BenchOn is proud to share that our CEO and Co-Founder, Tim Walmsley, has been awarded “Executive of the Year” at the 2025 Defence Industry Awards. It’s a huge recognition of Tim’s long-standing advocacy for Australia’s defence sector, his leadership in digital transformation, and his commitment to supporting veterans and small businesses nationwide.

“So this happened while I was overseas…” Tim joked in his recent LinkedIn post, reflecting on the surprise of the win and the powerful support from the BenchOn team and industry peers. “I hadn’t organised for anyone to accept the award on my behalf. A huge thank you to Matt Kirk for stepping up at the last minute and everyone who cheered me on in the room.”

If you’ve met Tim, this reaction won’t surprise you. He’s the kind of leader who stays grounded, backs others, and puts outcomes before ego.

Tim Walmsley is presented with the award for the Executive of the Year category for the 2025 Defence Industry Awards.

Gold Coast Defence Industry member, Natalie Dickie, stepped in as MC with some kind words to present Tim with his award at the local DIN event.

Career of Service: Tim Walmsley’s Career in Defence and Beyond

Tim’s pathway into defence innovation started in uniform. After serving in the Royal Australian Army as an Artillery Officer, he moved through roles in government and industry before founding BenchOn. Along the way, he spotted something that was missing: a better way for businesses in Defence to find and share talent, products, and services across the supply chain.

That idea became BenchOn, a platform used today by Defence primes, corporates, and government agencies to connect capabilities to projects faster. It’s not just about staffing anymore. Tim’s strategy has expanded into launching large-scale digital infrastructure that maps industry capability and improves sourcing decisions. Supply Queensland was launched in partnership with the Queensland Government and Manufacturing Skills Queensland as a state-wide portal that maps the entire manufacturing sector across the state. Similarly, the Gold Coast Business Portal was created in collaboration with the City of Gold Coast to unite local industries and drive meaningful cross-sector collaboration.

His biggest bet came in the past 12 months. Tim has spearheaded the development of an open market industry portal for Defence: the Australian Defence Industry Portal (AusDIP). AusDIP is an AI-powered sourcing platform designed to connect all corners of the defence sector, from SMEs to primes and government buyers. It onboarded over 2,000 companies, quickly becoming a cornerstone of sovereign industry collaboration. Unlike traditional, manual procurement methods, AusDIP allows any project manager – whether from an SME, corporate, or government agency – to post projects or specific capability requirements and receive targeted, real-time responses. The platform delivers rich industry intelligence that enables faster, more informed decisions across the supply chain. In a major recent update, Emerging Technologies and Advanced Manufacturing capabilities were added to AusDIP, opening new pathways for next-gen innovation in Defence.

His objective has always been to increase sovereign capability, focusing on the core elements of the Defence Strategic Review and National Defence Strategy.

Innovating the Future of Defence Supply Chains with AI

What sets Tim apart as Executive of the Year is not just his vision, but his ability to deliver at scale. One standout achievement cited in his nomination was the successful integration of AI and Machine Learning into BenchOn’s supply chain sourcing process.

Traditional sourcing often relies on manual profile reviews and personal networks, which are slow, prone to bias, and have limited reach. Tim’s team built a proprietary AI matching algorithm that has drastically increased participation and accuracy across the board. The result? Better supplier engagement, faster time to capability, and zero wasted potential in an industry where every skill counts.

“If we’re going to meet the urgent needs of our Defence Force over the next decade, we can’t afford to have capabilities sitting idle,” Tim shared in his award entry. “We need a system that taps the full potential of our industrial base. That’s what we’ve built with BenchOn.”

Championing Inclusion, Resilience and Veteran Support

Tim’s influence doesn’t stop at tech and business models. He’s also deeply involved in initiatives that support veterans, local economies, and underrepresented groups in industry.

As a board member of This Story Australia, Tim plays a central role in preserving and amplifying the voices of Australia’s veterans through powerful documentary style interviews. Through this work, he helped launch the Vulnerable Veterans Solar Program, a national initiative in partnership with RESINC Solar. The program donates fully installed, state-of-the-art solar systems to vulnerable veterans and veteran support centres across the country – completely free of charge. Within its first week, six veterans and a community centre had already received systems, with some saving over $3,000 a year in energy costs

In September 2025, Tim will also take on the physically and mentally demanding Trojans Trek Kokoda, raising $7,500 to support mental health and resilience programs for military personnel and first responders. You can support his mission here.

Tim also serves as the volunteer Gold Coast Director of Defence Industry Networking (DIN), where he’s grown a fledgling chapter into a vibrant monthly forum of over 70 regular attendees. The group has built new partnerships, strengthened regional defence collaboration, and created a sense of community among local veterans and businesses.

Finally, Tim is a part-owner of Michael Fairweather & Associates, delivering highly rated defence-readiness workshops across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. With a 93% satisfaction rate, these workshops have guided hundreds of companies through the complexities of procurement and market entry, accelerating their path into the defence industry.

Australian Defence Industry Awards 2025.

While this award rightly puts a spotlight on Tim, he is the first to acknowledge that none of it would be possible without a collaborative industry.

“I’m deeply honoured and surprised to receive this award in such an amazing group of humans doing so much for the industry and for veterans. So many of whom I have huge respect for the work they do day in and day out.”

Being named a finalist for Executive of the Year placed Tim among a cohort of exceptional leaders from across the Australian defence industry. Tim has expressed his appreciation at being recognised alongside such a high-calibre field of professionals, many of whom have made significant contributions to the evolving shape of Australia’s sovereign defence capability. We also thank the award judges and organisers for considering our entry.

Congratulations to finalists: Sarah Bailey, Penten; Demi Stefanova, Quickstep Technologies Pty Limited; Perry Singh, Toll Group; Michael Mitchell, Elysium EPL; Jose Santos, Willyama Services; Michael Biercuk, Q-CTRL; Marcus Coleman, Innovaero; Preetham Akula, Akula Tech; and Timothy Owen, Hunter Defence.

At BenchOn, we’re incredibly proud of Tim’s achievement but even prouder of what it represents. This win proves that innovation, community, and collaboration matter in this industry. It’s a win for Defence. A win for veterans. And a win for building the future of Australia’s industrial base – together.