Vice Admiral (Rtd) Chris Ritchie AO had a career of more than 40 years in the Royal Australian Navy, before retiring as the Chief of Navy in July 2005.
Since leaving the Navy, Vice Admiral Ritchie has maintained an interest and involvement in defence issues and has served on defence related reviews and committees, both for Government and not for profit organisations. He has been chairman of the Australian Defence College Advisory Board, chairman of ASC Pty Ltd, national president of the Royal United Services Institute of Australia, chairman of the Federal Advisory Council to the Navy League of Australia and a visiting Professorial Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong.
He is currently chairman of Maritime Australia Ltd, a director of Lockheed Martin Australia, a Councillor of the USI of the ACT, a member of the Advisory Board of ANCORS and patron of the Naval Warfare Officer's Association and the Australasian Hydrographic Society. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.