Former Royal Australian Navy officer Commodore Malcolm Wise will become head of the Australian Maritime College from July 10.
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Current principal Michael van Balen AO will retire in early July, prompting the change of helm.
Mr van Balen, a former deputy Chief of the Navy, was the principal of the AMC from May 2019.
The executive dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering at the University of Tasmania, Terry Bailey, said Mr Wise was an accomplished executive leader and would bring brings extensive experience in the maritime sector.
"Mr Wise brings a deep knowledge of shipboard operations," he said.
"He was trained as a navigator and has held command roles in peace and wartime operations."
Mr Bailey said Mr Wise was the Operations Officer of HMAS Success when it was deployed to East Timor in response to the East Timor Crisis in 1999 and then the HMAS Ballarat (2007) and HMAS Perth in 2011.
Mr Wise was the Commander CTF150 in Bahrain and, in 2017, addressed the United Nations about drug trafficking in East Africa. In 2019, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Mr van Balen said the AMC's improved alignment with the shipping and maritime industry had been a highlight of his four years.
He said that the closeness to industry meant that more than 90 per cent of AMC graduates were employed by the time they left the institution.
"We have been close to industry and aligned our programs so that it is what industry is looking for and provides the opportunity for our students to succeed,' Mr van Balen said.
"The AMC will be seeking industry support to recruit more students to our programs across nuclear, wind energy and renewable energy as well as maritime logistics and seafarers programs," he said.
Mr van Balen said that the AMC's state-of-the-art facilities gave the institution an opportunity to participate in the AUKUS Nuclear Powered Submarines Program.
The AMC still has its oar in the water with the Department of Defence for two significant facilities and a third facility potentially worth more than $100 million.
"We have recently responded to an expression of interest for these facilities," he said.
Mr Bailey said Mr Wise had a deep understanding of the Australian ports system, having led the response to and implementation of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code.
In undertaking this work, he collaborated with the then Department of Transport and Regional Services, port CEOs, Harbour Masters and Ports Australia to develop a productive stakeholder network.
"He knows our region very well, having designed, planned and led Australia's flagship whole-of-government regional engagement activity in Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic," Mr Bailey said.
Mr Bailey said Mr Wise had a strong commitment to the reconciliation agenda, which was important to AMC and the University.
"He was appointed to the inaugural role as the Navy's Indigenous Champion and developed a foundational strategic program to establish a connection between the Royal Australian Navy and the history of Australia's First Nations people.
Mr Wise completed a Bachelor of Science (Oceanography) at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1987 and holds a Master of International Relations from Salve Regina University (US).
"I would like to acknowledge and thank outgoing AMC Principal, retired Rear Admiral Michael van Balen AO, for his exceptional leadership and the enormous contribution he has made to the AMC, University and Australia's Navy and Maritime industry," Mr Bailey said.
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