Faces of Thales - Nick de Bont

Born and raised in sunny Brisbane, Nick says he was never one to sit still. He did everything from rugby, swimming and water polo to debating and drama. He quickly figured out his strengths were in the humanities, not the technical subjects like maths and science.

“I thought that maybe Law was the way to go for me,” he says. “That was until my fourth year at uni when I had to do a work placement within a law firm and within two weeks I knew it wasn’t for me.”

Despite this Nick figured there was still plenty of other options apart from being a lawyer he could do with the degree, so he completed the five-year double degree in International Business and Law at the Queensland University of Technology.

“I always had an interest in working for the Government or the Army or Police. A role where I helped others. So, I joined the Army Reserves and did my Officer training as soon as I could when I was 18.”

At one point in his studies Nick spent seven months on exchange in Glasgow Law School, a period he absolutely loved even though his first thoughts aren’t with the schooling.

I got to work with the British Parachute Regiment,” he laughs. “Those guys are a bit crazy but I loved it. Actually, it was very eye opening for me. I went from the barracks in Brisbane where the main threat was people climbing the waist high fence to jump in our pool to my first night over there where they gave me my weapon, three soldiers and live ammunition and told me if I saw anyone climb the fence I was to shoot them. It was a bit surreal, but they had a very real threat at the time with the Irish Republican Army. It definitely opened my eyes."

Apart from a previous backpacking trip around Europe, his time in Glasgow was the first real time Nick had spent an extended period away from home. The travel bug had set in and it would become a large part of his life in the future.

Back in Brisbane again Nick went and did a Postgraduate Degree in Law at Bond University and undertook work experience for some Brisbane based barristers.

“I was working with a floor full of criminal barristers pretty much as their gofer and learning more about the law,” he notes. “Actually, I was learning it was definitely not what I wanted to do. But it was ok while I was waiting for my application to go through with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”

In 2004 the application was successful and Nick made the move to Canberra. Not long after, the war in Iraq erupted and Nick’s life would change forever.

Here and Back Again

I was originally asked to head to Iraq to cover for someone for a month,” he says. “I said yes and I flew over to Southern Iraq and ended up staying there for the next nine months.”

Nick’s role was diverse including engagement with local leaders, participating in patrols and travel throughout southern Iraq and to Baghdad. “It was an incredible learning experience for me and provided me with the knowledge and military foundations that set me up for success on my next deployment to Afghanistan”. 

Deploying in support of the Special Operations Task Force in Tarin Khowt, Afghanistan Nick found himself in the thick of the action. It was very, very different to Iraq,” he says. “It was very full on. I was out on patrol regularly and there were contacts pretty much daily, so nothing like Iraq." Following the six months in Afghanistan Nick returned to work in Sydney only to later redeploy back to Afghanistan and then to Timor-Leste. Deploying with the apprehension task force Nick was again supporting Australian special forces on the hunt for a rebel leader. “Unfortunately that mission was not successful but it was amazing to see this fledging nation building itself from the ground up and to hear the optimism of the locals and their journey to independence.”

After his deployments Nick returned to Australia and started a career working in a variety of security related areas within the Commonwealth Bank. His time at the bank was no less dynamic then his military commitments and included responding to terrorist attacks, protest activities and bank robberies. A highlight was being part of a small team led by Catherine Fitzpatrick to work across the bank to find ways to help customers suffering from domestic and family violence. “This was incredibly rewarding and we managed to implement a wide range of measures that made a real and tangible difference to both staff and customers who were affected by domestic and family violence”.

Moving to Thales

“I really enjoyed my time there with Comm Bank,” he says. “I travelled all around the world looking after our sites. I did the Royal Commission, and even a really interesting Close Protection Course in South Africa. It was fantastic. But I wanted to find something different. 

I’ve always been passionate about defence technology, and the engineering aspect behind it all. The work Thales does really interests me, so when I saw the position here come up I applied and thankfully got the job two years ago. Doing work where you’re helping secure Australia, that’s exactly what I wanted to do, and doing it in the private sector means less of the red tape you come across in Government."

Despite knowing about some of the areas Thales works in, Nick says he was blown away by how varied and large the company is.

“I’d driven around in Bushmasters and I loved them, and I was a huge fan of the rifle,” he says. “I knew about some of the Explosive Ordnance Services work and Munitions, but I couldn’t believe all the different types of work Thales does. Some of the things we build here, and globally, is so technically intricate and complex, but we can do it. It still fascinates me and I’m still finding more and more about our capabilities.”

Nick says his plan for the next few years is to develop our security to be the best it can be.“That’s my goal, to make sure our security is second to none, and make it a differentiating factor from our competitors,” he says. “I’d love to do that for us here in Australia and New Zealand, and if I can help Thales out as a Group that would be ideal. 

Veterans Committee 

Since joining Thales Nick has been able to devote time to his passion of helping Veterans and their families. “It was a real honour to become the first Chair of the Thales Veterans Committee established in July 2021”. Within Thales Australia over 260 current Thales staff members have identified as Veterans with numerous continuing to serve in a Reserve capacity. Thales actively supports a variety of Veterans related groups including Legacy Australia and the Navy Clearance Diver Trust. “I am immensely proud of where the Veterans Program is going with a new Reserve leave policy, specific employee assistance support for Veterans, an internal mentoring program and a range of engagements to help Defence members transition to meaningful employment after their service”. Nick has been actively involved with the NSW RSL serving on the committee of the North Bondi Sub Branch and Eastern Suburbs District Council and provided his tips for veterans transition in the first RSL NSW webcast.