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ADA Board of Directors
As per the ADA Constitution, members of the Board of Directors serve in an honorary capacity and are elected for three-year terms with at least two retiring (or standing for re-election) at each Annual General Meeting. Due to the importance of informed public debate on national security issues ― and in order to preserve the ADA's independence, non-partisan stance and broad community base nationally ― membership of the Board also seeks to balance a range of geographic representation, political neutrality, professional credibility, economic priority and intellectual depth factors and interests across the whole Australian community. This is discussed further on our FAQ page.
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Alan Collier is national president of the ADA. An engineer, lawyer and company director he has worked for many years as a commercial solicitor based in Brisbane and now as an academic at the University of Otago. Prior to this he was a management consultant and businessman with extensive experience in establishing innovative companies, especially in the software and high-technology fields. Alan's PhD thesis was on the commercialisation of university research. He is involved in a number of voluntary community activities and also retains a particular interest in defence procurement and defence-related law. Originally a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Alan served as a signals officers for five years before leaving the defence force in 1982. He is of the view that there is more importance in defence and wider national security issues being vigorously debated than in any necessity that he agrees with any particular point of view. Email: National President |
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Neil James is executive director of the ADA and the Association's sole official spokesman. Prior to taking up his current position with the ADA, in May 2003, Neil served for over 31 years with the Army in a wide range of regimental, intelligence, liaison, operational planning, operations research and teaching positions throughout Australia and overseas. Every day he tries to put into practice his belief that vibrant and informed public debate is essential to Australia's national security, and to our development and retention of effective defence capabilities for the future. Download Speaker Biography Download Photograph Email: Executive Director |
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Michael Easson, AM Michael Easson is executive chairman of a Sydney-based funds management and property advisory company and a non-executive director on the boards of several major infrastructure and property companies. Prior to this he was an adjunct professor at the Australian Graduate School of Management, secretary of the Labor Council of New South Wales (now Unions NSW), and a vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. He has long had a deep interest in international affairs and their interplay with Australian national security policy. He considers the ADA has an important and necessary public-interest guardianship role in bringing independent, long-term and expert perspectives to informed public debate on defence and broader national security issues – and in helping keep Australian governments of all political persuasions accountable for their responsibilities in such matters. Email: Michael Easson |
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Neil Grimes Neil Grimes is a Melbourne-based senior executive with one of Australia's largest resources companies. He has long had a deep interest in national-level strategic issues based on his experiences in the resources industry – with our inherent dependence on being able to export bulk commodities over secure sea lanes for its success – and its overall contribution to Australia's security and prosperity over the long term. Neil believes that planning Australia's future security and prosperity needs to be comprehensive and integrated and that this in turn requires a national community-driven approach that can help guide political and bureaucratic processes. He considers the independent and informed perspectives of the ADA continue to be of great benefit to informed public debate on defence and broader national security issues, especially in helping to protect the long-term public interest. Email: Neil Grimes |
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Michael Lovell, AM After a decade of experience as a senior manager in one of Australia’s largest defence companies, following 29 years with the Army, Michael brings a unique perspective to the Board. With a comprehensive background in strategic policy, futures analysis and military planning, he believes that defence policy should reflect Australia’s broad national security interests in a globalised world. Michael also believes strategic and defence policy is a core responsibility of ordinary Australians whose sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins and neighbours form the basis of our defence force. He particularly rejects the notion that strategic and defence policy matters are somehow the exclusive domain of academics, former bureaucrats and other special interest groups. The particular value of the ADA’s role, as he sees it, is to provide timely information and objective opinion to enlighten public debate. Michael is also strongly committed to maintaining a vibrant and globally competitive defence industry in Australia that is capable of designing, developing, manufacturing and sustaining our defence capabilities. Email: Michael Lovell |
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Tom Magee Tom Magee is principal of a Melbourne-based organisational advice and executive search company specialising in the resources, infrastructure and defence sectors. Prior to this he worked in a variety of executive roles in the resources industry, predominantly in the metalliferous field. In his earlier career Tom served as an infantry officer in the army for 16 years until 1993 and counts his time with 3RAR establishing its parachute capability, and his three-year secondment to the PNG defence force, as the highlights of his time in the ADF. Both these resources industry and defence force careers focused his belief on the importance of Australia having an integrated approach to planning our national security and national prosperity. A ‘specialist generalist’ but with a good background in strategic workforce planning, Tom sees the non-partisan honest broker role of the ADA as bringing an essential element to public debate of national security issues and to the practical outcomes such debate needs to generate. Email: Tom Magee |
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Robert Walls, AO Rob Walls served with the Royal Australian Navy for 42 years including exchange service with the Royal and US Navies, and combat duties in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam. After retiring as Vice Chief of the Defence Force in 1997 he was chairman, director or advisor to a range of Australian and foreign companies in the defence industry field. For some years he was also a member of the advisory council of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU. As a former senior commander in the Australian Defence Force he is a firm believer in the need for effective and continuing public debate on national security issues – and of the importance of the ADA's impartial and informed contributions to such discourse. Email: Rob Walls |
