News Release For Immediate Release
DERT Welcomes Lieutenant General John Caligari DERT appoints retired Australian Army Lieutenant General John Caligari AO, DSC as a Non-Executive Director August 2016 – DERT is proud to announce the appointment of retired Australian Army Lieutenant General John Caligari as a Non-Executive Director to the Board of Directors.
Drawing on his extensive experience in risk management, strategy, planning, project management and command and leadership both within Defence and without, John has quickly embedded himself as a highly valued member of the DERT team.
A skilled problem solver, John provides a unique perspective in terms of engaging with and adding maximum value to DERT’s operations. His high level strategic knowledge and hard won capacity for providing ‘big picture’ oversight on large scale projects are invaluable in guiding the development of innovative solutions for DERT’s forward thinking clients.
John’s appointment to the Board also offers valuable support and guidance for DERT’s upcoming bid to serve as prime contractor on the Defence Site Maribyrnong remediation project. The DSM works are currently at the Expression of Interest stage as Defence seeks to shortlist appropriate companies for a proposed 2017 tender program.
Project Director and fellow board member Peter Murphy said “John’s approachable, level headed nature combined with his wealth of practical experience in some of the most complex and challenging environments imaginable provides the entire DERT team with a trusted and experienced mentor and advisor. His depth of experience at the real life interface between Defence and Industry will be invaluable as DERT looks to build innovative solutions for our clients’ complex problems”.
A Strategy and Leadership Consultant, LTGEN John Caligari has a wealth of experience in demanding environments, especially on operational service overseas and at the highest levels in the Department of Defence. His last seven years in particular have been at the interface between industry and Defence, particularly as Chairman of the Rapid Prototype Development and Evaluation Program Board.
Caligari said “seeing firsthand DERT’s high standards, professionalism and strong organisational culture made accepting the appointment an easy decision for me. I was particularly impressed by the direct influence of the leadership down through the company and the responsiveness and confidence this enabled in decision making down to the lowest levels.”
“I’m looking forward to working with the team to design and implement truly innovative remediation and deconstruction strategies, particularly on the many Defence sites where contamination, environmental and heritage issues are particularly complex and require careful management in conjunction with Defence.”
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News Release For Immediate Release
About John Caligari John Caligari is a retired Australian Army Lieutenant General. He served all of his field career in the 3rd Brigade, Australia’s most readily deployable combat force, commanding one of the infantry battalions (1000 strong) and the entire brigade (4500 strong). He has served on combat operations in Somalia as the operations officer of a 1000 strong force providing security for the distribution of humanitarian aid; in East Timor as the commander of a 1100 strong force protecting the people of the newly independent East Timor from a disaffected militia; and in Afghanistan as the national commander of deployed Australia forces.
He is an Officer of the Order of Australia, having been elevated from Member of the Order in 2014, and is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.
John has a Bachelor of Arts and two Masters Degrees. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of the Australian Institute of Project Management as a Certified Practicing Portfolio Executive. While in uniform John was also on several civilian boards including the Army Credit Union and Frontline Canteen Services.
Since leaving the Army, John has established his own leadership and strategy consultancy and is a non-executive director on several company boards. He supports numerous charities, in particular veterans’ and families’ welfare, especially in North Queensland. He is the Patron of the 1st Battalion Association, and Patron of Townsville Legacy, a White Ribbon Ambassador and a member of the Rotary Club of Townsville.
About DERT DERT is a joint venture between OPEC Systems and Liberty Industrial that has been strategically established to combine the capabilities of two of Australia’s most progressive remediation companies to provide leading edge, comprehensive, large scale site remediation and demolition services for complex contaminated sites.
In conjunction with their proven remediation technologies and deconstruction expertise, DERT is able to deploy teams of highly trained technicians skilled in managing some of the more complex engineering, safety and environmental risks potentially encountered at the DSM site such as UXO, explosive residues, asbestos, heritage and environmental remnants and engineering works adjacent to waterways and residential precincts.
DERT draws upon the internal resources of OPEC Systems and Liberty Industrial to execute and support projects throughout Australia. These significant resources include over 150 staff and a broad portfolio of plant and equipment regularly used on civil engineering, remediation and demolition projects. DERT is a matrix organisation and resource sharing between state offices is regularly practised. This capacity allows DERT to combine the right staff and specialist equipment for any project throughout Australia.
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