Armed Forces Support.
A&P Australia is proud of our long history of supporting Australia’s Armed Forces and the Royal Australian Navy in particular.
A&P’s commitment to the armed forces lies at the heart of our business and everything we do. Veterans make up 20% of our current employees.
As a company we recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families contribute to our business, and the country as a whole.
Veterans’ Employment Progamme
The Prime Minister's National Veterans' Employment Program demonstrates the importance the Government places on raising awareness of the skills, values and experience veterans bring to the civilian workplace.
A&P are proud signatories of the Veterans’ Employment programme and have been members since July 2022.
Reservists Support
A&P acknowledge that active Reservists are a vital component of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and it is in our national interest to have such an effective and efficient Defence Force; therefore, A&P is committed to supporting employees who are members of the ADF Reserves.
The ADF Reserve Service Leave section of this procedure offers recognition through special leave conditions and applies to all employees who have formally advised A&P that they are members of the ADF Reserves.
A&P provides up to 10 days of ADF Reserve Service Leave on full pay; and an additional 5 days leave on full pay in the first year of ADF Reserve Service to allow the employee to complete initial employment training.
Former ADF Personnel at A&P
Geoffrey Milne
Geoffrey Milne is the ISSC General Manager at A&P Australia, and previously worked as a Marine Technician, Leading Seamen Submariner in the Royal Australian Navy.
Geoff said: “I left the armed forces after 14 years of service, and with 11 of those spent at sea, I wanted to spend more time with my family.
“After working as a consultant with A&P, I decided to start a new career here as I loved the people and the company. The team is without a doubt the best I have ever worked with.
“The skills I’ve transferred from the Navy are definitely the sense of responsibility and ownership, pride in delivery and understanding the expectations of the Navy and ultimately our customer.”
Stuart Hope
Stuart Hope is the Maintenance, Planning and Certification Manager at A&P Australia.
Originally from the UK, Stuart held the rank of Chief Engineer Officer within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, working as Shipboard Senior Engineer and as a Technical Superintendent based at Cammell Laird, managing refit activities for the MoD/RFA Cluster Team.
After 40 years of service within the armed forces, Stuart left for a new challenge offered by A&P.
Stuart said: “I chose to start a new career at A&P Australia, as it was a new challenge in the Commercial Maritime Sector and an opportunity to work and live in Australia.
“I have a high level of knowledge and experience of UK Military Vessel Operation, maintenance and repair activities which I have transferred into my new role, specifically in relation to the LSD Platform type, HMAS Choules.
“My highlight of working at A&P Australia so far has been working with an exceptional group of people in a harmonious environment to achieve continued successful outcomes for HMAS Choules, Navy and Defence.”
David Sippel
David Sippel is the Technical Director at A&P Australia, David left the armed forces after 25 years of service, where he held the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy.
David said: “I decided to leave the Armed Forces as a phase of life transition, I had attained and operated at a senior rank in the Navy, and had the opportunity to pursue a civilian career at a similar level in Australia’s largest dockyard.”
David initially joined A&P to take on the challenge of Project Manager for the SEA3030 (Capability Assurance Upgrade) Project. He added “A&P provided an opportunity to lead a challenging and exciting project at a time when I wanted to take a step sideways. Upon completion of this 2year project, David now holds the senior position of Technical Director for A&P.
“The skills I have brought with me from my time in the RAN, are leadership, project management, personnel management, staff skills, and corporate knowledge of Defence function and processes.”
“My highlight here has been working within the flexibility of A&P and leading the growth in a fantastic group of motivated staff ranging from new entry graduates through to experienced technical and non-technical staff and harnessing this experience to deliver.”
Damien Seidel
Damien Seidel is the Supply Support Manager at A&P Australia. Prior to joining the company, Damien held the position of Sergeant, Unit Quatermaster within the Australian Army.
Damien left the armed forces to remain in Sydney with his family where they had set up a solid family base.
Damien said: “The appeal of the role at A&P for me was to be able to transition from the ADF into a company still within Defence Industry, supporting government capability and the end user in uniform.
“The skills I’ve transferred to A&P from my time in the ADF is a firm understanding of our customer’s requirements, the perceived ‘red tape’ that you find in Defence, plus my day-to-day skills of the ADF’s systems, policies, processes and overall goal.
“A highlight of my time at A&P has been growing the Supply Support Team to be a highly effective capability within the company, continuously improving our processes and procedures to satisfy the requirements of not only our customer but also our internal customers such as A&P’s Operations and Engineering staff.
“Through the implementation of new or alternative practices I believe we have become more robust, have a higher output of quality deliverables and have improved overall job satisfaction within the team.
“I have also been fortunate to have the opportunity to significantly progress my professional development due to the exposure of my current role.”
Ashleigh Gray
Ashleigh Gray is the Supply Support Lead at A&P Australia, during her time with the ADF, she held the position of Leading Seaman within the Royal Australian Navy.
Due to personal circumstances, Ashleigh left the armed forces to forge a new career with A&P after a previous colleague recommended the role.
Ashleigh said: “The role at A&P definitely suited me, having been in the Navy supply chain for over nine years.
“In terms of the skills I’ve transferred from the ADF, I believe I had developed a strong understanding of the logistics functions within Defence before starting. I knew how to operate the inventory systems, so the challenge was more so in relation to learning A&P’s way of business.
“During the 2020 bushfires I was running the LNIDS database, and we had some high priority demands that needed to get to Choules so she could continue to rescue personnel from affected areas.
“There were a few of us at the time that received recognition from Chief of Navy which was pretty incredible to be recognised for my efforts.”
