SA’s growing space sector creating new opportunities for young talent

After stints in New South Wales, Japan and the US, Ryan McClenaghan is revelling in life in South Australia

Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ryan McClenaghan was regaled with tales of the wonders of life in Australia from family members who had migrated Down Under in the 1950s. So it was no surprise that, soon after completing his studies in mechanical production engineering, he jumped on a plane and arrived in Sydney in 2006 at the age of 22.

After a short stint working in the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains, McClenaghan returned to Sydney where he co-founded start-up companies MM Creative and Micron Manufacturing – recognised in the BRW Fast Starters 2014 and 2015 Top 100 lists – offering advanced manufacturing services for sectors including defence, construction and retail. Subsequent roles included relationship manager with the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) and national business manager (Americas) with Micro X, an award-winning ASX listed X-ray technology company – roles which took him to Japan and the US.

Now making himself at home in Adelaide, having recently joined South Australian start-up Fleet Space Technologies as business development director, McClenaghan is relishing life in South Australia. “I spent the worst year in the US – I was in Washington DC and had to contend with the coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of the Capitol riots,” he says. “It shows you how fortunate you are to live in Adelaide. I have just built a house and am happy to be here – I think it’s a fantastic place to live.”

Ryan McClenaghan is enjoying life in South Australia after migrating from Sydney. Picture: Russell Millard

McClenaghan is also impressed with South Australia’s thriving defence and space sectors and enthusiastic for what’s still to come. “It’s very exciting times for the space industry in Adelaide,” he says. “The Australian Space Agency is here at Lot Fourteen, Fleet Space is leading the way with satellite manufacturing. The growth with Fleet is tremendous. We’ve had a recent $35 million investment, we have unveiled a new state-of-the-art satellite that we will be making next year, and we are building a new manufacturing plant in Adelaide, so there’s a lot going on.

“We have 46 vacancies at the moment and by mid next year aim to have more than 100 staff, which is exciting – it’s good to be involved with the company at this stage.”

The combination of lifestyle and career opportunities to be found in South Australia is making it a magnet state for young talent from other parts of Australia, to which McClenaghan can attest. “We are attracting great talent here because of the lifestyle and I think that will only continue as industry grows,” he says. “There’s everything here in Adelaide that there is in the eastern states and in my opinion the wage gap is not what it used to be from the eastern states. If you want to be in the defence or space sectors, if you want a challenge, to do something different or to make a difference, South Australia is the place to be.”