# Jon Hawkins

> Jon 'Irish' Hawkins is an Australian Defence Force veteran of 25 years, SAS-trained officer, and the founder of Omni Executive - one of Australia's fastest-growing sovereign defence companies. Starting from an idea at his kitchen table in 2012, he built Omni into a 400+ person operation spanning aerospace, consulting, security, maritime and vetting, with around $100 million in annual turnover. A fierce advocate for truly Australian-owned defence capability, he stepped back from the CEO role in February 2026 to serve as Chair of Omni's Board.

- **Role:** Chair at Omni Executive
- **Organizations:** Omni Executive Pty Ltd
- **From:** Ireland
- **Nationality:** Australian
- **Education:** MBA, Australian Graduate School of Management, Degrees in Engineering, Defence Studies, and Business Administration, Australian Army / Defence
- **Known for:** Founded Omni Executive in 2012; grew it to one of Australia's fastest-growing sovereign defence companies, Built Omni to 400+ employees and ~$100M annual turnover, Completed SAS selection in 1996, serving in special operations deployments across Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, and Timor Leste

## Career timeline

- **Early life** — Raised in Ireland and Southern Africa by Presbyterian grandparents; migrated to Australia at age 18
- **Early 1990s** — Enrolled in engineering degree at Australian university; transferred to the Australian Army after one year
- **Early 1990s - late 1990s** — Served seven years in RAEME (Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) with postings to Puckapunyal, Darwin, and Broome
- **1996** — Completed SAS selection, joining Australia's elite Special Air Service Regiment
- **Late 1990s - early 2000s** — Served as SAS troop commander on deployments to Solomon Islands and Afghanistan
- **2001** — Spiritual awakening prompted by a message at his mother-in-law's funeral
- **2005** — Deployed to Afghanistan as squadron commander; deepened his Christian faith during deployment
- **~2009** — Completed MBA from Australian Graduate School of Management
- **2011** — Final military role: commanding officer of Special Operations Task Group (deployment began Boxing Day 2011)
- **2012** — Founded Omni Executive in October 2012, starting from a concept developed at his family kitchen table
- **2012-2025** — Grew Omni from startup to 400+ employees, $100M annual turnover, offices in Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide
- **2026** — Transitioned from CEO to Chair of Omni Board (effective 1 February 2026); succeeded by Steven Thorpe as CEO

## Achievements

- Founded Omni Executive in 2012; grew it to one of Australia's fastest-growing sovereign defence companies
- Built Omni to 400+ employees and ~$100M annual turnover
- Completed SAS selection in 1996, serving in special operations deployments across Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, and Timor Leste
- 25-year decorated career in the Australian Defence Force including command of the Special Operations Task Group
- Established Omni as a trusted partner across aerospace, consulting, security, maritime, and personnel vetting sectors
- Authored public policy arguments for sovereign defence industry in ASPI Strategist, advancing the OOC (Ownership, Operations, Capability) framework
- Veteran-owned company providing employment to hundreds of former ADF personnel
- Successfully transitioned Omni to a formal Board governance structure as it matured into a full Australian Prime contractor

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Transitioned from Group CEO to Chair of the Omni Board, with Steven Thorpe succeeding him as CEO.
- **2022-10** — Featured in Defence Connect Spotlight podcast discussing Australia's defence ecosystem and sovereign industrial capability.

## Links

- Website: https://omniexe.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-hawkins-8418633

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jon-hawkins
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26