The Hon. Richard Marles MP is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Minister for Defence and the Federal Member for Corio.

Richard was first elected to the House of Representatives for Corio, Victoria in 2007.

Richard's previous ministerial appointments include Minister of Trade, Minister for Employment, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, and Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Affairs.

Born in 1967, Richard was raised and educated in Geelong and went on to study Law and Science, achieving a LLB (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Melbourne.

The Hon. Colin Brooks MP commenced as Treasurer of Victoria in August 2026. He was first elected to the Victorian parliament in 2006 and represents the electorate of Bundoora in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs. Since then, Colin has held the roles of Minister for Child Protection and Family Services, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Housing and Multicultural Affairs and was also Speaker of the Victorian Parliament for five years.

Colin was appointed the Minister for Development Victoria, Precincts and Creative Industries in September 2023.Prior to entering parliament, Colin became a qualified electrician after leaving school, working on large building sites and in railway. He also holds a Masters Degree in Communication from RMIT University.

Leah Grantham is the Acting CEO of Babcock Australasia.

Leah joined Babcock Australasia in February 2022 as Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Reputation, and was appointed Chief of Staff in August 2024 – taking responsibility for strategy, external engagement, media and communications, and marketing.

Before joining Babcock, she spent eight years at the University of Adelaide in senior roles including Chief External Relations Officer and Executive Director, Media and Corporate Relations. She has also worked as a Principal Adviser, Stakeholder Relations at BHP and as a senior political adviser at both state and federal levels.

Leah is recognised for her strategic mindset, her ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, and her commitment to enhancing organisational performance and influence.

Andrew is a results-driven business leader with extensive experience in the defence sector, specialising in senior leadership, strategy, business development, and operations management. He holds an honours degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA.

Andrew joined BAE Systems in 2001, transitioning from the mining sector. As an executive director in our Australian business, he leads a $1 billion annual portfolio of complex projects that deliver critical capabilities for the Australian Defence Force and export clients. Andrew’s strategies have advanced products and acquisitions, improved customer capabilities, and driven business growth. His leadership in technology development and commercialisation has resulted in next-generation products, while his commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture continues to drive innovation and high performance.

Corry brings more than 20 years’ experience as a leader in defence, aerospace, and technology. Prior to joining QinetiQ, she held senior executive positions at Thales Australia, including Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President Land.

Ben joined the NIOA senior leadership team in March 2020 as the General Manager, Weapons & Munitions. He was appointed CEO of NIOA Australia & New Zealand in January 2023 as NIOA reorganised to accommodate an increasingly global footprint. He leads a highly dedicated and professional team delivering NIOA’s major Defence and Law Enforcement Programs in addition to Sporting and Commercial sales in Australia and New Zealand.

Key aspects of NIOA Australia & New Zealand operations include modernising or replacing a range of Defence weapon systems through the Land 159 Lethality Systems Program, overseeing munitions manufacturing at NIOA’s tenancy within the Government Owned, Company Operated (GOCO) munitions facility at Benalla and growing NIOA’s Defence, Law Enforcement and Sporting sales within the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Prior to joining NIOA, Ben served in the Australian Army across a range of leadership, training and program management appointments in Australia and overseas. He holds significant experience in c-suite and national strategic policy development through the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, Office of the Minister for Defence and in Army Headquarters. His experience on operations in East Timor, Afghanistan, Israel, Syria and Afghanistan and in major Army modernisation programs instilled in him the benefits of close collaboration, teamwork and detailed planning in the delivery of complex and multi-faceted programs.

Ben was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2010 for his leadership of Australian soldiers and Army units and received a Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) for his leadership of the Australian contingent deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Arts (UNSW) and Masters degrees in Defence Studies (UNSW) and Strategic Studies (United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania). He is a former President of the Australian Army Rugby Union and Board Member of Rowing ACT. He and Fiona live in Brisbane, Queensland and have 2 adult sons, Fergus and Dougal.

The NIOA Group of companies includes NIOA Australia, NIOA New Zealand, the Australian Missile Corporation, Barrett (USA) and joint venture company, Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions.

Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, the NIOA Group has more than 400 staff with offices and operations in Canberra, Melbourne and Benalla, in regional Victoria, Maryborough, in regional Queensland, as well as New Zealand and the United States.

A highly accomplished scale-up C-Level Executive, and Advisor, who has a consistent track record of creating commercial and financial strategies that transform businesses, drive growth and accelerate commercial and operational success. With extensive experience across the technology, digital, deep tech, electronics, audio, sporting, media, and banking sectors, Matt is a leader in business transformations that increase revenue, optimise structure, streamline operations and increase productivity. Matt also brings strong experience in financial leadership and management, with a proven ability to oversee financial strategy, revenue and profitability, transactional management, compliance and reporting.

Ticky Fullerton joined the Chamber as Chief Executive in March 2023 to lead the team as we look forward to the huge opportunity for our partners: the Free Trade Agreement, developments with AUKUS on the defence and security front and the exciting business generation around energy transition.

Ticky is a highly skilled and motivated thought leader with board and governance experience, an extensive network across governments, the top floor of business and the media.

She has a long-standing reputation as a highly credible voice in business. She is a trusted advisor to government, working closely with both Australian and UK government networks.

Most recently, Ticky was Business Editor at Large at The Australian newspaper. She is an award-winning journalist and a household name in Australian business circles with over twenty years at News Corp and the ABC.

She was Business Editor of Sky News in Australia and presented Business Weekend, the channel’s flagship business program for the ABC and was an investigative journalist with Four Corners.

Prior to journalism, Ticky spent ten years with investment bank CS First Boston in Britain and Australia.

She is a past director of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce and of the CRC for Irrigation Futures.

Ticky has a law degree from Oxford where she was also Treasurer of the Oxford Union.