We are delighted to welcome Major General (Ret’d) Fergus (Gus) McLachlan, AO, FRSN to Tellus as Senior Adviser – Defence.
At Tellus, our ambition is clear: to protect future generations by creating a cleaner, greener Australia with a more advanced circular economy.
Our Sandy Ridge facility is Australia’s only operational geological repository – enabling the secure, long- and short-term isolation of hazardous and strategic materials. More than a waste facility, Sandy Ridge has established sovereign capability in radioactive waste disposal, supporting both government and industry with safe, compliant, and future-ready solutions.
With Gus, we will continue to focus on how we can help solve national challenges, whether related to hazardous material contamination – from Defence PFAS legacy waste or government agency low-level radioactive waste in existing storage sites, to future requirements for AUKUS.
Gus brings deep expertise from a 37-year career in the Australian Army, retiring as a Major General. His leadership spanned land, cyber, electronic warfare, and command and control systems. As Head of Army Modernisation, he worked closely with industry to integrate new technologies and deliver a major recapitalisation of Army equipment. He later commanded Australia’s 35,000-strong Land Forces in high-risk, high-compliance environments.
Today, Gus advises businesses across Australia, the US, and the UK on geo-strategic risk, defence industry trends, and advanced technology adoption. He is also National Security Adviser at the University of Sydney, a Director of the Williams Foundation, and a Director of the AMDA Foundation.
Awarded the AO for his contribution to Army modernisation and the United States Legion of Merit for service in Afghanistan, Gus is uniquely placed to help us bring defence thinking to the challenges of hazardous materials management – where safety, compliance, and trust are paramount.
We are proud to have him on the Tellus team.