ELA Team
The team at Equatorial Launch Australia are trusted leaders in the development and space industry in Australia. Our experience spans across aerospace, commercial enterprise, regulation, asset development, and complex project management, along with space strategy and systems engineering and has been successfully demonstrated at major companies for decades.
Executive Management
Michael Jones
Executive Chairman and Group CEO
Michael has over 35 years of experience in space, aviation, corporate finance and general industrial management. An experimental Test Pilot turned successful entrepreneur and business executive as evidenced by roles as the Founder and CEO of the Aerospace Group (later acquired by and renamed Raytheon Australia); Founder and CEO of Regional Express Airlines (REX), and recently as the Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for Virgin Australia. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Military College, he has a Bachelor of Arts/Economics from UNSW, Grad Dip in App Investment from FINSIA, is a distinguished graduate of the Empire Test Pilots’ School UK and was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Ben Tett
General Manager Operations and Launch
Ben has 15+ years of experience as an executive and engineer spanning areas such as Aerospace Engineering, Project and Program Management, PMO and Portfolio Management, Innovation, Strategy Development and Business Transformation. Over the last 10 years, Ben has worked in commercial aviation at Virgin Australia where he established a strong brand and reputation for being a people-focused leader and for delivering complex programs. Ben has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland.
Recently Ben was a finalist in the 2022 Australian Space Awards as a “Rising Star” Executive of the year.
Russell Shaw
General Manager Finance and Commercial
Russell has nearly 20 years of experience at the highest level of commercial and finance industries in firms such as PwC, Macquarie Bank and Virgin Australia. Most recently the GM of Revenue management, Network and Alliances at Virgin Australia where he was responsible for the airline’s revenue, pricing, and commercial approach to market. Russell is a Chartered Account and Chartered Financial Analyst with Bachelors and Postgraduate degrees from the University of Cape Town.
ELA Board
Michael Jones
Executive Chairman and Group CEO
Michael has over 35 years of experience in space, aviation, corporate finance and general industrial management. An experimental Test Pilot turned successful entrepreneur and business executive as evidenced by roles as the Founder and CEO of the Aerospace Group (later acquired by and renamed Raytheon Australia); Founder and CEO of Regional Express Airlines (REX), and recently as the Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for Virgin Australia. Michael is a graduate of the Royal Military College, he has a Bachelor of Arts/Economics from UNSW, Grad Dip in App Investment from FINSIA, is a distinguished graduate of the Empire Test Pilots’ School UK and was recently made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Non-Executive Director
CEO & Founder of AMI Expeditionary Healthcare. Dr. Walker Co-Founded Aspen Medical. In 2016 Dr. Walker was Ernst & Young’s “Australian Entrepreneur of the Year,” and has been twice inducted into the EY Entrepreneur Global Hall of Fame. Prior to going into business, Dr. Walker served as an officer with the Australian Army. He has graduate and postgraduate qualifications in Medicine and Medical Science (Hons) from Newcastle University (with scholarships to both Oxford and Harvard) and has an MBA from Melbourne Business School. Dr. Walker has founded two Charities, the latest being the Insight Health Foundation which focuses on health issues in indigenous communities.
In addition, Dr. Walker has founded 16 companies and served on numerous Company Boards, both listed and private.
Non-Executive Director
Lynn is an expatriate American who is currently the Microsoft Lead for Azure Space Asia Pacific. Lynn has 26 years of Space expertise in the US Air Force and Industry. Lynn has had a distinguished career leading large operational organizations with complex missions, driving organizational growth, and advancing cutting-edge space and intelligence technologies. Lynn started her own space consulting business in 2019 after key career positions in space management for the US DoD and CIA. Lynn has also filled and executed positions in Space safety, Operations, Range Management and Missile engineering. Lynn has an MBA from Baker College and a Masters from US Air Command and Staff College, and also from US Naval War College.
Non-Executive Director
David has 35 years of experience in professional services specializing in tax. David became a partner with Arthur Andersen prior to being appointed to PwC Melbourne to lead its Tax & Legal business. In 2017 he was appointed as Managing Partner of PwC’s worldwide private and family business sector. David has an Executive MBA from Melbourne Business School, together with a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. David was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and was an affiliate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.