We’re excited to announce yet another valued addition to the Geodetica team, with the appointment of Paul D’Orival as Senior Project Manager.
Paul joins us after holding several esteemed positions within Defence, where he has contributed to the successful delivery of a range of key projects and programs.
Born and bred in Victoria, Paul began his career as an aircraft mechanic in the navy where he worked locally and internationally on helicopters and squadron. After almost a decade in the role, Paul left to join the family business in Melbourne and then moved to Brisbane where he stayed for several years.
Luck eventually brought him back to Canberra when his wife was offered a position in the public service.
“In re-joining the public sector, I initially landed a role in record management which I hadn’t done before. It wasn’t for Defence, but I was soon asked to submit my CV for a role in aviation where I found myself working on performance reporting. It revolved largely around logistics, and I was able to use my earlier experience to relay complex information in everyday language which was very important for the role.”
Paul went on to expand his depth of experience within Defence – working on record management across security, finance, administration and ministerial areas within what was then DMO (Defence Materiel Organisation).
“Eventually I was asked to move into a coordination role, which broadened my knowledge of audits at the different Defence levels: whole of organisation, DMO, and ANAO (Australian National Audit Office). My extensive work with ANAO led me to work on Defence’s annual major projects reports, where I supported the redevelopment of processes and templates to create more rhythm and rigour for reporting in DMO.”
After the First Principles Review was released, Paul stepped into organisational governance and worked within the new Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) on administrative, contract and commercial management.
“It was very eye opening and I was fortunate to be surrounded by people who had significant experience at senior levels. We developed a business management system for CASG – putting in place all the policies and processes to support those who were responsible for various aspects of the organisation.
“When I was asked to become Executive Officer to the Group Business Manager of CASG, I knew it would be interesting work. It certainly was, and very busy too, as the GM oversaw all the business operations to ensure everything was functional. It’s the type of role you hand over to others after a time because it helps them build greater awareness of what’s going on in the group. So after training a replacement, I went on to become Acting Director in the commercial division for CASG business operations.”
Paul was then invited to join the Australian Cyber Security Project, where he supported the implementation of a national program inviting organisations to share cyber threat intelligence.
“I helped develop the future phases of that project, which empowered public and private sector organisations to anonymously share cyber threat intel to promote vigilance.
“Not long after, I decided to come on board with Geodetica as my wife and I had come to know Jason through our work at Defence. I can see Geodetica’s vision clearly, and am excited by the opportunity to contribute my knowledge. I really enjoy developing projects to the point of sustainment, and then moving on knowing they’re in a really strong position. I’m also excited by the work Geodrones is doing and know I can contribute in that space in the future as well.”
Outside of work Paul enjoys building scale model cars, spending time with his wife, and helping his friend as a rally navigator.
“My mate has a rally car and over time I just became part of the community. It’s not so much about yelling directions, but organising everything perfectly so he can concentrate fully on the driving. It’s my job to make sure he gets to where he needs to be on time, which is a big responsibility but loads of fun.”