuart.

    He has recently been responsible for the delivery of the Aegis FMS program into the Australian Shipbuilding program as the Destroyer Program Combat System Director and in July 2020, graduated from the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University (NDU) with a follow on posting as an exchange officer to the Pentagon. On return to Australia, he was appointed Director Interoperability within Force Integration Division. In May 2022, he was promoted to Commodore and posted to his current position as Director General Explosive Ordnance within the Joint Capability Group.

    CDRE Nash holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from University of NSW, a Masters in Science (Explosive Ordnance Engineering) from Cranfield University UK, a Masters in Business Administration and Complex Project Management from Queensland University of Technology, and a Masters in Science in National Resource Strategy from NDU, USA.

    CDRE Nash is married to Kate and they have five children and a Labrador "Toby".

  • Nigel Smith

    CDRE Nigel Smith, RAN

    Director General, Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise

    Commodore Smith joined the RAN in 1991 and completed a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). His sea postings included the guided missile destroyers HMAS HOBART and HMAS PERTH and as the Weapons Engineering Officer of the ANZAC frigate HMAS STUART.

    Postings ashore have included Directorate of Navy Weapon Systems, Director Ordnance Safety, and Director of the Land Explosive Ordnance Systems Program Office.

    Nigel has enjoyed overseas postings including two years on the Naval Attaché's staff in Washington DC, and a three year exchange to the United Kingdom Defence Ordnance Safety Group (DOSG). During the UK posting he was the Australian representative on the steering committee for the NATO Munitions Safety Information and Analysis Centre, and the NATO Ammunition Safety Group (AC/326).

    Nigel is currently the Director General Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise in Joint Capabilities Group.

    Nigel has a Master of Science in Explosive Ordnance Engineering, a Master of Engineering Science in Project Management, and a Master of Business Administration. He completed the Defence and Strategic Studies Course in 2020.

    Nigel is married and has two adult children. His passions outside of work include maintaining and driving an Australian-assembled 1964 MGB, watching football and skiing.

  • Haydn Kohl

    BRIG Haydn Kohl

    Director General, Explosive Materiel Branch

    Brigadier Haydn Kohl graduated from the Royal Military College (Duntroon) to the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1989. He has held the typical range of regimental and staff appointments, capability management, staff and representational postings, and is currently employed as Director General Explosive Materiel in the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group.

    Haydn's professional development is underpinned by a series of operational deployments. In 1996 he was seconded to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) headquarters in El Arish in the Sinai. In 2003 he deployed to Kabul as the S4 (EME) for the Royal Anglian Battlegroup and in 2004 he deployed to Basrah in Iraq. In August 2018 he returned from a 12 months secondment to Headquarters Resolute Support in Afghanistan where his role involved advising and mentoring senior members of the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense. For his efforts in Afghanistan he received the US Legion of Merit.

  • Bob MacNaught

    Mr Bob MacNaught

    UK Defence Ordnance Munitions and Explosives (OME) Safety Regulator (DOSR)

    Bob MacNaught is the UK Defence Ordnance Munitions and Explosives (OME) Safety Regulator (DOSR) personally appointed by the 3* Director General of the Defence Safety Authority (DSA) to regulate OME safety across all UK Defence activities. The powers of UK Defence Regulators to enforce compliance derives from the DSA Charter issued by the Secretary of State for Defence and extends wherever UK Defence activities are conducted, including overseas.

    His previous appointments in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) were Inspector of Explosives (Defence Equipment and Support), Technical Staff Officer to Director Defence Ordnance Safety Group and, Emerging Technologies in Munition Health Management in the Munitions Corporate Business Unit.

    Prior to joining the MOD, Bob served 30 years in the Royal Air Force as an Engineer Officer (Aero Systems/Weapons) and retired in 2004. During then he was responsible for both conventional and nuclear weapons safety and was Officer Commanding Operations on the Royal Air Force's 'High-readiness' Tactical Armament Squadron providing armament logistics support to Royal Air Force exercises, trials, and operations worldwide. He has served at locations throughout the UK and Europe and other overseas locations including Cyprus, Canada, USA, Belize, Falkland Islands, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

  • Gilles Belley

    Mr Gilles Belley

    Director Ammunition and Explosives Regulation, Department of National Defence (Canada)

    Mr. Gilles Belley is a 1992 graduate of the Royal Military College at Saint-Jean. He has served in a variety of assignments as an aerospace engineering officer within the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), most notably as the Ammunition Technical Officer supporting Air and Navy stores, as the Armament Officer and subsequently a Squadron Deputy Commanding Officer at 3 Wing Bagotville, and as the Weapon System Manager and Senior Technical Engineering Officer for the RCAF's CF-188 Hornet fleet. In 2008, Mr. Belley transferred from the RCAF to the public service where he managed the Department of National Defence's Unexploded Explosive Ordnance and Legacy Sites Program.

    In 2015, Mr. Belley was appointed as the Director, Ammunition and Explosives Regulation where he is currently responsible for regulating ammunition and explosives within the Department of National Defence.

  • Jacqueline King

    CAPT Jacqueline King, RAN

    Executive Director of the Explosives Act Thematic Review Task Force

    Jacqui King is a Chemical Engineer (1986) having qualified at the then Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology while serving in the Royal Australian Air Force.

    In 1987 Jacqui transferred to the Royal Australian Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Engineering Officer and in 1989 completed a Masters of Science in Explosive Ordnance Engineering at the Royal Military College of Science in Shrivenham, England.

    Over the past 39 years Jacqui King has fulfilled significant safety posts within Navy and Defence. Postings have included Director Navy Weapons Systems, twice Director Ordnance Safety, Director General Navy Certification and Safety, Director General Explosive Ordnance and the Defence Explosive Ordnance Safety Regulator.

    While posted to the United Kingdom (2003 to 2005) Jacqui represented Australia on the NATO Munitions Safety Information Analysis Centre (MSIAC) Steering Committee and the NATO Ammunition Safety Group. From October 2006 to October 2008 she was chair of the MSIAC Steering Committee.

    Jacqui is currently the Executive Director of the Explosives Act Thematic Review Task Force.

    Along the way Jacqui has also added an MBA and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies to her qualifications.

    Jacqui transferred to the Naval Reserves in Feb 2017.

  • Michael Sharp

    Dr Michael Sharp

    Research Leader APWE, DSTG

    Michael Sharp began working in the explosive ordnance (EO) field in the early 90s. Initially, this was through undertaking a PhD and Post Doc, which was followed by various Defence positions. This included working at the UK MOD, and at NATO MSIAC as a munitions safety specialists before transitioning to the MSIAC Project Manager role. In 2020, he took up the role as Research leader APWE responsible for elements of EO capability at DSTG Edinburgh.

Concurrent Speakers

Partners

Platinum Sponsor

NIOA

Gold Sponsors

Defence Connect

Silver Sponsors

APDR

Ascent Professional Services

Australian Defence Magazine

Northrop Grumman

QinetiQ

Dinner Sponsor

Lockheed Martin

Satchel Sponsor

KPMG Law

Name Card / Lanyard Sponsor

Ascent Professional Services

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