21st Century Security
Australia News Releases
CANBERRA, 16 September 2020: As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of Australian industry capability, Lockheed Martin Australia has confirmed Australian communications networks and electromagnetic spectrum operations technology leader Clearbox Systems as the inaugural international graduate of the Mentor Protégé Program (MPP).
As the first company outside of the United States (US) to participate in, and complete, the MPP, Clearbox Systems received extensive mentoring from top Lockheed Martin executives in Australia and the US over a 13-month period, covering best practice human resource processes, business ethics, product management, competitive intelligence and cyber security readiness.
Lockheed Martin Australia Chief Executive Joe North presented Clearbox Systems Executive Director, Jeremy Hallett, with a commemorative plaque acknowledging the achievement at Lockheed Martin’s state-of-the-art Endeavour Centre, Canberra. He congratulated Mr. Hallett and the Clearbox team, referencing the MPP as a further example of the company’s ability to support and develop Australian defence industry capability.
“As an Australian defence prime we take our responsibility to provide tools to enable the rapid growth of innovative Australian companies through improved capacity and capability very seriously,” he said. “The Mentor Protégé Program is as intense as it is extensive, and we congratulate Clearbox Systems as the program’s inaugural international industry graduate,” he said.
“We are proud to contribute to Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities and the Mentor Protégé Program will provide further opportunities to partner with local industry and boost skills while creating jobs and providing greater access to global supply chains.”
Commenting at the Canberra event, Jeremy Hallett, Executive Director, Clearbox Systems thanked the Lockheed Martin mentors and highlighted the extraordinary breadth of knowledge his team had been exposed to over the 13-month program.
“We are proud to be the first company outside of the US to complete the prestigious Lockheed Martin Mentor Protégé Program. It was a privilege to be selected and I am extremely grateful to the Lockheed Martin team for their support and willingness to increase our capacity with the capabilities we need to make us more internationally competitive,” he said. “Clearbox Systems has already started to benefit from the program and, as we have more than doubled our workforce and continue to innovate with new intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare and space domain awareness technologies, we look forward to the possibility of future partnership opportunities with Lockheed Martin.”
Lockheed Martin Australia’s Head of Industrial Development, Christopher Hess, explained the company’s approach to industry development and noted the company is aiming to allow more Australian companies to benefit from the MPP.
“When looking for future technology partners, Lockheed Martin fundamentally invests in enhancing the capabilities of innovative companies, and Clearbox Systems is a case in point,” he said. “It’s not enough to just have a great idea or product, we need partners that have the business acumen to grow innovative, sustainable businesses that can compete for Global Supply Chain contracts, and the MPP has already helped Clearbox Systems to achieve just that.”
Lockheed Martin Australia is committed to the further development of Australia’s world-class sovereign defence industry capability. This will include initiatives such as the MPP to continue to support the upskilling of small-to-medium enterprises so they can be competitive on the global stage.
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About Lockheed Martin Australia
Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1000 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors.
About the Mentor Protégé Program
Launched in the United Sates as a federal supplier development program in 1990, MPP enables Lockheed Martin to establish successful long-term relationships with eligible small, innovative businesses while helping them to develop technical and business capabilities that will enable them to compete more effectively for future prime and subcontractor contracts in both local and global supply chains.
While in the US MPP participation is funded by the federal government, Clearbox Systems’ participation was fully funded by Lockheed Martin Australia and overseen by its Office of Australian Industrial Participation.
Commemorative Plaque
Lockheed Martin Australia collaborated with Aboriginal owned Arts Management company Dreamtime Art to bring the commemorative plaque to life for the inaugural Mentorship Protégé Program presented to Clearbox Systems. The artwork is by Gurinji and Waanyi artist Sarrita King titled ‘Lightning’.
Media Contact:
Michelle Scully, Head of Communications Australia and New Zealand, +61 448 032 387