Defence Leaders: Other Leaders
Mr Martin Bowles
Deputy Secretary Defence Support
Martin Bowles was appointed Deputy Secretary, Defence Support in August 2006. In this role he is responsible for the Defence Support Group which is structured into five Divisions: Defence Health Services, Defence Legal, National Operations, Personnel Services, Infrastructure and a Corporate Management Branch. The Defence Support Group is one of the vital elements underpinning Defence capability, with representatives on every Defence site around the country and providing essential services and support to over 90,000 personnel.
Mr Bowles came to Defence from the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales where he was the Deputy Director General, Corporate Services. He provided authoritative strategic advice to the Director General/Managing Director of TAFE, the Minister and other senior executives on corporate strategic directions for the Department and the strategic management of human, industrial, financial, capital, technology and administrative resources across all sectors of the Department of Education and Training in New South Wales.
Prior to this, Mr Bowles worked in Health across a number of Area Health Services including his appointment in June 2002 as the Chief Executive Officer of Wentworth Area Health Services. His responsibilities included providing public health services to the 310,000 residents of the area within a recurrent budget of $300 million. The role included planning, leading and directing the Area Health Service and to ensure the efficient and effective provision of high quality health services within the area based on a population based funding model.
Mr Bowles was also the Executive Director at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney where his responsibilities included providing public health services to the eastern suburbs of Sydney and a tertiary service to much of the New South Wales within a recurrent budget of $280 million. A full range of services from health promotion to high technology tertiary services are offered.
Mr Bowles has also held various senior corporate services and general management positions across Queensland and New South Wales.
Mr Bowles has a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Certificate of Public Sector Management and is also a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants.
Mr Bowles is married to Deidre and they have two children, a son Andrew and a daughter Morgan.