Ben Shields is a veteran with over 15 years’ experience in Defence and Defence Industry, with significant experience across both rotary and fixed wing aircraft, explosive ordnance and weapons integration. Ben founded Valiance Consulting in 2021 with a vision to create a company that truly values its people and delivers exceptional professional services in support Australian’s Defence sustainment and acquisition programs.

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As a practitioner, Ben is a highly capable Project / Program Manager and Technical Engineer with extensive experience across multiple projects and domains. Underpinning his achievements as a practitioner, Ben holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical and Aerospace) from the University of Adelaide and a Master of Project Management from the University of Sydney.

Brendan Leary is a highly experienced professional with over 15 years of service in the Defence sector, specialising in project management, systems engineering, weapons and explosive ordnance. Brendan has held key Engineering and Program Management roles across major Defence acquisition and sustainment programs involving weapon systems integration, certification engineering, and test and evaluation, supporting both Land and Aviation domains.

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Brendan holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with Honours from Monash University, a Master of Project Management from the University of New South Wales, and is currently completing a Master of Business Administration through the Australian Institute of Business.

Alistair Weir is an Aerospace Engineer with extensive experience in aircraft weapons integration, explosive ordnance, and airworthiness certification across a range of platforms. With a background in the Royal Australian Air Force and defence industry roles, he has led engineering efforts on advanced fighter aircraft including the F-35A, F/A-18F, and EA-18G.

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His expertise spans the full lifecycle of weapons systems—design, compatibility analysis, certification, and operational support—delivered in both Australian and U.S. regulatory environments. He has also held senior roles in Command and Control and Integrated Air and Missile Defence projects, applying his deep technical knowledge of weapons systems to multi-domain defence solutions.

Steven Modra is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) in both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Queensland University of Technology and brings over 25 years of experience across multiple industries, including more than 13 years in the Defence sector. He has held DE Engineering Authroity on three major rotary wing platforms in Armaments, Structures, ALSE and Engines and been involved in introducing various EO and equipment into service.

 

Steven’s Defence Industry experience also spans supply chain, manufacturing, and testing within the small arms, EO, and specialist vehicle domains. He is a solutions-driven engineer known for applying deep technical expertise and innovative, out of the box thinking to deliver effective outcomes across complex projects.