RAN ICT leadership recognised

ICT leadership in the Royal Australian Navy has been recognised with a Conspicuous Service Medal.

Commander Gemma Pumphrey was included on the 2017 Australia Day Honours List for her meritorious devotion to duty in the field of Defence communications and information infrastructure and services.

Pumphrey demonstrated outstanding leadership and technical skills in the provision and support of a diverse range of communications and information capabilities that support both military and enterprise outcomes for the Australian Defence Force.

She led the Directorate of Communication Services followed by the Directorate of Military Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Plans, where she was responsible for the migration of critical communication infrastructure and service reporting and tracking.

“I enjoy working in large teams undertaking complex technical projects,” said Pumphrey.

“I had a fantastic team working for me, which comprised of Australian Defence Force and Australian Public Service personnel and contractors, who were all very focused on achieving the task at hand.

“They often worked above and beyond what was expected to solve complex technical issues to ensure ICT services were provided to our ships on the front line.

“I am very proud of their efforts and I would not have been able to achieve what I did without their support.”

Using industry best practice, Pumphrey has provided direct benefit to Defence through efficiency and effectiveness improvements of systems.

“We all contributed to developing and sustaining a high-performance team in order to achieve the best level of service to meet our requirements,” she said.

“Those requirements include ICT infrastructure and support to locations across the globe, including deployed personnel in the Middle East, sailors at sea and the regular office user in Navy Strategic Command.”

Pumphrey is currently the Chief of Navy’s Women’s strategic advisor, where she continually develops and implements strategies and initiatives that engage women in the workforce and ensure they are adequately represented at all levels in the Navy.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Baris Simsek

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