Vanguard Magazine

52 APRIL/MAY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com game ChaNGer See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry, and how has it brought you to where you are today? I suppose you could say that I have been part of defence my entire life as I am from a military family. Entering the defence industry felt familiar, and the people were, in many ways, an extended family of sorts. It is a community, and like all sectors, it is ultimately about the people. The opportunity to work with many exceptionally bright leaders who have been so generous with their knowl- edge and time has been the single most important reason I have progressed in my career. First and foremost, my father has been an inspiration to me through- out my life, and I have been very for- tunate to work with, or to witness, the outstanding leadership of others in the defence community, such as DND Dep- uty Minister Jody Thomas. There is such a tremendous amount of talented people in our sector to learn from, and I credit them for providing such a high bar to strive for. Q What is your role at your organization today? I am the Country Director for BAE Sys- tems in Canada. That means I support our lines of business who are interested in participating in the market, whether that is through supply chain develop- ment, introducing products or services, or transferring exciting R&D initiatives to domestic partners, for example. Q What was your "aha" moment or epiphany that you think will resonate most with our reader? Tell us that story. We often hear people complain about the amount of internal socialization that is required to successfully imple- ment a desired outcome. I have seen people work extremely hard in prepar- ing or leading a deliverable while ne- glecting to adequately inform internal stakeholders. This is an integral part of leading a successful program, and that persistent engagement is a core element of stakeholder management. I've been fortunate to have my company support me in completing a Master of Complex Project Leadership at the Telfer School of Management at Ottawa University. One of the courses we took was about stakeholders and the importance of rec- ognizing who they are, what their inter- ests may be, and ways to plan and re- spond to those diversities. It was during this program that an explicit distinction was made between internal and external stakeholders – which was perhaps intui- tive, but until it was discussed, I don't think I fully recognized the importance of this difference. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? Without question, that is the Canadian Surface Combatant program! We are embarking, together with our prime partners Lockheed Martin and Irving Shipyard, on delivering the next genera- tion of frigates that will create thousands of jobs for Canadians for decades to come. There is also a profound personal connec- tion to this program for me as my father was the Project Manager of the Canadian Patrol Frigates. Today we have a unique opportunity to collaborate with our part- ners in the UK and Australia to foster ex- port opportunities, de-risk supply mate- rials, and share lessons learned, expertise and resource development. Q What is the best advice you received? The best advice I have received is through witnessing how those I admire consistent- ly conduct themselves. It is really a list of attributes that have become the "advice" I value. Those include always using com- mon sense, logic, and evidence-based reasoning. Treating people with kindness and respect, being generous with your knowledge while always conducting your- self with integrity – these are some of the traits I hold in the highest esteem. Q What people or organizations do you believe best embody the innovation mindset? I have to say I am continuously amazed by the products, services and developments my company produces and the forward thinking that enables my colleagues to en- vision the needs of a future state. For ex- ample, together with a British University, we have seen a breakthrough on the way UAVs can "grow" in such a rapid manner that they can be tailored to suit a specific requirement and be deployed in a matter of weeks. There are numerous examples of this type of innovative thinking that will address the challenges of tomorrow. I also have to say that I'm an admirer of Elon Musk. He is truly legendary in his ability to navigate complexity, and his successes are changing the world. Anne HeAley country director – canada BAE systEms

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