Former Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has expanded his involvement with NIOA, chairing the inaugural advisory board of the company’s new business, the Australian Missile Corporation.

In announcing the appointment, Robert Nioa, CEO of NIOA and the Australian Missile Corporation, said Christopher’s dual role as chair of the NIOA advisory board as well as the AMC was a perfect fit.

‘’Christopher has been an asset to NIOA in his capacity as chair of our advisory board. His stewardship, combined with the expertise and insights of his board colleagues, has contributed much to our momentum over the past 10 months.

‘’Beyond Christopher’s numerous credentials, he is one of the country’s brightest thinkers, he understands the ethos of NIOA so I am confident he will be the perfect fit for our new enterprise as it grows.’’

The appointment of Mr Pyne, who retired from politics in 2019 after 26 years in Federal Parliament, bolsters an impressive team of recently appointed strategic advisers representing the business, defence and government sectors.

The advisory board members are:

• RAN Rear Admiral (ret’d) Lee Goddard, CSC
• US Army Brigadier General (ret’d) Alfred L Abramson
• Dr Ken W Anderson, former Chief of the Aerospace Division in the Defence Science and Technology Group

In taking up his position as chair, Christopher said: ‘’I’ve been impressed by NIOA and the work it is doing in the defence sector to shore up our sovereign industrial capability.

‘’This was a focus of mine when I had the privilege of serving Australia as a cabinet minister. Strategically as a nation we have entered a new phase and Commonwealth initiatives such as the sovereign guided missiles enterprise are going to play a key role in the broader defence landscape over coming decades.’’

Launched earlier this year, the Australian Missile Corporation was founded by NIOA - the largest Australian-owned supplier of weapons and munitions to the Australian Defence Force.

It was set up in response to the Australian Government’s plan to accelerate a sovereign guided missiles enterprise and is pulling together industry partners, academia, state governments and Defence.

The AMC board’s mission is to assist the executive team, advising on industry trends, providing insights, and thought leadership, as well as identifying business development and strategic growth opportunities.

Christopher Pyne was a minister in the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments, holding various portfolios including ageing, education, industry innovation and science, and defence.

As Defence Minister he oversaw a $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability - the largest in the nation’s peacetime history – while also driving the establishment of the Australia Space Agency.