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 LLNL or global HPC 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.

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.

2018: TAP — Enterprise Architect

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

2017: Thales — Architect

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

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)

2015 – Present: NRS&C — Director

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

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.

2005 – 2010: Codarra Advanced Systems

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

2002 – 2005: Centrelink

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

2001 – 2002: DFAT (Second Engagement)

Systems and architecture roles in departmental programs.

.

accreditations

Australian Government DISP accreditation (Dec 2019)

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

Why you would engage me