EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
matters, how operating models matter
and how management teams can
approach their challenges.”He says that this variety was valuable
for gaining experience in approaching
government as a customer — his
practice specialised in this particular
process, especially in the area of
defence in long-term contracts.After working as Chief of Staff to then
Defence Minister, David Johnston, Sean
worked as the CEO of the French
subsidiary of DCNS Australia on the
recent bid for the submarine building
contract in Adelaide.Under Sean’s strategic guidance,
DCNS won the bid to construct the
submarines in a contest with Japanese
and German rivals and will build the
new vessels in Adelaide.Of his move to the company, Sean says
“I chose to work with DCNS because
I understood that it’s one of those
special companies that had, within
the business, all of the capabilities
needed to create an end-to-end
solution, in this case creating
submarines for Australia.”He highlights that this is quite unique
for companies in Australia, with most
businesses specialising in one part of
the process, such as design,
construction, sustaining a product, or
providing services to their clients.
DCNS collects all these elements of
the process and performs them
seamlessly. In this case, that suits the
needs of Australia.“Submarines are ultimately strategic
weapons of war and weapons of
deterrence,” says Sean. “That kind
of a business obviously takes place
inside a much more complicated
political framework where
governments are involved.”It’s this end-to-end delivery that
Sean says means that DCNS is
the perfect partner for the Australian
Government, with its combination
of engineering know-how, the
industrial side of the business to
build and maintain a fleet, as well
as the “structure and governance
of the business that knows
how to work within a complex
public sector.”The business of technology and
defence requires constant innovation,
and Sean says this is something that
DCNS is constantly harnessing
throughout the whole of its product.“We look for ever-improving
performances of the whole submarine
so that we know we can deliver not
just today, but well in to the future,”
says Sean. “Innovation helps us design
the highest performing submarines
and create the industry to look after
the submarine.”The idea of innovation is also
something the CEO applies to his
business practice, being eager to grow
DCNS. “In Australia, DCNS will
continue to invest and grow to become
what I would describe as Australia’s
submarine company,” he says. “It would
be operating within a broader naval“DCNS is one of those special companies that has the capability to
create an end-to-end solution, in this case creating submarines for
Australia.” - Sean Costello