Stephen Gumley
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Dr Stephen John Gumley F.I.E.A. (born 26 October 1956) is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation.
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[edit] Education
Stephen Gumley obtained a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours from the University of Tasmania in 1978 and was elected as a Rhodes scholar in 1979. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University in 1982 and an MBA from the University of Tasmania in 1994. He is a Fellow of The Institution of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
[edit] Early career
Dr. Gumley was previously CEO of the Australian Submarine Corporation (2002 - 2004), Vice President at Boeing in Seattle (1999 - 2001), CEO of aviation software supplier The Preston Group (1998 -1999) and CEO of the entrepreneurial Global Lightning Technologies Group (1993 -1997).[1]
[edit] Defence Materiel Organisation
[edit] Appointment
In February 2004, Dr. Gumley was appointed the inaugural CEO of the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). He guided the organisation in its transition to an Australian Government Prescribed Agency on 1 July 2005. In May 2008, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, Greg Combet announced an extension to Gumley's tenure, stating that his reappointment reflected a strong belief within the incoming Government that Gumley has been largely responsible for a significant improvement in the handling of Defence projects.[2]
[edit] Reforms
Following his appointment, Dr. Gumley immediately implemented six reform themes under the slogan "change is goodness". The six themes are:
- Professionalisation of the DMO workforce,
- Reprioritisation of work,
- Standardisation of business practices,
- Benchmarking against better practice,
- Improving relationships with Defence industry, and
- Leading reform across the greater Defence Organisation.
[edit] DMO Achievements
Under Dr Gumley's leadership DMO has successfully provided a range of new and leading-edge equipment for the Australian Defence Force. Recent acquisitions include the purchase and conversion of a commercial fleet oiler for the Royal Australian Navy, (HMAS_Sirius)[3] and a full upgrade of the entire fleet of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAVs). Significant reforms are also underway to tackle Australia's national skills shortages in the defence sector including an internal program of professionalisation and an ambitious external program entitled Skilling Australia's Defence Industry.[4]
Under Dr. Gumley, the DMO has become a leading Australian project management organisation. In May, 2008, The Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon and The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, Greg Combet, wre reported to be impressed by the improvements Gumley had brought to the DMO. The report stated that following an assessment of a large number of projects by the incoming Rudd Government, the average cost of DMO projects compared to their budget indicated that projects were being delivered at 99.2% of their budgeted cost.[5]
[edit] Combat clothing
On 23 June 2006, Dr. Gumley briefed industry contractors on a range of reforms, including an update on an independent review of combat clothing procurement. In a candid briefing, he said that the DMO, and the companies it buys equipment from, would be letting Australian troops down if they didn't improve the reliability, quality and safety of equipment. Dr. Gumley was criticized for making the comments but stood by them in a later radio interview, where both he and the Minister for Defence emphasized that deployed Australian troops were well-equipped. Dr. Gumley clarified that the comments referred to the need for the DMO to remain on current with technological change, so that Australian soldiers remained equipped with the best possible equipment into the future.[6] In October 2006 the Minister for Defence released the inaugural Clothing Procurement Plan, a key recommendation of the independent Clothing Review Team report accepted by the Minister in July.[7]
[edit] Personal
- In 2006, Dr. Gumley was named by The Institution of Engineers Australia as one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia.[8]
- Dr. Gumley lives in Melbourne, Australia
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Gumley Bio
- ^ Defence Materiel Chief Buys More Time, The Age, May 3, 2008
- ^ New Fleet Oiler Delivered under budget and ahead of schedule, Defence Media Release, 30 Jan 2007
- ^ "Skilling Australia's Defence Industry (SADI) Program"
- ^ Defence Materiel Chief Buys More Time, The Age, May 3, 2008
- ^ DMO head stands by 'stuff-up' comments, Transcript from ABC Radio PM Program, 25 July, 2006
- ^ Release of Clothing Procurement Plan: 27 October 2006
- ^ 100 influential engineers. Institute of Engineers, Australia, 2006.
[edit] Primary Sources
- Gumley an "outstanding choice" to lead the DMO Press release, 30 Jan 2004
- Gumley praises Project Echidna Press release, 23 Feb 07]
- DMO Schedule and Budget Performance: 13 March 07
