Jim McDowell was Chief Executive Officer of BAE Systems Saudi Arabia (BAESSA) from September 2011 until December 2013, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with operations in Tabuk, Taif, Jeddah, Dhahran, Khamis Mushayt and Jubail. Jim was responsible for management of the BAESSA shareholding in five Saudi Joint Ventures in the areas of Supply Chain Management, IS support services, aircraft component MRO, Electronic MRO and upgrade, and Training and Development.
Jim was Chief Executive of BAE Systems Australia from March 2001 to September 2011. Under his leadership, the company expanded to become Australia’s largest defence firm, with more than 6500 employees and annual sales of approximately AUD $1.5 billion.
Following the integration with Tenix Defence in 2008, BAE Systems Australia now has capability across the land, aerospace, maritime and joint (electronic systems) environments. The company has offices in every state and territory and is committed to being a leading partner to the Australian Defence Force.
Jim is a passionate supporter of continuing education. During his time as CEO BAE Systems Australia he was a member of the Council of the University of South Australia, a member of the Defence Reserves Support Committee SA and a member of the Northern Economic Leaders Champions Group. Jim was also Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Defence Systems Innovation Centre (a joint venture between the University of South Australia and University of Adelaide) and Chairman of the Division of Business Advisory Board, University of South Australia.
