The Board of DroneShield Limited announced Oleg Vornik has decided to step down as Managing Director and Chairman Peter James has decided to retire from the Board and not seek re-election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. The Company also announced the appointment of Angus Bean as Managing Director and Hamish McLennan as Independent Chairman-Elect. After more than 10 years in the role, Oleg Vornik has decided to step down as Managing Director and CEO.
Vornik will continue at the Company as an adviser for the next three months to support a smooth transition. Following a formal succession planning process, the Board has appointed DroneShield's Chief Product Officer Angus Bean to succeed Vornik as Managing Director and CEO commencing today. Bean is one of DroneShield's earliest employees, joining in 2016 and has held C-level executive roles at DroneShield since 2018 when he was appointed Chief Technology Officer.
He has played a central role in the development of the Company's core technologies and engineering strategy. Retirement from the Board of Peter James and Proposed Appointment of Hamish McLennan as Independent, Non-Executive Chairman After 10 years as DroneShield's Chairman since before its Initial Public Offering in 2016, Peter James has announced his retirement from the Board and his decision to not stand for re-election at the Company's Annual General Meeting on 29 May 2026 (AGM). As part of the Board's ongoing renewal process, Hamish McLennan will join the Board from 1 May 2026 as Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman-Elect, and will assume the role of Chairman, at the conclusion of the AGM.
McLennan is an experienced executive and board director across private and public organizations with strong focus on building companies and driving superior corporate governance. He was Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ten Network Holdings until July 2015 and before that, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman, at News Corp. As Chairman of REA, he has overseen growth in the company from approximately a $2 billion to a $20 billion market capitalisation business.
