Leidos has named Hans Tench as its global lead for AUKUS. In a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, Leidos said Tench’s appointment will focus on enhancing the company’s support for the trilateral defense partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Tench will focus on key AUKUS Pillar 2 areas such as artificial intelligence autonomy, undersea warfare, hypersonics and electronic warfare.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Tench brings over 30 years of experience in defense, government and commercial information and communication technology sectors across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy veteran has spent the last 20 years at Leidos, most recently serving as vice president of business development for the APAC region.
Before Leidos, Tench held senior business development roles at Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions in Singapore and Australia, driving growth in cybersecurity, air traffic management and civil defense capabilities. He also served as CEO and managing director of STASYS Australia before its acquisition by Lockheed Martin in 2005.
Throughout his career, Tench has specialized in contract negotiation, business development and program and capture management for large-scale defense and government projects. His track record includes leading business development strategies and major defense and ICT programs, such as the Australian Tax Office IT outsourcing project. Tench served for 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy.