Navy: Chris Greatrex
Chief executive, Artis Group
Chris Greatrex enjoyed a 13-year career in the navy after graduating from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1987. He remembers that he attended ADFA at the same time as Kloud's Geoff Rohrsheim and Citadel Group's Miles Jakeman.
After starting on patrol boats, Greatrex finished up with six years on submarines. The Navy paid for him to complete a Master of Business Administration degree.
Upon entering civilian life in 2000, he worked as a communications consultant on the Sydney Olympics, then spent six years in New York. Greatrex is now the head of Artis Group, a CRN Fast50 company.
Greatrex told CRN that the ADFA and the navy taught him skills that are invaluable in the business world. "You're trained to accept leadership, make sound and timely decisions. Defence guys are trained to make tough decisions earlier – after bringing together all the necessary information."
He said that military officers are also taught to "lead by example and lead to excel ", and people coming out of the defence forces have due humility.
"Defence guys don’t have egos that others might – a big ego doesn’t fit well into the [military] culture."
As a former submarine officer, Greatrex hoped that on this Anzac Day due recognition would come for the Australian submarine AE2, which served at Gallipoli. He told CRN that the sub successfully fought from the water well before the now-infamous landings.
"She was the first submarine to successfully navigate and penetrate the narrow and heavily fortified Dardanelles waterway, entering the enemy-occupied Sea of Marmara.
"With the now famous orders to 'run amok', AE2 continuously harassed the enemy, and without any battle casualties."
Next: Special operations
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