Celebrating 30 years of Crown Management Consultants

In 1994 Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa. Millions of people watched on as O.J Simpson was involved in a slow speed chase. It was also the year Crown Management Consultants (CrownMGT) was founded.

Looking at the top headlines from the time puts into perspective how far we've come in 30 years. From humble beginnings grounded in specialist experience, to being a leading player supporting Defence and national security.  

An origin grounded in Defence

We were born with Defence in our blood. It started with our founder, Andrew Short. With both parents serving in the Royal British Navy, it was inevitable he would follow a similar path. After establishing himself as an expert in complex military satellite and communications projects in his native UK and Australia, CrownMGT was formed in 1994.

And while he may have granted the business a regal name, little did Andrew know just how grand we would become.

The awesome foursome

Through CrownMGT’s early work supporting key Defence projects, our reputation and ability to attract the best talent grew.

This was cemented in 1996 and 1997 when Dr Peter Holliday and Richard Barwise (both former military), joined. In 2004, the team was further bolstered with the addition of Steve Ellicott. Together, the four helped shape CrownMGT into a business built on technical ability and long-term client relationships.

Andrew, Peter, Richard and Steve remain as CrownMGT’s Directors, with a team of more than 70 technical experts providing specialised advice and solutions.

And highlights? We’ve had a few. From being awarded to the DSS and ICT Marketplace panels, to opening our first office in 2017 in Fyshwick, and partnering with Defence with roles in JP2008, JP2072, L75, L200, SEA1442, L4140, WNA, AIR555, SEA5000, SOCOM and LC4. It’s our strong history that makes CrownMGT what it is today. 

2024 and beyond

In 2024, our offering is strong. We’re a group of genuine people and we build relationships to match.

• We’re Australian owned and operated

• We’re recognised as leaders in solving complex communications challenges. We deliver this under three key focus areas: complex ICT systems integration, information technology and project management & support

• We’ve worked in partnership with Australia's Defence sector since 1994

• While our roots are in Defence, we also work across national security and critical infrastructure

• We partner with some of the key players in the industry such as KPMG, Downer, KBR, EY, and Telstra to name a few

• Our support extends to offices in Canberra and Brisbane, with staff also located in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia

• We’re a team of engineers and technical specialists, project/program managers, logisticians and commercial support services experts such as schedulers and cost analysts.

And as we look ahead to the next 30 years, we'll leave the final words to our founder Andrew Short.

“We’ve made considerable investments to diversify our service offerings and create a vibrant work environment that’s set to be a long-term player in this industry. The staff and subcontractors are first-class, and the management team is the best in the business. The firm’s reputation is outstanding. I feel incredibly fortunate to be associated with such a great company with a terrific group of people."