Ian Irving is a well known and high-profile Australian Defence & National Security Industry senior executive.

Ian has more than 35 years’ experience at senior executive levels within the Australian defence and aerospace industry, and is the Managing Director of ALTILUS Pty Limited.

In January 2024 Ian was appointed as the CEO of the American Australian Association (AAA) Ltd in Australia, a highly visible, not-for-profit organisation established to foster and strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Australia, promoting collaboration, research, and educational exchange. Ian holds responsibility for developing and implementing an ambitious program of growth and driving the overall strategy for the AAA Ltd.

In 2011 Ian established ALTILUS Pty Limited, a top tier management and professional services agency serving the government and the defence sector, where he now holds responsibility as an External Board Member for the conduct of life-cycle Independent Assurance Reviews for Australia’s Department of Defence, on Australia’s major defence acquisition and sustainment programmes.

In 2019 Ian was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute, responsible for the delivery of Australia’s Naval Shipbuilding College central to the establishment of Australia’s shipbuilding workforce. Prior to that Ian was Chief Executive for Northrop Grumman Australia, with responsibility for leading the development of Northrop Grumman within Australia, taking the company from its inception to become one of the major contributors to Australia’s national security capabilities.

Ian has also held responsibility as Vice President, Land Systems and deputy Chief Executive Officer at Thales Australia, where he held various leadership positions over a period spanning twelve years, including responsibility for the management of Australia’s armaments and munitions factories, and the development of Australia’s local protected military vehicle capability. This was preceded by eleven years with Rockwell and Boeing Australia.

Over the last three decades Ian has held senior positions within industry across many of Australia’s major land, sea, air and space defence procurement and sustainment programmes. This has included responsibility for the delivery of major defence systems, the conduct of leading-edge research and development, and the establishment of industrial capabilities delivering key defence exports for Australia.

Ian is an Honours graduate in Electrical Engineering from Sydney University, and has held prior responsibility as the Chair of the peak Australian defence industry body, the Australian Industry Group (AiG) – Defence National Executive Council. Ian has also served as a South Australian Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia, a non-executive director of the Williams Foundation, and is a current board member of the Pecan Growers’ Co-Operative of Australia.