Rowan Moffitt had an unusually varied career in the Royal Australian Navy spanning four decades, followed by a successful commercial career since. He is now a strategic adviser, consultant, executive coach, mentor and occasional speaker.
His early career was spent mostly at sea, culminating with frigate and destroyer commands before he moved into Defence’s senior leadership group in 1999. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2002, serving as the Deputy Chief of Navy (2002-2004), Fleet Commander (2004-2005) and Deputy Chief of Joint Operations (2005-2008). He concluded his military career as the inaugural Head of Australia’s Future Submarine Program from 2009 until 2013.
On retiring from full time naval service in mid-2014, he joined professional services firm Ernst & Young as the partner leading the Oceania Defence Account through a period of dramatic growth. His most personally rewarding activities during this time were learning about the commercial world but especially mentoring middle management women, as a mentor in EY’s mentoring program for people of different cultures of origin, and as chair of the Canberra practice diversity & inclusion council. He retired from EY in mid-2019.
Rowan now works freelance offering advice and support in strategic matters, stakeholder engagement, executive leadership development, coaching and mentoring. He has been strategic adviser to the General Manager of Mediaware International, a General Dynamics company. He is an advisory board member for specialist consulting firm The Stable Group, where he is also a consultant. Rowan has engaged in several contracts with Elysium EPL since 2020, including with Defence’s Information Warfare Division and the Office of the Pacific in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has lectured on leadership at the University of Canberra and has been a student mentor pro bono at the College of Business and Economics at ANU. He is a director and founder of professional services firm TBG Solutions Pty Ltd. He has been a regular guest over the last two years delivering lectures on a range of subjects aboard Seabourn cruise ships in the Asia-Pacific region.
Rowan’s great passion these days is sharing the things he has learned in a fifty year working life, especially on the art and science of leadership. He remains deeply interested in all matters relating to defence, is widely connected, well-read and stays informed.
He is a graduate of the Royal Australian Naval College, the UK’s School of Maritime Operations, Australia’s Joint Services’ Staff College, the US’s Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, and Melbourne University (MBA).