Inovor Technologies selected for Lockheed Martin’s Mentor Protégé Program

Adelaide-based Inovor Technologies has been selected for Lockheed Martin’s Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), becoming the third Australian Small-to-Medium Enterprise (SME) to do so. Inovor is a member of the team assembled by Lockheed Martin Australia for Joint Project 9102; the US prime won this contract earlier in 2023.

The MPP aims to accelerate the development of core SME capabilities. By allowing businesses, such as Inovor, to achieve a strategic uplift for their Australian customers, it opens the door to potential export opportunities to the United States and beyond. Australia’s Clearbox Systems was the first company outside the US to complete the MPP, graduating in 2020. Passive surveillance technology leader Silentium Defence is expected to graduate later this year.

“Our Mentor Protégé Program is one way we’re working with leading Australian SMEs, such as Inovor, to help accelerate their development, so they can be competitive on the global stage,” said Warren McDonald, Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand chief executive. “All of the non-US Mentor Protégé Program participants to date are from Australia, which underscores not only the world-class standard of our local industry, but also the trust we share with the US.”

Starting in November this year, Inovor executives will undergo an intensive 12-month mentoring program, gaining access to Lockheed Martin’s leading subject matter experts across Australia and the US. The program will be tailored for Inovor and cover best practice competencies that could include human resource processes, business ethics, contracting, product management, export controls, quality management systems, supply chain risk management, competitive intelligence and cyber security readiness.

Inovor’s participation in the Mentor Protégé Program will be jointly sponsored by Lockheed Martin Space and Lockheed Martin Australia’s Office of Australian Industrial Participation through the Global Supply Chain Program.

“Inovor impressed us with their innovative technologies, the clarity of their vision and their determination to seek sustained growth through securing export opportunities in the US and further afield,” said David Ball, Lockheed Martin Australia’s regional director for Space. “Their commitment to making the necessary investments to compete for global supply chain contracts made them ideally suited for the Mentor Protégé Program.”

“Our investment in Inovor’s participation in the Mentor Protégé Program is part of our commitment to developing Australia’s space industry sector, including through our support of STEM learning initiatives and focus on key programs such JP9102,” added Ball.

For Matt Tetlow, founder and CEO of Inovor Technologies, Inovor’s selection for the Mentor Protégé Program is key to realising the company’s growth potential: “We see the Mentor Protégé Program as a transformational opportunity that coincides with a series of strategic initiatives, including the expansion of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Adelaide and a rapidly maturing flight heritage.”

“At the conclusion of the program, Inovor will have the scale, experience, capabilities and corporate knowledge required to meet the growing needs of our Australian customers and pursue the international export opportunities that can accelerate our growth exponentially,” Tetlow added. “Through its programs and initiatives, such as the Mentor Protégé Program, Lockheed Martin consistently demonstrates its ongoing commitment to building the capacity and capabilities of SMEs and creating growth opportunities for the Australian industry.”