Lockheed Martin appoints new chief executive for Australia and New Zealand

MELBOURNE – Lockheed Martin has announced the appointment of Jeremy King as its next chief executive for Australia and New Zealand.

King, who is the former head of Joint Aviation Systems for Defence of Australia’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), will assume the role on Feb. 23, and will report to Jay Pitman, president of Lockheed Martin International.

“Jeremy’s exceptional depth of experience in large-scale defence acquisitions, combined with his long-standing commitment to customer-centric leadership, make him the ideal candidate to drive Lockheed Martin’s growth in Australia and New Zealand,” said Pitman.

King will succeed Warren “Macca” McDonald, who has been with Lockheed Martin since July 2021.

According to Lockheed Martin’s announcement, King previously served the Australian Defence Force for more than 30 years and has led major capability programs such as the MRH-90 and Chinook project.

“I am eager to leverage my extensive program leadership experience and commitment to customer success in leading Lockheed Martin’s efforts in Australia and New Zealand. I look forward to strengthening our partnerships and delivering the advanced solutions our customers rely on,” he said in Lockheed’s announcement.

King’s appointment comes when Lockheed is stepping up its involvement in Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO), which seeks to manufacture guided munitions such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) locally.

Its military also operates a range of Lockheed Martin systems such as the F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and MH-60R naval helicopter.