Veteran ASC chief Stuart Whiley to step down from AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine builder

The chief of the Adelaide firm which will construct and maintain Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines has announced his departure after a career full of highs and lows.

Veteran ASC chief Stuart Whiley will step down from the Adelaide shipbuilding firm set to construct AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines in a $368bn project.

Mr Whiley, who started at the-then Australian Submarine Corporation in 1989 and has headed the government-owned firm since 2014, will depart in 2026.

His departure announcement follows the leadership switch at joint AUKUS submarine builder BAE Systems Australia, where frigate shipbuilding chief Craig Lockhart on September 4 replaced Ben Hudson as chief executive.

An ASC statement said Mr Whiley had advised the board he had decided not to renew his contract when it expired in January 2026.

ASC’s then general manager submarines Stuart Whiley in 2013 with HMAS Collins, undergoing deep maintenance at Osborne Naval Shipyard.

Mr Whiley, ASC’s managing director and chief executive officer, has been personally targeted in union industrial action calling for his sacking.

ASC chairman Bruce Carter praised Mr Whiley’s achievements “under, at times, difficult circumstances” in numerous senior roles over 35 years.

“His hard work and determination have resulted in the delivery of world-class submarine availability of the Collins class fleet to the Royal Australian Navy, and the successful announcement of ASC as the nation’s sovereign nuclear-powered submarine builder and sustainer in March,” Mr Carter said.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, whose portfolio includes ASC, praised Mr Whiley’s “long and distinguished career”.

The ASC statement says Mr Whiley “remains committed to continuing to lead ASC until the company is ready to transition” to a new chief “at an appropriate time in 2025” and an executive search firm has been appointed to recruit his replacement.

The statement says Mr Whiley, after leaving ASC, will “pursue board or consulting roles that will allow him to continue to contribute to the development of the nation’s defence and shipbuilding industry”.

ASC chief executive officer Stuart Whiley in 2017 with former AFL footballer Adam Goodes, in his capacity as director of the Indigenous Defence Consortium. Picture Sarah Reed

In the statement, Mr Whiley says he has had a fabulous career with ASC and strongly recommended young people consider naval shipbuilding roles with the firm or the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine construction program.

ASC in March was appointed as the joint constructor and sole maintainer of the nation’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet, with Osborne Naval Shipyard neighbour BAE Systems Australia named as the joint builder.

Originally published as Veteran ASC chief Stuart Whiley to step down from AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine builder