Geodetica is thrilled to announce an exciting addition to our executive leadership team with the appointment of Leisha Johnstone as a director.
Leisha comes to us with an exceptional breadth and depth of experience in strategic and executive leadership roles, particularly within Defence industry. A qualified lawyer, Leisha’s professional journey has included engagements with private law firms, universities, and industry. She has spent almost two decades working within leading global Defence and Information Communications Technology organisations and has undertaken a variety of roles that have required her specialist strategic, business advisory, transactional, commercial, and often complex legal advice and with end-to-end corporate, legal, and operations support services.
Born in Western Australia, Leisha completed her Master of Laws at the University of Queensland before commencing her career in a Brisbane law firm practising in commercial litigation. Shortly after completing her postgraduate legal studies, Leisha also embarked on what transpired to become a 10-year journey with teaching across 3 different universities in Australia whilst in fulltime private legal practise.
“I arrived in Canberra almost 20 years ago. At the time, I was a military spouse and the relocation ensured we kept our family together. I initially joined a private law firm practice, and also continued with university teaching.
“When the opportunity arose to join the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) as an in-house lawyer, it piqued my interest in Defence programs and the collaboration between the public and private sectors. Throughout my 12-month contract, it really opened my eyes to the complexities of a large government department. When the contract ended, I moved back into the private sector but mostly in roles that were associated with industry and various Defence projects.”
Across the next 17 years, Leisha built a formidable reputation both domestically and internationally for her strategic and leadership talents – taking on multiple executive leadership, management, and advisory roles.
“I have worked extensively with industry, helping international and domestic businesses to navigate the complexities of the Australian Defence contractor environment and effectively establish, improve, and manage their local operations.
“I’ve been engaged by organisations with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, USA, UK, and others to assist build-up capability and capacity across multi-billion-dollar Defence programs which has been a lot of hard work but equally professionally stimulating and rewarding.”
Ready for the next phases in her career, Leisha is keen to leverage her skills and expertise in other ways with Geodetica, and with a focus on diversification of the business, its growth, and operations.
“It’s a welcome change for me. I’m motivated by variety and new challenges, and I’ve come to know Geodetica and the leadership team very well. They were a previous client of mine and have moved in the same networks as me for many years, and I respect the other directors and the company culture they have forged.
“The directors share similar values and vision. Among other things, this includes giving back in terms of sharing knowledge and expertise as well as mentoring and assisting others to succeed. We are passionate about investing in those dynamic up-and-coming entrepreneurs and innovators who have a lot to offer in uplifting Australia’s sovereign, technical and manufacturing capabilities. Growing up, I was surrounded by and worked within diverse family businesses. I naturally gravitate towards them, and I understand the dedication, commitment, and interest it takes to build something great.
“Doing good business is about fostering collaboration with the right relationships and capabilities, and I believe that the combined experience and expertise of Geodetica, with its partner organisations, will prove invaluable in guiding new or established businesses towards success. Simply stated, I think having the Geodetica team as trusted advisers and managers would be immensely valuable.”
Outside of work, Leisha loves to get outdoors in nature and explore other countries whenever she can.
“I’ve lived, worked and travelled all over the world, including spending 21 years in Southern Africa as I grew up. I plan to continue with travel in the coming years. I also love spending time with friends and family, and health and wellness are important to me. I feel truly fortunate to have been asked to come onboard with Geodetica, and I’m excited to be joining a company that values the same things as I do, and which also recognises that a healthy work-life balance and valued relationships are the key to sustainable success.”