68th Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial Lecture
About this event
Join the Royal Aeronautical Society Australia as they present the 68th Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial Lecture.
Dr. Brendan Nelson AO Senior Vice President, The Boeing Company & President, Boeing Global will discuss Australia’s Aerospace Leadership – a Proud Past and Confident Future.
Presenter Biography
Dr. Brendan Nelson AO was appointed senior vice president of The Boeing Company and president of Boeing Global effective Jan. 12, 2023. He is a member of the company’s Executive Council. Nelson is responsible for the company’s global strategy and corporate operations outside the United States, overseeing 20 regional offices in key global markets. His responsibilities include developing the company’s growth and productivity initiatives outside the U.S., forming new business and industrial partnerships, overseeing international affairs, enhancing Boeing’s local presence and providing global functional support. Nelson joined Boeing in February 2020 and was president of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific. He was the senior company leader in the Oceania region as well as chairman of the board for Boeing Australia Holdings.
He concurrently served as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Australia and chairman of the council of the Australian War Memorial. Prior to joining Boeing, Nelson served as director of the Australian War Memorial for seven years, prior to which he was the Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO from 2010 to 2012.
From 1996 until 2009, he was a member of the Australian parliament, serving also as Minister for Education, Science and Training (2001-2006), following which he was appointed Australian Minister for Defence in 2006 when troops were deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. He also oversaw major Defence acquisitions, including ships, helicopters and fighter jets.
Nelson was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in January 2016 for his services to the community, the parliament of Australia, diplomacy and cultural leadership. A physician by training, earlier in his career, Nelson was elected National President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), becoming the youngest person ever to hold this position and was awarded the AMA’s highest honour, the Gold Medal for “Distinguished Service to Medicine and Humanity” in 1995. Nelson has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Flinders University, South Australia. He is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from the Flinders University of South Australia (2011); the Australian National University (2017) and the University of South Australia (2019).