In a world exclusive, Dr Brendan Nelson AO, President of Boeing Global will offer a rare insight into leadership at the highest levels as he steers the aerospace giant's strategy in key international markets.

In a fascinating and exclusive breakfast address on August 22nd, the former defence minister, Australian ambassador and former director of the Australian War Memorial will share his unique perspective on guiding one of the world's largest companies. Dr Nelson's expertise extends well beyond his role at Boeing Global.

Boeing the world's largest aerospace company, is well known for its classic designs such as the iconic 747, 777 and 787 but it is much more and is the builder of Australia's F-18 fighters, C-17 transports, Wedgetail early warning radar platforms, Chinook helicopters, Harpoon cruise missile and P8 Posideon naval patrol aircraft.

On the global stage, the company also builds the F-15 Eagle fighter, launch rockets and spacecraft, the International Space Station, a range of satellites for commercial and military applications, attack helicopters, KC-16 aerial tankers, five missile air defence systems and autonomous drones.

Boeing's presence in Australia is the largest outside the United States with seven wholly owned subsidiaries. The companies employ 3000 spread across 38 locations in every state and territory except Tasmania.

With an investment of more than US$800 million ($1.20 billion), Boeing generates approximately US$400 million in export revenue for Australia.

Boeing's commercial backlog is 5,477 aircraft made up of 4173 737 MAX aircraft, 95 767s, 493 777F and 777-9s and 716 787s.

Secure your exclusive opportunity to hear how he navigated his distinguished career from physician to leadership roles in government, diplomacy, and multinational corporations

READ: Stephanie Pope focuses on safety and culture at Boeing

About Dr Nelson.

Dr Nelson joined Boeing in February 2020 and was president of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific. He was the senior company leader in the Oceania region as well as chairman of the board for Boeing Australia Holdings. In this role, Nelson coordinated all Boeing activities, led government relations and directed the implementation of Boeing’s strategy to expand its local presence and grow the business. He concurrently served as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Australia and chairman of the council of the Australian War Memorial.

Prior to joining Boeing, Nelson served as director of the Australian War Memorial for seven years, prior to which he was the Australian Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO from 2010 to 2012. From 1996 until 2009, he was a member of the Australian parliament, serving also as Minister for Education, Science and Training (2001-2006), following which he was appointed Australian Minister for Defence in 2006 when troops were deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. He also oversaw major Defence acquisitions, including ships, helicopters and fighter jets. He was elected leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and federal Opposition from 2007 until 2008.

A physician by training, earlier in his career Nelson was elected National President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), becoming the youngest person ever to hold this position and was awarded the AMA’s highest honour, the Gold Medal for “Distinguished Service to Medicine and Humanity” in 1995. In recognition of his commitment to public health, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Nelson was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in January 2016 for his services to the community, the Parliament of Australia, diplomacy and cultural leadership.

Nelson has a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Flinders University, South Australia. He is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from the Flinders University of South Australia (2011); the Australian National University (2017) and the University of South Australia (2019). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales (2017); an honorary life member of the Returned and Services League of Australia (2018); an honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing (2021); Rotary Paul Harris Fellow (2001) and Fellow of the Australian War Memorial (2021). He is also an honorary citizen of the Belgian city of Ieper/Ypres (2018) and was appointed Commander of the Order of the Crown, Belgium (2021) for his service to the Belgian people.