Chris McDougallDirector, Regional Development & Investment, Townsville Enterprise

Leading a small team of experts to identify and pursue opportunities that grow the economy of Townsville and North Queensland, working across all levels of government to prioritise resource allocation for optimal outcomes.

• Appointed Chair of the regional Defence Working Group for defence industry development, including an updated regional Defence Strategy.
• Planned, authored and delivered the regional Defence Industry Strategy — research, drafting, editing and promotion with local, state and federal political support.
• Lead the membership portfolio for a member-based organisation of 320+ members, delivering 6% growth in membership income.

Worked with a small team to deliver high-fidelity, immersive training for the Australian Defence Force — determining customer requirements and ensuring high satisfaction.

• Delivered three multi-national training activities in under 12 months with uniformly positive feedback from the training audience and primary customer.
• Innovated the delivery of human-based simulation effects for maximum training fidelity.

Led a workforce of ~600 (ADF, APS and contracted staff), accountable for morale, welfare, safety, and a cash budget of over $1M in FY22, while representing Army Aviation across North Queensland.

• Oversaw a fleet of 29 modern helicopters worth up to $1B — base and line maintenance, and flying operations in Australia and overseas.
• Led the deployment of all operational aircraft during the ADF's support to the 2022 QLD and NSW floods.
• Directly responsible for legal and regulatory compliance of a high-risk organisation, with no notable accidents or incidents during tenure.

Developed strategic and operational plans for the implementation of government policy, influencing diverse stakeholders across government to solve highly complex problems.

• Developed briefing documents for the Prime Minister and other high-level leaders.
• Updated government contingency plans to resolve threats to Australia's borders.

Ran the operations of a senior executive within Australia's largest government department — speechwriting, scheduling and strategic-level advice — and advised the most senior leaders at Army.

• Conducted daily briefings to align priorities across functions for senior leaders.
• Participated in oversight of Army's multi-billion-dollar acquisition budget, ensuring accountable, ethical and efficient expenditure.

Intensive study in critical thinking, strategic studies and leadership, qualifying for a Master's degree from the Australian National University.

• Graduated with the Chief of Joint Operations Prize for strategic thinking and planning.

Led and mentored a workforce of 100+ experts employing specialist technical capabilities in high-risk, complex scenarios while maintaining the highest safety standards.

• Led the transformation of Army's specialised medium-lift capability from legacy to modern digital systems.

Developed and implemented capability management for Army's small but highly complex Chinook fleet, advising strategic and operational leaders on workforce and materiel.

• Authored overarching capability-management policy spanning both legacy and updated technology fleets.

Progressed through regimental, flying and staff appointments — including Plans Officer for 16th Aviation Brigade — delivering outcomes in high-risk, highly regulated environments and commanding soldiers in demanding settings.