KordaMentha launches Defence & National Security practice

29 January 2025 Consultancy.com.au

Australian business advisory KordaMentha has launched a new defence & national security practice to be jointly led by KPMG partnership recruits Mike Kalms and Joshua Rodgers.

Respectively based out of Sydney and Melbourne, Kalms was most recently KPMG’s NSW government lead partner, while Rodgers crosses after serving as CTO for the firm’s deals advisory & infrastructure practice.

The recruits are the latest in KordaMentha’s recent raid on the Big Four, which has seen the traditional restructuring & turnaround advisory launch a number of new offerings, along with a public sector-focused outlet in Canberra.

“These appointments reflect the firm’s ongoing investment in sectors facing complex strategic and financial challenges,” KordaMentha stated. “Our DNA in restructuring, turnaround, and rapid action to improve performance, combined with the extensive expertise Mike and Joshua bring, enables the firm to provide a dedicated, market-leading service with no vested interests or engagements.”

Mike Kalms
A long-time army reservist, Kalms brings three decades of defence industry experience to his new role, amassed across a career which kicked off at the Department of Defence and has since included stints as CEO of QinetiQ and head of strategy at BAE Systems. He joined KPMG in 2013, and served as defence & space industry lead partner prior to his most recent role.

Joshua Rodgers
An engineer by vocation with a digital systems degree in mechatronics and computer science from Monash, Rodgers meanwhile started his career at GSK before spending over a decade in the government’s Defence Science and Technology Group, where he rose to deputy director of strategic engagement. He joined KPMG in 2017, serving in his most recent CTO role since 2022.

“We look forward to working with agencies and organisations across Australia’s defence & national security space as they navigate a challenging strategic environment,” Rodgers said. “This includes addressing a deteriorating geopolitical landscape, constrained budgets, and an increasing urgency to build, acquire and sustain the equipment necessary for Australia’s protection both at home and abroad.”

KordaMentha

In a subtle swipe at his former house of employment, Kalms also referenced both KordaMentha’s freedom from conflicts in not proving audit or tax services, and an approach opposite to the “land-and-expand” one commonly adopted by the larger consultancies, which describes the practice of bagging a client on a smaller engagement before adding to the scale of the deal over time.

“Being fiercely independent will undoubtedly help us deliver evidenced insights to leaders and partners,” Kalms said. “Taking to heart the minimum viable capability principles adopted by Defence, we are building a practice that can work across the entire supply base and quickly identify where a complex program can improve and deliver the capabilities our service personnel require faster.”

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