Following our announcement of the Women in Defence Awards 2024 finalists, ADM will be introducing each of our amazing finalists across the categories in more detail. Today we are focusing on the finalists in our Legal and Contracting category.
In this category, judges were looking for entries that exhibited outstanding success in legal/contracting matters in 2023. The finalists in this category all demonstrate this level of success, with additional evidence of having overcome personal challenges to do so and for the impact their success had on the wider Defence and industry community.
The winners and Hall of Fame inductee will be announced at a gala dinner at The National Arboretum, Canberra, on 17 October 2024. Book your tickets here – we hope to see you there!
Jordan Brinckman
Intellectual Property Specialist, Legal and Commercial
Rheinmetall Defence Australia
Jordan was a key commercial negotiator on the Billion-dollar government to government export deal for the sale of 100 Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles to the German Army. She navigated high pressure scenarios, tight deadlines and strict cross-border regulatory requirements, all whilst balancing the needs of the four invested parties. Whilst mentoring the internship program, Jordan identified a critical area for business improvement and collaborated with a number of subject matter experts across the business to implement an IP strategy and set of training modules.
Anna Hunter
Executive Director Regulatory Frameworks in the Nuclear Powered Submarine Regulatory Design team
Royal Australian Navy
In 2023, Anna worked on the development of the regulations within the complex and politically charged strategic environment. Using her professional expertise, political acumen and resourcefulness, and under challenging circumstances including significant time pressure, she delivered draft regulations that have been deeply researched, defendable, and in line with international best practice. She has adopted a pragmatic approach in consulting with the regulated community to understand their concerns, without deviating from a deep commitment to nuclear safety. She was innovative in identifying alternative pathways to achieve a suitable outcome for all stakeholders.
Kellie Jenkins
Global Supply Chain Program Manager
Babcock
During 2023, the Warship Asset Management Alliance, was faced with unprecedented concurrent and complex commercial challenges. Kellie forged positive outcomes through demonstrating outstanding teamwork and collaboration across the WAMA. Kellie was instrumental in ‘unwrapping’ commercial complexities and gaining cross-party alignment, as well as unpacking, explaining, and modifying the commercial proposal. To do so, Kellie drew upon her excellent communication and negotiation skills, bolstered by compromise and negotiation when necessary. This has culminated in gaining all-party agreement to allow the WAMA to continue the asset management of the Anzac Class, and the provision of seaworthy ships to Navy.
Yasmin Sckeyde
General Manager Legal and Commercial
Rheinmetall Defence Australia
In 2023 Yasmin led the Heavy Weapon Carrier contract negotiations on behalf of Rheinmetall Defence Australia. Yasmin led a multi-disciplinary team over several months to negotiate this bespoke and complex transaction which is worth over $1Billion AUD to the Australian Economy. Yasmin’s leadership in spearheading the review and revision of the parental leave policy exemplifies her proactive approach to addressing gender disparities and promoting a supportive environment for women.
Alison Widderick
Senior Contract Manager for Land 400 Phase 3
Hanwha Defence Australia
Alison was a key part of team that spent most of 2023 preparing for the contract negotiations for Land 400 Phase 3. The negotiation process, which took less than 5 months from preferred tenderer announcement to contract signature, meant that the volume of work that usually takes more than twice that long was expedited by the HDA and Commonwealth legal teams alongside their respective project teams. She joined the team with no experience in Defence Contracting and her experience in making the shift has seen her be key in recruiting and retaining a number of female legal staff that do not have a defence background but vast experience in other areas.
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Jen Willmer
Senior Legal Counsel
BAE Systems Australia
During 2023 Jen restructured the Legal function while doubling its personnel to enable the successful delivery of programs. This included leading negotiations between BAE, Lockheed Martin Australia, Saab Australia, and Department of Defence on the Combat Systems Integration Collaboration Agreement; supporting the negotiation team on Hunter Batch 1; proactively leading engagement with the Department of Home Affairs and Defence over the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act, and successfully driving legislative changes to better suit the practical realities of the shipyard; leading negotiations and placement of complex, high-value subcontracts with Australian and foreign companies whilst mitigating risk and leading initiatives to uplift cyber resilience in the business and across supply chain, ensuring appropriate contracting mechanisms in an ever-changing risk profile.
