The track
record we
brought with us.

Information
Warfare
Project

Dec 2021 – Jun 2024 · ~$120M program · Pre-Co.Lab

The hero's journey, condensed.

One of Co.Lab's founding directors was engaged as Project Manager for the Defence Information Warfare (IW) Project — a high-priority Joint Capabilities Group ICT modernisation initiative responding to the Force Structure Plan 2020 and Defence Strategic Update 2020. Twelve months later, Gate 0 approval was secured: a fully costed Business Case, Joint Capability Needs Statement, Smart Buyer Profile, Project Execution Strategy and Project Management Plan delivered to the Defence Investment Committee on schedule. Delivered under his previous engagement arrangement, before Co.Lab existed.

Following approval, the project office scaled to 13 people — and engaged Five Eyes partners to document integration and interoperability requirements. Then the Defence Strategic Review reprioritised the portfolio. Rather than spin endlessly through re-baselining, the office was deliberately downsized by 75% and a costed Gate 2 business case delivered within two months — a controlled ramp-down that retained 24 months of analysis, requirements and technical documentation in Confluence for knowledge transfer and succession.

In parallel, he led the Systems Integrator procurement: an outcomes-based T&M commercial model with a sovereign supplier, shaped by independent commercial and legal advisors and CPR exemptions where the classified nature of the work required. The procurement delivered a concept demonstrator that let Defence test new information warfare operational concepts.

The lesson: scaling down with intent is harder, and more valuable, than scaling up. It's the muscle he brings to Co.Lab.

Services applied: Strategy/Policy/Governance · Program Management · Procurement.

Integrated
Soldier
Systems

Jul 2019 – Jun 2024 · Multi-stage procurement · Pre-Co.Lab

From soldier to system to integration.

In 2019 Defence sought to enhance human-autonomous vehicle collaboration for load carriage, remote surveillance and language translation. A senior advisor now on Co.Lab's network was engaged to design a procurement strategy that delivered the capabilities while maintaining value for money and mitigating technology and cybersecurity risk. Delivered under his previous principal arrangement; he's on Co.Lab's bench today.

Over three years he led an integrated project team through a multi-stage procurement: government submissions across gate reviews, extensive stakeholder consultation, a structured market approach with commercial and contract models, tender evaluations, and supplier negotiations. End-to-end Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPR) compliant, with external probity advisors and robust conflict-of-interest management.

The trick wasn't writing the documents. The trick was holding the line on requirements through a four-year horizon while the operating environment kept shifting. The result: a prime-vendor contract enabling a long-term strategic relationship between government and industry, with a commercial model that accounted for technology evolution.

Services applied: Procurement & Contract Management · Strategy/Policy/Governance.

IMD
Enterprise
Strategy

Nov 2024 – Feb 2025 · 4-month engagement · Pre-Co.Lab

Industry strategy, designed to land.

In 2024 a lead government department prioritised an Industry Strategy to drive coordinated improvement across multiple agencies, stakeholders and end-users within the Intelligence Mission Data (IMD) Enterprise. The initiative aimed to enhance industry engagement to support urgent ICT modernisation and transform information-driven national security operations.

Members of the Co.Lab Partners team — advisors now on the network — were engaged to design and develop the Industry Strategy: assessing change drivers and blocks, identifying critical risks and opportunities, proposing governance and strategy priorities, and documenting delivery steps in a complex multi-stakeholder environment.

Over four months: a desktop review of critical documents, interviews with senior Defence, government and industry stakeholders, and facilitated design workshops to generate and test key elements of the strategy. The deliverable was an Industry Strategy discussion paper. The actual product was alignment — industry, capability and acquisition stakeholders reading from the same page, arguing about the right things.

Services applied: Risk Management, Benchmarking & Audit · Strategy/Policy/Governance.

IFCYBER
Strategy

Aug 2022 – Jul 2023 · 18-month engagement · Pre-Co.Lab

Cybersecurity research, turned into an organisation.

In 2022 a leading Australian academic institution sought to enhance its cybersecurity research and education framework to meet the evolving needs of Defence, National Security and Critical Infrastructure sectors. Co.Lab Partners' consulting affiliate was engaged to design and implement a strategic framework aligning institutional capabilities with national security priorities. Delivered before Co.Lab existed.

Over 18 months the affiliate conducted a comprehensive environmental scan, reviewed cybersecurity policies and sector trends, conducted interviews and facilitated workshops with government, industry and academic stakeholders, and performed a detailed cybersecurity audit to assess strengths, vulnerabilities and operational gaps. The result was a high-level strategy with governance structures and implementation roadmaps — integrating research, education and industry engagement.

The initiative positioned the institution as a national leader in cybersecurity research and education. A non-Defence reference that proves the operating philosophy ports beyond Commonwealth procurement.

Services applied: Cybersecurity · Strategy/Policy/Governance.

Enterprise
Risk
Management

Corporate · Two-phase ERM uplift · Co.Lab engagement

From diagnostic to delivery.

Co.Lab's first major corporate engagement. A two-phase Enterprise Risk Management uplift for a leading Australian water and waste management group. Phase 1, delivered by Co.Lab, was an end-to-end ERM diagnostic — capability baseline, gap analysis against ISO 31000, and a roadmap. Phase 2 is the four improvement work packages that operationalise the diagnostic.

The corporate reference that proves Co.Lab's risk practice scales well beyond Commonwealth procurement contexts.

Services applied: Risk Management, Benchmarking & Audit · Strategy/Policy/Governance.

Internal
Audit
at Scale

2018 – 2019 · Chief Internal Auditor · Pre-Co.Lab

Running the second-largest internal audit function in the Commonwealth.

Before founding Co.Lab, one of our directors served as Chief Internal Auditor of the Australian Taxation Office, leading an in-house team of 23 FTE. Adviser to the Commissioner of Taxation. Chair of the ATO Audit & Risk Committee. Member of the ERM, Security/BCM and Black Economy Program committees.

Introduced COSO controls mapping and rolling line-two maturity assessments — the kind of operating-system change you only make from inside the function. The view from inside one of the country's largest assurance functions.

The depth she brings to Co.Lab is the depth that comes from running the function, not just advising it.

Services applied: Risk Management, Benchmarking & Audit · Strategy/Policy/Governance.

DISP
Assurance
Framework

2019 – present · Multi-year program · Spans pre- and post-Co.Lab

The system that keeps Defence's industry partners trustworthy.

Since 2019, one of Co.Lab's founding directors has been designing and running the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) Assurance Framework — entry-level assessments, ongoing suitability assessments, and deep-dive audits. A standing DISP audit team works alongside her.

The kind of work where the deliverable is trust: the system determines which industry partners Defence will share controlled information with, and on what conditions. 130+ reviews across government and private clients sit behind the same practitioner.

Services applied: Cybersecurity · Risk Management, Benchmarking & Audit.