Austal Chairman John Rothwell to Retire, Richard Spencer Tapped as Successor
Shipbuilding group Austal on Thursday announced that its inaugural chairman, John Rothwell, is retiring from his position of Chairman of the company to serve on the Austal board as a non-executive director.Former U.S. Secretary of Navy Richard Spencer will replace Rothwell as Chairman, and will also join the board of Austal USA.Rothwell’s retirement as Chairman marks a significant milestone in the history of Austal, having served in the position for 37 years since he founded the company in 1987. During that time Austal has grown from a small, privately-owned, West Australian, commercial shipbuilde
Austal USA Names Santamaria CFO
Austal USA, a U.S. shipbuilding subsidiary of Australia's Austal Group, announced it has named Mark Santamaria as its new chief financial officer (CFO).“Mark’s extensive background in government and commercial contracting environments is a valuable asset to Austal USA,” stated Austal USA president Michelle Kruger. “We are excited to have him on our senior leadership team and look forward to benefiting from his financial management experience.”Santamaria has served as CFO for several major defense contractors throughout his lengthy career. Before coming to Austal USA
Kruger Named President of Austal USA
The Austal USA Board of Directors has elected Michelle Kruger as Austal USA President. She has been serving as interim president since August 2023.Kruger joined Austal USA in 2022 as the vice president of global services and support. In that role she led Austal USA’s ship repair and warranty efforts including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. She also oversaw the stand up of Austal USA’s San Diego repair yard including the delivery of a purpose-built 9000-tonne capacity dry dock. Kruger is a marine engineer with more than 25 years of maritime industry
Austal USA Names Parsons Human Resources VP
Austal USA announced it has named Kristin Parsons as the company’s vice president human resources, responsible for the overall development and implementation of company-wide human resources policies, programs and services.“Kristin’s prior experience with Austal USA and her extensive experience as an employment attorney makes her the perfect selection to lead our Human Resources team,” said Austal USA Acting President, Michelle Kruger. “We are excited to have her join our senior leadership team as we work to recruit and retain our superior shipbuilding workforce required
St. Johns Ship Building Names Joe Rella as President
Johns Ship Building announced it has appointed Joe Rella as president, succeeding Jeffery Bukoski, who left the role at the close of 2023.Rella brings over four decades of U.S. Navy and commercial maritime experience to his new position at the Palatka, Fa. shipyard. He was previously president and COO at Austal USA and has held executive roles at International Marine and Industrial Applicators. Rella received his undergraduate degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and earned an MBA from Spring Hill College. "Joe comes to us with a fantastic list of career accomplishments
Austal USA Names Blastos VP of Supply Chain Management
Austal USA has named Jim Blastos as vice president supply chain management, with responsibility for the company’s procurement, strategic sourcing, warehousing, logistics, material management and production control activities.Blastos has over 25 years of experience in developing strategic organizational transformation, collaborative solutions and operational processing. He has held leadership positions in supply chain and operations in the U.S. Navy and industry, including Overhead Door Corporation, BAE Systems/DRS Technologies, The Home Depot and General Electric Company, prior to starting at
Orlowski Named VP Engineering at Austal USA
Austal USA introduced Chris Orlowski as the company’s vice president of engineering, leading a team of more than 350 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff. Orlowski has more than 30 years of program and systems engineering leadership experience within the defense industry. He came to Austal USA from Northrup Grumman’s CIO Office – Mission Systems - where he was the director of engineering and manufacturing systems and infrastructure. He led a team of 250 employees focused on designing, developing, and deploying engineering and manufacturing
Johnson Joins Birdon as Ship Design Director
leadership and engineering experience will help Birdon grow its ship design team of structural engineers, naval architects, and designers charged with building some of the nation’s most important ships.”Spencer has over 30 years of experience as a naval architect; 10 of which he spent as Austal USA’s chief naval architect. He has extensive engineering management experience on both Navy and commercial shipbuilding projects and has successfully managed several design and build projects from concept through post-delivery support. During Johnson’s time at Austal USA, he led the
Murdaugh Resigns as Austal USA President
Rusty Murdaugh has resigned as president of Austal USA effective August 30, 2023, the Mobile, Ala. based shipbuilder announced.Murdaugh was named president in September 2021 after serving as acting president since February 2021. During his tenure Austal USA completed the addition of steel shipbuilding capability to its Mobile shipyard, and opened a waterfront ship repair facility in San Diego.Michelle Kruger, Austal USA vice president of global services and support, has been named acting president until a successor is named.
Hairston Named GM of Austal USA Advanced Technologies
Don Hairston has been named General Manager of Austal USA Advanced Technologies in Charlottesville, Va. Hairston comes to Austal from L3Harris Technologies where he was vice president and general manager of the C5 Systems Division. He was responsible for leading a $400 million organization that designs and delivers unmanned surface vessels, integrated C5ISR, and maritime controls and cyber solutions to support, defend and protect critical national assets and infrastructure.In his role as GM of Advanced Technologies Hairston will lead Austal USA’s growing R&D portfolio to include support to
Taylor Named Austal USA COO for Transformation
Austal USA promoted Christy Taylor to the newly established position of Chief Operating Officer for Transformation. She will report to Austal USA president Rusty Murdaugh, and oversee Human Resources, Production Control, IT and Supply Chain Management operations in addition to other business integration, leadership, and strategy roles. Her focus will be developing and integrating companywide systems and processes while identifying and enabling synergies across these functions to ensure the company is aligned in pursuit of Austal USA’s strategic goals.Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in
Young Named VP Production Ops at Austal USA
Austal USA promoted Chris Young to Vice President of Production Operations. Young, formerly Senior Director of Production, is a 26-year veteran of Austal with 19 of those years spent at Austal USA’s new construction manufacturing facilities in Mobile. Young’s tenure with Austal began immediately following school in Perth, Australia, when he joined the company as a structural engineering apprentice. Young was soon asked to travel to the US to join the Austal USA team as it stood up operations in Mobile, Ala. After a brief return to Australia, Young came back to Mobile in 2004 to assist
Austal USA Hires New Chief Compliance Officer
Austal USA has hired Adam Overstreet as vice president of legal affairs and chief compliance officer.Overstreet will manage a broad spectrum of legal issues, including employment and labor law matters, commercial transactions, and litigation. As the company’s chief compliance officer, Overstreet will oversee and strengthen the execution of compliance activities throughout the organization.“Austal USA takes compliance with all laws and government regulations seriously,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh stated. “Adam’s deep and diverse experience in compliance, investigati
Austal USA Names Alcathie VP of Human Resources
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA announced it has hired Michelle Alcathie as vice president of human resources, responsible for the overall development and implementation of company-wide human resources policies, programs and services.Alcathie is a human resources administrator with over 25 years of experience leading workplace transformations that support long-term strategic business plans.Before joining Austal USA, Alcathie was vice president of human resources for Kratos Defense & Security Solutions. She has also held leadership positions at GKN Aerospace, Trademark Metals Recycling and The
Austal USA Names Kruger VP of Global Services and Support
Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA welcomes Michelle Kruger as vice president of global services and support. Operating from Austal’s San Diego waterfront services facility, Kruger is responsible for Austal USA’s global post-delivery repair and warranty efforts, including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. As the primary customer interface for ship repair and maintenance services, Kruger will lead the pursuit of future government and commercial business opportunities and post-delivery initiatives.Kruger is a marine engineer who brings more than 25 years of
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Announces Leadership Change
mid-January to help enable a smooth transition with the incoming VP and GM, Craig Perciavalle. After that, Thayse will have an advisory role within Fincantieri Marine Group, the corporate entity that oversees FBS.Perciavalle comes to Fincantieri after most recently serving for years as the president of Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. Perciavalle has an extensive background in the shipbuilding and repair industry, having worked at several Gulf Coast shipyards throughout his career. He is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering
Austal USA Appoints Murdaugh as President
Australian shipbuilding group Austal Limited announced its Austal USA arm has appointed Rusty Murdaugh as president, effective September 9, 2021.Murdaugh joined Austal USA in 2017 as chief financial officer, and has been serving as interim president of the company since February 2021. As interim president, Murdaugh led the addition of steel shipbuilding to the Austal USA manufacturing operations and the company’s facility expansion in Mobile by acquiring additional waterfront and services capability on the Mobile River. A U.S. defense industry veteran, Murdaugh previously held leadership positions
