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A Department of Defence veteran has joined the advisory board of a defence electrical systems and C4I provider.
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Cablex, headquartered in Melbourne and specialising in the manufacture of custom cables and complex wiring harnesses, has announced the addition of John O’Callaghan to the company’s advisory board.
O’Callaghan’s career has included 15 years working in the senior ranks of the Department of Defence, the private sector and government roles, and most recently as director of government relations and defence industry matters with Australian Industry Group.
“Johnno will be a great asset and complement the board at Cablex. His depth of experience and his knowledge of working in the Department as well as in senior levels in the private and industry sectors is incredibly valuable to our company,” chief executive Michael Zimmer said.
“Cablex is moving into the next phase of the company’s growth and having the knowledge and expertise of Johnno and our other advisory members Raydon Gates and Bill Brown is critical to this strategy.
“We are thoroughly looking forward to working with Johnno and developing Cablex opportunities further."
O’Callaghan is the third appointment to Cablex’s new advisory board, which includes Rear Admiral (Ret'd) Raydon Gates and Bill Brown.
The appointment comes after the opening of Cablex's new office in Warsaw, Poland.
John “Johnno” O’Callaghan had a 15-year career in Defence working in a range of areas, including as executive assistant to the secretary, Department of Defence; senior executive officer, intelligence and security co-ordination; assistant secretary, major capital equipment co-ordination; assistant secretary, special naval communications project; and private secretary to former minister for defence Kim C Beazley. O’Callaghan later became senior parliamentary adviser to Beazley.
In the lead up to the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, O’Callaghan undertook the role of chief of staff to the NSW minister for public works, Morris Iemma. This portfolio was responsible for major capital works upgrades to cater for the large number of visitors to Sydney during the Olympic Games.
O’Callaghan’s private sector experience included two years as corporate affairs manager for dairy and beverages company Bonlac Foods (now Fonterra), and eight years as government relations adviser to Virgin Australia.
In mid-2013, O'Callaghan formally joined the Australian Industry Group as a director responsible for government relations and defence industry matters. He also has the role of executive director of the Australian Industry Group Defence Council, advocating on behalf of and supporting the CEOs of Australia’s leading defence companies on issues relevant to the health and future of defence industry in Australia.
