XTEK Group Senior Management Changes

Highlights

• Head of Technology Division to add Group COO role to current responsibilities
• Head of Corporate Services to retire after 20 years of service
• New HighCom VP International Defence Programs appointed to drive growth and uptake of Ballistic Armour with Australian and International Military customers

Thursday, 5 October 2023:    XTEK Limited (ASX:XTE, ‘XTEK’, ‘Group’) provides the following update with respect to new senior management appointments and changes within the Corporate Headquarters, and the international operations of its Ballistics Division (HighCom).

Head of Technology Division to add Group COO Role to Current Responsibilities

XTEK is pleased to announce that Mr Vince Creagh will add the new role of Group COO to his existing responsibilities as the Head of the Group’s Technology Division.

Mr Creagh joined XTEK in September 2021, and has been highly successful over that time leading and growing the Technology Division from $11.1m in FY22 to $36.7m in FY23.

Key highlights from his tenure so far, include successfully winning a $26.9m Acquisition Contract for a mixed fleet of new Small Uncrewed Arial Systems (SUAS) from the Australian Department of Defence announced on 1 December 2022, and more latterly as was announced to the ASX on 3 October 2023, securing a related multi-year SUAS Support Contract from the Department of Defence, with a potential value of more than $110m over an expected 10 year term.

Following a successful career as an Army Officer within the Australian Defence Force, Vince has spent the last 20 plus years working in Australia and overseas (Middle East, India & Hong Kong) across the aviation, government, banking, construction, and defence sectors.

With his new Group COO appointment, Mr Creagh will add responsibility for Safety, Security, Risk, Quality, Environment and Regulatory Governance/Compliance for the Group’s business operations.

Mr Creagh commences the Group COO position with effect from Wednesday 1 November 2023. as part of a responsibility handover process from the retiring Head of Corporate Services.

XTEK Head of Corporate Services to Retire

After twenty years of dedicated service as XTEK’s Head of Corporate Services, Mr Lawrence Gardiner, will retire from the company at the end of December 2023.

Mr Gardiner has been a long serving member of the XTEK business, who has diligently and wisely helped guide the company throughout his tenure, including through the period of record growth and expansion that the business achieved through the last two years in particular.

Mr Gardiner’s counsel and support to the various Chief Executive Officers, senior managers, and staff of XTEK over those twenty years has been a key underlying reason for the success of the business.

XTEK sincerely thanks Mr Gardiner for his important contributions and dedicated long service to the company, and we wish him well in his retirement and future endeavours.

A separate announcement regarding Mr Gardiner’s position as XTEK’s Company Secretary will be made at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 23 November 2023.

New HighCom VP International Defence Programs Appointed

XTEK is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Todd Ashurst, DSM, GAICD, as the new HighCom Vice President of International Defence Programs, for its global armour business, effective from Monday 11 September 2023.

Mr Ashurst joins the XTEK Group after 32 years of fulltime military service where he rose to the rank of Brigadier General (One Star) and held several senior command and executive appointments within the Australian Defence Force senior leadership group. Mr Ashurst has seen operational service in Syria, Israel, UAE, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and has multinational experience with the United Nations and NATO. Mr Ashurst continues to serve as a Brigadier in the Army Reserve.

Mr Ashurst is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Army War College, where he obtained a Master of Strategic Studies. He holds a Master of Arts from Kings College London, a Bachelor of Professional Studies from the University of New England, a Graduate Diploma of Logistic Management, and an Associate Diploma in Personnel Management. He is a graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Ashurst is a proven strategic leader with a strength in collaborative stakeholder engagement and systems thinking. He has led multiple complex multi-billion dollar projects and contracts within Defence and multilateral organisations delivering outcomes within tight timeframes and resources. With his deep understanding of military requirements, and a passion for ensuring soldiers are afforded the best levels of protection, he will lead the delivery of HighCom’s ultra lightweight, high performance, contoured body armour and ballistic helmet solutions to the global Defence market.

Comments on management changes by Scott Basham, XTEK’s Group CEO:

On Vince Creagh’s COO appointment: “I am happy to announce that Vince Creagh will add the additional responsibility of Group COO to his current role as Head of our Technology Division from 1 Nov 23 and am quite certain that Vince will make great contributions at the Group level in addition to his ongoing great work in our Technology Division. This is another positive step for the Group’s ongoing commitment to safety, security, risk, quality, and environmental governance and compliance.

On Laurie Gardiner’s retirement: “Laurie Gardiner has been a tremendous stalwart of XTEK for over 20 years, who’s tireless work ethic and support for the business will be greatly missed when he retires at the end of the year. XTEK thanks Laurie for his important contributions and service to the company, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

On Todd Ashurst’s HighCom VP of International Defence Programs appointment: “XTEK is very pleased to welcome Todd Ashurst on board as the new HighCom VP of International Defence Programs for our global Ballistics Division. With over 30 years of distinguished service in the Australian Army in notable postings at home and overseas, Todd’s depth of understanding and knowledge about the Australian’s Army’s and other partner militaries’ procurement systems, particularly relating to developing, acquiring, and sustaining those important capabilities that soldiers need – like our ultra lightweight contoured body armour and high performance ballistic helmets – will be invaluable for us, as we look to expand our engagement and grow our market share further with the Defence Force here in Australia and with other allied military forces around the world.”

Scott Basham
Group Chief Executive Officer

General & Media Enquiries:
T: +61 422 014 593
E: scott.basham@xtek.net