Why you would engage me

Why You would Engage Me

Summary

Engaging me means gaining a senior architect with more than four decades of direct experience designing, repairing, rescuing, and delivering mission-critical systems across defence, government, industry, and frontier computing environments.

I specialise in stabilising fragile architectures, restoring coherence to drifting systems, and ensuring that technical outcomes align with organisational mission, not inertia. I bring systems-level thinking, deep technical acumen, and the ability to operate under extreme complexity without losing clarity or momentum.

I excel in environments where:

• knowledge has become siloed or lost

• systems need to be transitioned, scaled, or commercialised

• architecture has decayed under piecemeal “tinkering”

• continuity must be restored

• critical projects need a trusted senior technical custodian

I have been repeatedly engaged by organisations precisely because I can solve the problems that no one else wants or is able to touch.

My Value Proposition

1. I create stability in unstable environments

When systems have drifted, documentation is imperfect, and technical debt obscures mission outcomes, I reconstruct the architecture, identify the real constraints, and bring the project back under control.

2. I remove single points of failure—including myself

I actively design myself out of knowledge bottlenecks by:

• externalising architectural reasoning

• creating transparent artefacts

• preparing documentation that is actually usable

• enabling handover to teams, vendors, or cloud providers

I know the danger of sole custodianship, and I mitigate it deliberately.

3. I can transition HPC and AI systems into sustainable, commercialised platforms

I specialise in:

• de-risking fragile infrastructure

• structuring outsourcing arrangements

• preparing architectures for cloud migration

• transforming research-grade systems into industry-ready products

• advising external partners such as hyperscalers and primes

This is essential for HPC and AI projects that must survive beyond the original team.

4. I bridge government, defence, research, and industry

Few architects can operate equally well across:

• defence acquisition

• scientific research computing

• commercial cloud engineering

• software product development

• security governance

• systems integration

I can—and have repeatedly.

5. I work with speed, clarity, and high agency

My career has not been built through portals or automated systems. I am engaged because:

• I cut through noise

• I identify the shortest path to value

• I am accountable for outcomes

• I operate independently with minimal direction

• I deliver what I say I will deliver

This is why organisations keep calling me back.

6. I am the architect you engage when failure is not an option

I specialise in projects where:

• delays are no longer tolerable

• technical leadership has become inconsistent

• institutional knowledge is at risk of disappearing

• the consequences of error are significant

I stabilise, recover, transition, and commercialise large-scale systems—particularly HPC and AI architectures.

Why You Should Engage Me Now

The risk profile for your program increases with time:

• architectural knowledge is concentrated

• internal documentation gaps widen

• decision fatigue embeds

• external commercial opportunities may be lost

• fragility grows with each intervention

• the market will not wait indefinitely

Engaging me now ensures:

• continuity of architectural understanding

• a coherent, vendor-ready transition plan

• a commercialisation pathway with defensible intellectual value

• removal of single-point-of-failure risks

• preservation of institutional memory

• delivery of an architecture that can survive and scale

If required, I can also:

• lead the transition to an external HPC/cloud provider

• structure the outsourcing engagement

• support commercial discussions with partners

• produce the architectural, security, and operational artefacts necessary for adoption

Why My Age and Country of Residence Are Strengths

My decades of experience give me:

• long-horizon architectural thinking

• the ability to recognise system patterns and failure modes early

• familiarity with every generation of HPC and enterprise architecture

• resilience under pressure

• judgement that only comes from time

Being based in Australia is fully compatible with:

• international architectural work

• HPC and AI system design

• cross-border collaboration

• remote advisory roles

• cloud-first deployments

Global technical leadership is no longer geographically constrained.

Engagement Recommendation

If you need to:

• stabilise
• transition
• commercialise
• rescue
• or de-risk

a large HPC or AI architecture, or if you need a senior architect who can operate independently and protect your long-term technical viability, then you should engage me.

I can deliver the architecture you need now—and ensure it survives after I hand it over.

Recent Professional Biography

Overview

I am an Australian systems architect with more than 40 years of experience across defence, government, scientific research, HPC, cloud systems, and enterprise architecture. My career has included R&D, international engineering work, defence contracting, systems integration, platform development, and major architectural leadership roles.

I have served as:

• security engineer
• systems architect
• enterprise architect
• R&D engineer
• technical founder
• Identity and Security ASsurance engineer
• an HPC architecture lead
• trusted advisor to government and defence agencies

I currently work with DSTG on a major HPC architectural program.

Nov 2018 – Present: DSTG — Security Engineer → Architect → Solution Architect

• Initially engaged as Security Engineer.
• Following a colleague’s medical incapacitation, assumed architectural leadership.
• Re-engaged as Solution Architect shortly after.
• Current lead custodian architect for a major HPC architecture and transition program.
• Responsibilities:
  • System stabilisation and defect correction.
  • Architectural recovery and redesign.
  • Preparation of outsourcing and cloud transition strategy.
  • Establishing survivable long-term architectural artifacts.
  • Guiding commercialisation pathways suitable for global HPC/HPC-adjacent customers.

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2018: TAP — Enterprise Architect

• Enterprise architecture leadership across complex systems programs.
• Defined long-horizon technical strategy and integration patterns.

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2017: Thales — Architect

• Architect supporting defence-related platform and systems programs.
• Delivered solutions requiring deep domain understanding and systems thinking.

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2011 – 2017: Department of Defence — Prime Contractor (Multiple Contracts)

• Delivered multiple Defence contracts under different engagements.
• Provided architecture, security, integration and systems engineering.
• Supported various Defence capability programs.
• Obtained DISP accreditation Dec 2019 (formal accreditation)

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2015 – Present: N4RC — Director

• Director of a scientific/technical innovation startup.
• Provides architectural, research, and technical strategy capability.

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2010 – 2018: Arising Technologies Pty Ltd — Founder & Vendor (IR-GIS)

• Established company delivering geospatial software solutions.
• Designed, built and supported IR-GIS (Infrared Geospatial Information System).
• Provided niche technical capability to clients across multiple sectors.
• Operated independently at senior technical level.

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2005 – 2010: Codarra Advanced Systems

• Senior technical and architectural roles.
• Delivered defence and government systems engineering outcomes.

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2002 – 2005: Centrelink

• Large-scale government systems work.
• Systems integration, architecture and engineering assignments.

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2001 – 2002: DFAT (Second Engagement)

• Systems and architecture roles in departmental programs.

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Specialisations

• High-performance computing architecture
• Complex system rescue and recovery
• Defence and government systems
• Transition planning and outsourcing
• Commercialisation pathways for HPC/AI platforms
• Systems security and governance
• Enterprise and solution architecture
• R&D engineering and long-term systems design
• Programming consultant and developer

Professional Characteristics

• Systems-level thinker
• High-agency operator
• Fast integrative reasoning
• Direct, concise communication style

accreditations

• Australian Government DISP accreditation (Dec 2019)
• B Sc - UNE, 1979
• Dip Ed - UNE, 1979
• (post grad) Dip Com Sc - UNE, 1979
• Amateur Radio Operator - VK1-BRH
• Private Pilot, Command Instrument Rated.

publications

• publications.arising.com.au
• wiki.arising.com.au
• regional-training.org
• ir-gis.com