SUPACAT - Key Persons

Bruce Tait - Managing Director

Job Titles:

Managing Director

Bruce joined Supacat in May 2018 from the NZ MOD, where he was responsible for the delivery of the SOV-MH fleet to the NZDF. As Head of Defence, Bruce has P&L responsibility for all acquisition and support programs with the ADF and NZDF. In 2023 Bruce was appointed Managing Director. This appointment follows a long vehicle centric career which began in the Royal NZ Armoured Corps in the early 1980s. Following his commissioning in 1987, his regimental appointments included Regimental Second in Command of the NZ Armoured Regiment, Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles; the Equipment Group Leader for the NZ Light Armoured Vehicle fleet; and several appointments outside the Corps including command, finance and logistic roles. Bruce has seen operational service in the Middle East, East Timor, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Bruce has also had project management experience in the construction industry, in both domestic and commercial sectors, and more recently in medical infrastructure projects following his retirement from the NZ Army. Prior to joining the NZDF Bruce gained qualifications in construction and held the position of Retail Manager and National Wholesale Manager for Stonecraft Enterprises, importers, suppliers and contractors in the Natural Stone and Ceramic Tile industries. In his latter service, Bruce worked in NZ Army and NZ Defence Force capability management and acquisition roles. This included the acquisition and management of modified commercial vehicles for specialist end users.

Chris Westwood

Job Titles:

Post Design Services Manager

Chris has nearly 20 years experience working for the Group. He joined the company back in 2002 as a Workshop Technician and has worked his way up within the organisation. In 2003, Chris was promoted as Supacat Production Lead and in 2007 moved to Production Planning. In 2010, Chris worked on the midlife upgrade fleet of 72 HMT vehicles at DSG Bovington. In the last 10 years, Chris has been promoted a number of times, to Production Control Manager, Supply Chain Manager and in 2021 promoted to PDS Manager, working across both business divisions, Supacat and SC Innovation. One of Chris' highlights, was being part of the implementation team, which developed the HMT for the British Army.

Chris Wheeler

Job Titles:

Post Design Services Assistant

Chris joined Supacat in 2015 as a Technician in the production workshops. In this role he has been involved in the delivery of the latest generation of HMT. Chris has worked on aspects of the vehicle production from Chassis fabrication, assembly, commissioning and technical support, Chris has recently supported a vehicle enhancement program working with a HMT Customer in the Middle East. He developed through the company building on his skill set, receiving an internal promotion to Senior Technician and team leader in 2018. Chris is looking forward to using his in-depth product knowledge to support the HMT user group through his new role in the PDS Team. Before joining Supacat, Chris served 10 years in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment where he gained extensive experience maintaining and operating a diverse range of military vehicles, primarily Challenger 2, also HMT's through to Fuchs giving him invaluable insight and understanding of the specific requirements of military users. Additionally, Chris spent two years with the Armored Trials Development Unit (ATDU) at Bovington and worked as part of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear defence squadron. As such, Chris brings with him a wealth of technical knowledge and operational experience, which enables him to build strong, reliable relationships with customers.

Craig Walker

Job Titles:

Programme Manager

Craig Walker, Project Manager is responsible for the planning and management of tier one and tier two fabrication and engineering projects for Supacat and SC Innovation; linked to incumbent brands within nuclear, energy, and search and rescue. Craig joined the company in 2012 as the Marine & Renewables Support Engineer. While fulfilling this role he was responsible for providing technical support to projects undertaken by the M & R division, from production and acceptance, through to provision of warranty services. Craig benefits from 24 years military experience before joining the group. During this time he progressed from operation and repair of military vessels, to the management of both the equipment and the teams dedicated to its upkeep. Craig's skill set was further enhanced with substantial experience gained in the design and delivery of technical training packages.

Jeff Moore

Job Titles:

Head of Projects
Director, Engineering and Quality

Jeff joined the company as the Head of Projects at the start of 2012, promoted to General Manager in 2019 and Chief Engineer in 2022 and appointed to the Board as Director, Engineering and Quality 2023. He is responsible for the overall management and delivery of all projects undertaken by Supacat and SC Innovation in Australia. In addition, Jeff has responsibility for Quality Assurance, Export Compliance and Security. Jeff is also Design Authority for Supacat and SC Innovation in Australia. Jeff has over 25 years' experience in engineering, manufacturing and project management. He worked at Hawker de Havilland for 18 years, initially as a design, analysis and flight test engineer before moving into manufacturing & project management. He was the manager of HdH's composite manufacturing operations and had overall responsibility for the design, manufacture and the successful delivery of the A380 wingtip & fence for Airbus. Jeff has also held project management roles on such projects as B747 camber panels and the MD Explorer helicopter where he spent three years on secondment to McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems in Arizona. In 2004 Jeff moved to GKN Aerospace Engineering Services where, as Head of Programmes, he had overall responsibility for delivery of all engineering projects to customers such as Lockheed Martin, Airbus and Boeing. He holds a bachelor's degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Sydney. He is still involved at the University where he is a member of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering Advisory Committee.

Joe Wilcox

Job Titles:

Director
Projects Director

Delighted to announce 7th November 2022, Joe Wilcox appointed Projects Director Joe appointed Projects Director following his role as Head of Projects. He continues to be responsible for planning and managing the projects team for Supacat and SC Innovation, to ensure that all development work will be completed efficiently and on-time. Joe's responsibility is to manager projects across multiple sectors, including defence, commercial construction, marine, nuclear, offshore renewables, emergency vehicles, search & rescue and oil & gas. Joe joined the Group in 2007 and quickly established himself in the project management role before being appointed Head of Marine & Renewables for Supacat Ltd in 2012. Subsequently Joe's remit was expanded to encompass all of business's non-defence activity when he assumed the role of Head of Energy & Specialist vehicles in February 2015. With a solid background in Project Management coupled with a focus on Quality, Safety and Customer Satisfaction, Joe has established a strong track record for successfully delivering some of the Groups highest profile and most strategically significant programmes. Joe holds an MBA from the University of Exeter (Senior Leadership) as well as Project Management Qualification (APMP).

Jordan Marchioni

Job Titles:

Head of Defence

As Head of Defence Jordan Marchioni has responsibility for all acquisition and support programs, leading the relationships with the ADF and NZDF and managing a large team throughout Australasia. Jordan has been with Supacat for nine years and has notably contributed to the growth, practices and culture of the business and among his many achievements, has developed and cultivated long term relationships with multiple high-value clients and partners. He is a valued member of the team and leads with a flexible, collaborative approach and a sense of humour. Jordan joined Supacat in 2014 as a Field Support Representative following an eight year Navy career as a Marine Technician. His energy and ability to willingly throw himself at every challenge and opportunity was rewarded with an appointment in 2019 as Supacat's National Fleet Manager. In this role he was responsible for all aspects of the through-life-support to our in-service fleets in Australia and New Zealand and the recent progression to Head of Defence will further build on these responsibilities.

Julie Bonarius

Job Titles:

Head of Business Administration

Julie joined Supacat in January 2023, she was a Senior Commercial Officer in Joint Systems Division specialising in C4i systems, in Defence. As Head of Business Support, Julie has responsibility for providing the businesses' enabling services including commercial, financial, human resources, export control, marketing and IT support. Julie's career in Defence originated in the Australian Army in 1989. Following her commissioning, Julie served in roles in logistics and commercial outsourcing. Julie's post Army career reflected a similar dedication to service, working for the United Nations as widespread as Bosnia and Hercegovina, Albania and Kosovo, Sri Lanka, New York, and Sudan. Julie went on to work in the utilities and management consulting industries, however returned to Defence with commercial roles in the APS and with Defence Primes. Julie's real passion is the delivery of capability to Australian and allied soldiers and she injects a strong skills set for the growth of Supacat's products and customers into the future.