Keynote Speech
ENGINEERING EXECUTIVE – A COMPETENCY-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR GROWING LEADERS AND
MANAGERS IN THE PROFESSIONMs Julie Hammer
National Deputy President, Engineers Australia and
Air Vice-Marshal, RAAF
Monday 3rd December 2007 (9:45am)
Air Vice-Marshal Julie Hammer, an electronics engineer, served in the Royal Australian Air Force for over 28 years in the fields of aircraft maintenance, technical intelligence, electronic warfare, and information and communications technology (ICT) systems. She was the Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy during 2002 and 2003. At the time of her transfer to the Reserve in August 2005, she was the most senior woman in the Australian Defence Force. She was the first serving woman to achieve One Star rank in 1999 and is the only woman in the history of the Australian Defence Force to have achieved Two Star rank. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics, a Masters degree in Aerosystems Engineering and a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies.
Julie was the first woman to command an operational unit in the RAAF, the Electronic Warfare Squadron, and was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross for that command. She served for three years from 1996 to 1998 as one of the Prime Minister’s representatives on the Governor General’s Australian Bravery Awards Council. She was awarded the 2001 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial Medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society and in 2002, she was appointed by the Government to be one of Australia’s Honouring Women Ambassadors. The University of Queensland named her the 2003 Alumnus of the Year and she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2004 Australia Day Honours List. She was the 2005 ACT Australian of the Year.
Within EA, Julie was one of the inaugural Board Members of the Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management (CELM) and served as Chair ofthe CELM Board from November 2005 till August 2007. She led the development of advanced competencies for leadership, management and business skills. She is currently the National Deputy President for Engineers Australia and will become National President in November 2007.
Julie is also a Director of the .au Domain Administration Ltd, the administrator of the Australian country code top level internet domain.